Chronological Journey through the Bible

Join me on a two-year chronological journey through the Bible in its historical context. I’ll be posting about once a week, but you can follow along at your own pace and join in the discussion in the comments section.

Our primary text will be the Chronological Study Bible published by Thomas Nelson.  The Kindle version is $14.99, but Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited subscribers can download it for free:

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3popTtj.
Hardcover: https://amzn.to/37Q7EY1.

It is certainly possible to use a different Bible than this one, but if you do you’ll miss out on the introductions to each historical time period, which are extremely illuminating.  So I recommend you get a copy of this Bible.  Either way, I’ll announce ahead of time which readings will be covered in the next post so you’ll be able to follow along in any Bible you choose.  (See my next post, Which Bible(s) Should I Use?.)

My desire for this blog site is not to talk at you or to present myself as some kind of all-knowing expert.  I’m more of a “general practitioner” when it comes to religion, theology, Bible, and the history of the church, so I will be leaning on experts I trust in areas of their specialty.  Hopefully you’ll find my commentary insightful and engaging.  I will strive to offer you guidance, structure, accountability in your reading, and–most of all–community.  But that last one depends on you.

Some of you may know the Bible as well if not better than I do.  Please share your expertise.  Many of you will be following along using a study Bible of some kind, whether it’s the Chronological Study Bible I’ve selected as our main source, the Orthodox Study Bible that I will recommend in the next post, or a favorite Bible of your own choosing (ESV perhaps?).  Please share anything you find interesting from the study notes or from your own reading of the text … or from that podcast you’re listening to, Sheila!  ;p

Perhaps you’re perplexed by something you’ve read.  This is the place to ask questions.  Maybe I can help.  Maybe one of the other members of our community can help.  Or maybe we’ll all have different opinions and you’ll start a fascinating discussion.  One of the beautiful things about the Bible, the Old Testament in particular, is that there are so many different ways to interpret what’s going on.  Who’s to say which of us is right?  The point is to wrestle with the Word–as we’ll see Jacob doing in week 3–and to grow closer to God through the struggle.

To this end, I’d like to ask you to consider scrolling down to the bottom of the page and creating a log in for the site.  Click “Remember Me” if you’re using your private computer or mobile device.  It will help facilitate our discussions … and it’ll make me very very happy.  🙂

Okay, then.  As Matt Damon said in Good Will Hunting, “I’m pumped!  Let the healing begin!”
(Seriously, though, when was the last time you saw it?  It’s so good!  Click here to watch: https://amzn.to/3svszaU.)

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Upcoming Posts

Which Bible(s) Should I Use?
I will introduce you to a few Bibles that I personally recommend before outlining your first reading assignment.

Week 1: Epoch 1 — Genesis 1-11
We get into the text!

Old Testament Overview
This is a very important post that you may want to bookmark and refer back to often.  I take you through a quick overview of Old Testament History and introduce you to the four main sources behind the first five books of the Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy, collectively known as the Torah (Hebrew for “Teaching”) or Pentateuch (Greek for “Five Scrolls”).  Much of my analysis will come from observing how the sources interact with one another.

Byzantine Chant, Anyone?

Finally, I’d like to mention something that may be of interest to any of you who enjoy Byzantine-style chant music.  My friend, John Boyer, who chanted at Niki’s and my Orthodox wedding ceremony, has started a new business, the Saint John Koukouzelis Institute of Liturgical Arts, which offers chant classes and private lessons.  You too could sound like this!

I’ve asked John if he could put together a paper to teach us all a little about music and liturgy in the history of the church.  If he ends up having time, we will all be blessed by it.