Greetings!
In one week, we’ll be launching into a 2020-21 study of the fourteen narrative books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, Ezra, Nehemiah, 1 Maccabees, Luke, and the Acts of the Apostles.
The process for our study will be simple.
First, I’ve split the fourteen books up so that, from Monday-Saturday each week, you’ll be asked to read two or three chapters from one of these fourteen books. On Sundays, I’d encourage you to focus on the Gospel for that Sunday’s Mass or use it to catch up on anything you didn’t get to in the week.
Second, I’ll release videos throughout the study which will introduce twelve distinctive time periods in which the story of our salvation is set. The first of these videos was an introduction to the Bible, which you can view here:
Third, I’ll be posting updates on Mondays with a reminder of what we’re looking at from week to week. If you sign up at the bottom of my website, these will be delivered to your email inbox every Monday morning.
As I’ve mentioned before, a great deal of the inspiration for this comes from Jeff Cavins’ work on his “Great Adventure” Bible timeline. Other resources I’ll be using include:
- The Didache Bible
- The Navarre Bible (Series)
- The New Jerome Biblical Commentary
- The St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology
- The Word on Fire Bible
If you need a Bible, I’d encourage you first to look for a Catholic translation. The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is the one used at Mass in Canada while the New American Bible (NAB) is used in the United States. I’ve also studied with the RSV (Revised Standard Version) and the Jerusalem or New Jerusalem Bible. Outside of the translation, I’d also encourage you to get one with good study notes (there are many different editions – my personal Bible at home is the Didache Bible I mentioned above.)
It is my sincere hope in undertaking this study that all of us are able to start or restart a habit of reading the Bible regularly. In doing so, we will not only have a better grasp of God’s plan for humanity (and for each one of us) – but we will also be paying attention to what He’s speaking to us in this moment in time.
If you haven’t had a look at the schedule for what’s going on, please visit the main Bible Study page (which includes downloadable/printable checklists of the plan for our study as well as the entire Bible.)
Finally, if you ever have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Yours in Christ,
Mike