Read the Bible with Me!

Welcome to the Pauline Family's "Year of the Bible"! I'm reading the Bible clear through this year, and I invite you to read along with me. But first, let us pray: 

Everlasting Father,

All time belongs to you, and all the ages. In signs, in songs, in words of promise, you reassured your chosen ones, “I am with you; fear not.” You taught them through the prophets to trust that your saving deeds were not limited to the past.

When Jesus came, he fulfilled “all that was written in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms.”

The Church has found him everywhere in these same holy books.

Help me to find Jesus in my reading today, to listen to him, and to follow him with all my heart.

Amen.

Congratulations! You have read half of the Bible! 

Today we begin a new section of the Bible, the last of the Old Testament collections, the Prophetic Books. The prophetic books are typically divided into two blocks: the first set of books are the "major" prophets. Technically they have this title because of the length of the books, but actually they are also (mostly) stupendously important, especially the first two: Isaiah and Jeremiah. The other major prophetic books are Lamentations, Ezekiel and Daniel. In Catholic Bibles Baruch (which is not recognized as Scripture in the Jewish and Protestant traditions) is positioned after Lamentations: Both books are associated with the prophet Jeremiah. There are twelve minor prophets (shorter prophetic books): Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zehcariah and Malachi.

Today's chapters are Isaiah 1-3.

It is safe to say that the Book of Isaiah was the favorite prophetic book of Palestinian Jews at the time of Jesus. The Dead Sea scrolls alone include fragments from 23 different copies of this one book. The only other books that were more popular in the "Dead Sea" community were Deuteronomy (the Law) and the Psalms. (Law, Prophet, Psalms. Hmmm.)  Isaiah is widely quoted in the New Testament (coming in second place after the Psalms), and in ways that show that the early Church looked to Isaiah to express her understanding of who Jesus was and is.

Our background in the historical books will help us throughout our reading of Isaiah, since this incredibly gifted prophet and poet served God during the reign of four kings of Judah over a span of 50+ years. According to Jewish tradition, Isaiah was martyred by Hezekiah's son, the appallingly wicked King Manassah, by being sawn  in two (see Heb 11:37). 

As we begin reading the Book of Isaiah, it is almost a shame that we have to rush through it three chapters at a time! May the Lord inspire us to hear what he wishes to say to us through these ancient inspired words that never grow old!

Start reading here.

If you are looking for a solid but approachable companion to the Bible, I can wholeheartedly recommend A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament by John Bergsma and Brant Pitre. Although the authors are top-level Scripture scholars, they write for "real" readers. Notes include recent findings from archaeology and ancient manuscripts, and how each book of the Bible has been understood by the Church Fathers and used in Liturgy.