No matter how often you encourage and urge Christians to do so, most of them will not continue reading their New Testament. for very long. There is a reason for this. Most Christians who read the New Testament once never read it again. Those who keep reading it cannot understand what it says. Why do you suppose this is?
Imagine I were a marriage counselor. Throughout my career, I had written many letters to both groups of people and particular individuals. After I had died, only 9 letters written to groups could be found, and 4 letters written to individuals. Some time later, someone had the idea to add chapters to my letters and turn each sentence into verses. If you were to take one sentence from one of my letters and try to tie it together with another sentence from another one of my letters, unless the context surrounding the one agrees with the context surrounding the other, you have just made me say and teach something that i never said or taught. The two sentences are in no way, shape, or form related or complementary.
This is what Christians of every denomination have done with the Bible ever since the addition of chapters and verses. They continuously proof-text the Bible in order to support all sorts of ridiculous and unbiblical teachings.
The individual books of the Bible were not written with chapters and verses. The biblical authors intentionally wrote their works structured with natural sections. Most people are unaware that chapters and verses are 700 and 500 years old respectively, and serve no purpose to the average reader other than being distractions that suggest false starting and stopping points. Cardinal Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Cantebury, a professor at the University of Paris, created the chapter system that we are all familiar with in the 13th century (A.D. 1205). His reason? He was composing a Bible commentary. He required a way in which to reference more specific portions of Scripture. His contemporary, Cardinal Hugo de Sancto Caro, also created a chapter system between A.D. 1244 and 1248. Robertus Stephanus (sometimes called Robert Estienne), a French printer and scholar, created the verse system that we are all familiar with in the 16th century (A.D. 1551). His reason? He was composing a Bible concordance. He required a way in which to reference smaller portions of biblical passages.
For the past 1,700 years, our Bibles have been incorrectly bound and printed. If you look at the works of Pliny, Socrates, Plato, etc., they were bound with their longest piece of work first and their shortest piece of work last, despite not being chronologically accurate. Our New Testament was bound in this exact same manner with all Paul’s letters lumped together in two different groupings: ecclesiastical letters first, personal letters second. Our Bible is so chaotically arranged that it is difficult to imagine how anyone could ever get a clear understanding of what it is saying. In fact, nobody has rightly understood the New Testament, let alone the entire Bible, for the past 1,700 years. Our commentaries reveal as much.
Are you aware that in reading Paul’s letters alone, you start in A.D. 58 with Romans, go back to A.D. 57 with 1&2 Corinthians, back to A.D. 50 with Galatians, forward to A.D. 63, back to A.D. 51, and ad nauseam. It is no wonder no one can understand what they are reading. It is a chronological mess.
Why do Bible publishers continue to print the Bible in such an archaic and chaotic manner? What superstitious traditions are they adhering to? I have news for them: God did not inspire the Bible to be published in this manner. Bible publishers have had long enough to start printing the Bible correctly so that people can finally start to understand it. Why do they refuse to do so? There is absolutely no logical reason or excuse as to why they continue printing the Bible in this out-dated and erroneous manner. It is time they corrected this egregious oversight. It is long overdue.
I would like to see a Reader's Bible printed without chapters, verses, or headings in its correct historical-chronological order.
| OLD TESTAMENT | NEW TESTAMENT |
| Historical Writings: Genesis Job Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1&2 Samuel 1&2 Kings 1&2 Chronicles Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon Ezra Esther Nehemiah Pre-Babylonian Captivity Prophets: Obadiah Joel Jonah Amos Hosea Isaiah Micah Nahum Zephaniah Jeremiah Lamentations Habakkuk Babylonian Captivity Prophets: Daniel Ezekiel Post-Babylonian Captivity Prophets: Zechariah Haggai Malachi Remainders: Psalms (Because Psalms spans several centuries, it is best placed last.) |
Historical Writings: Mark Matthew Luke John Acts Letters: James Galatians 1&2 Thessalonians 1&2 Corinthians Romans Philemon Colossians Ephesians Philippians 1 Timothy 1 Peter Titus 2 Timothy 2 Peter Hebrews Jude 1, 2, 3 John Revelation |