How the Bible Narrates History

09/07/22 • 54 min

Our modern priorities of exactitude and just-the-facts reporting can lead us to come to the Bible's stories with a certain set of expectations. The authors of the Bible, however, had different agendas which are reflected in the ways they tell stories. By learning to read the Bible's narratives with careful eyes, we can uncover meaning and significance that has been hiding in plain sight all along.

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Previous Episode

Supercut: From Chapters and Verses to a Better Bible Reading Experience

Lots of people struggle to read the Bible, but few stop to question why our Scriptures look like a dictionary. Why are we expected to read something that looks so unreadable? The truth is, chapters and verses and the format of our Modern Bible are some of the most overlooked barriers in the push for better Bible literacy.

In this episode, we cut and arranged clips from three of our earliest episodes into one episode exploring the massive impact of the Bible's physical format. We discuss the origin of chapters and verses and how they led to an avalanche of Bible "features" that hide the natural literature. Then we show how a different Bible format changes everything – a format that makes for an easier reading experience and displays the Bible's literature the way the authors first intended.

Learn more about Immerse: The Reading Bible - https://www.immersebible.com/

Comparison of poetry in 1-column vs. 2-column Bible: https://bit.ly/2FLzRUH

Listen to the full episodes:
Episode 4: Chapters, Verses, and the Impact of the Modern Bible
Episode 5: How to Make a Reader's Bible w/ Christopher Smith
Episode 6: The Game-Changing Power of Reader's Bibles

Next Episode

Architecture, Poetry, and How the Bible Speaks to our Hearts

After historical narrative, poetry is the most common form of literature in the Bible. The Bible's story is broad, but it is also incredibly deep. The craftsmanship of biblical poetry shows us that God wants to speak to our hearts, to help us feel, and to give us footholds to experience him more fully through all of the emotions of life.

Find links to all podcast episodes here: https://instituteforbiblereading.org/podcast/