I found reading the Talmud and Pirkei Avot to be helpful in interpreting the (Jewish) Bible. I also read a lot of history books which made it easier to understa

I found reading the Talmud and Pirkei Avot to be helpful in interpreting the (Jewish) Bible. I also read a lot of history books which made it easier to understand the meaning behind what the authors were trying to convey, the challenges, and the culture. (As a Jew, I found the NT to make absolutely no sense and frustratingly illogical / inconsistent).