Here’s the new Jesus and Mo strip, called “fresh”, in which the boys are let down.
I’ve always said that although the Bible is touted as great literature (mainly in the King James Version), it really isn’t: it’s dull and boring, with many leaden and snooze-inducing passages. Yes, there are a few good ones, but I’ve often proposed the experiment that Jesus and Mo allude to. My version: the Bible exists in only one old, dusty copy, which resides in a free book box outside Powell’s in Hyde Park. Somebody picks it up and takes it home and starts reading it as if it were a work of fiction. After a short time, bored as hell, he puts it down and then discards it. It is NOT great literature though it has some good bits.
But I digress: here are Jesus and Mo reading their respective Holy Books with “fresh eyes”:
I wonder if you would enjoy R. Crumb’s “The Book of Genesis / Illustrated”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Genesis_(comics)
or
https://www.amazon.com/Book-Genesis-Illustrated-R-Crumb/dp/0393061027
I’ve never been good with fiction.
LOL!
The KJV undoubtedly has its abundant longueurs, but it is a rich source of allusion in Anglophone Lit. It’s also one of the few examples of an original work improved by committee, as The Hitch pointed out in his Vanity Fair piece “When the King Saved God.”
I have always wanted to read the Bible through in its entirety, to try and give my distain for religion more authority. But my three attempts have ended in failure, because taken as a whole, it’s a thoroughly boring, disturbing and nonsensical book. I’d rather re-read the Harry Potter books; at least the villain in that story is clearly labelled.
When in middle school, I decided to read Revelation, because I wanted to read the bible; at the same time, I wanted to choose the books and not read it from Genesis, on. There were (are) so many conspiracy theories surrounding Revelation, and at the time, I had bought into the grand delusion (thanks mom and dad!). First of all, I read it at night, and it put me to sleep within minutes. (Is reading Revelation an insomnia cure?) In the morning, I thought about what I read and recalled nothing. So I tried reading aloud, thinking that would clarify the words and make them comprehendible. No luck there, either. Though reading aloud did impede sleep. Revelation is a great example of ancient obscurantism, and has always been cherry picked to precise, semi-intelligible passages taken out of a word-salad context. And, by the way, no revelation has come to pass in regards to Revelation’s “revelations”.
At least they understand that it ‘doesn’t really work’ without the preconceptions.
The Christian bible is an anthology. Some writers were probably better than others and differently motivated. I think the same goes for the real bible 🙂
Broadly speaking –
The original books were copied by hand, introducing copying errors.
Some of the copies were translated into Greek, of the time, introducing translation errors.
Some of the books were included or excluded from the ‘canon’, introducing selection errors.
The translation(s) were copied by hand, introducing copying errors.
Some of the copies were translated into Latin, of the time, introducing translation errors.
The selected, translated, book was copied by hand, introducing copying errors.
The Book was translated into English, of its time, in 1611, introducing translation errors.
The Book has subsequently been translated and republished many times into modern languages. Copying errors are fewer, although there is more ‘interpretation’ involved.
…and every copyist and translator had their own pre-conceptions.
To be fair, other works of extinct cultures (e.g. the Iliad) are also unlikely to appeal to a reader with fresh eyes. Personally, I am interested in mythology and much of the Genesis appealed to me.
Maybe the fact that the Bible was introduced to me by sarcastic or outright hostile commentators (Leo Taxil and a Soviet editor) helped me appreciate the text for what it was worth; if it had been force-fed to me, I’d likely dismiss all of it.
That’s funny because some years ago I really tried to read the Bible from the beginning as it was a work of fiction and… it happened exactly what you said: after some pages I got bored and I discarded it! I didn’t go beyond Genesis.
Nevertheless, some years later, I also read the Quran and let me say: it is much worse, by far!…