New Testament in a Year

I am constantly meeting those who want ‘a plan’ to read the Bible in a year. There are a variety of gimmicks out there to help you with checklists and guide that tell you which chapter to read each day, etc. Some forget that the Church already has a guide to read the Holy Scriptures, but like so many other traditions of the Church, those guides are ignored in favor of ‘modern’ ideas and reading plans. UGH

It is important to understand that the Holy Scriptures are compiled by the Church, and as such, we should allow the Church to guide how and what we read. Did you know the New Testament is NOT in chronological order? In other words, if you are wanting to read Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans….in the order, so that you can somehow feel you are keeping with the storyline, you would be mistaken. The New Testament books are compiled not in chronological order, but by size. That’s right! The longer books first, followed by the shorter books. But that is not all. The Old Testament is broken into sections. The books of the Law, the books of History, the books of the Prophets and Wisdom, like the New Testament are not written in chronological order, but thematically by section. If you are wanting to keep with the storyline, you won’t do it by reading the Bible cover to cover.

So, how should we read the Bible?

The Church maintains a lectionary, by which we read the entire New Testament except for Revelation, each year. It is not in the same order as the printed Bible per se, and is broken into two readings each day, one from the Gospels and one from either Acts or an Epistle. We call these the ‘readings of the day.’ By the way, the New Testament, like the Old Testament has thematic sections. The Law (Gospels), the history (Acts) and Wisdom (Epistles) and Prophets (Revelations). The ‘readings of the day’ are also broken into seasons. The current season, Pascha to Pentecost, is when we read the Gospel of John and the Acts of the Apostles. You may be wondering how long this lectionary has been in place? A long time! It was already in place when St John Chrysostom was Patriarch of Constantinople in the 4th century.

What about the Old Testament? That lectionary has fallen into disuse, and we’re not sure why or how long ago. What remains of the Old Testament lectionary is Great Lent, when we read Genesis, Isaiah, and Proverbs. Other portions are read extensively during Holy Week and during other feast days throughout the year. It isn’t that the Old Testament shouldn’t be read because it should be. We know even St John Chrysostom commented on how difficult it was for us to understand the Old Testament, so it may be the Church in her wisdom began to include it in sections where thematically appropriate. Remember the most important thing about the Old Testament, is that it POINTS TO CHRIST. One thing I have noticed about many who want to read the Old Testament is they want to read it in isolation of Christ, which is dangerous. Maybe that is why it is limited in our annual lectionary.

Either way, if you want to read the Bible in a year, you should start with the daily readings, but not just once. You should read it every year, and become so familiar with it, that when you hear a few verses, your mind immediately can fill in the blanks.

One more thing about the ‘readings of the day’ and the lectionary. The lectionary is not designed for study, but for prayer. Build the ‘readings of the day’ into your daily prayers, as we try to build them into our daily blog, and save the study for a different time. Just read and absorb into your heart. There is plenty of time to study, with cross references and notes, later. Prayer is prayer. Study is study.

Happy Reading!