5 ms·

The Bible was not written as single work the way novels like Persuasion are though. It is really a collection of books of very different origins and genre. Some

by goto11 6y ago

The Bible was not written as single work the way novels like Persuasion are though. It is really a collection of books of very different origins and genre. Some books are laws where individual rules can be examined and there are collections of proverbs. But there are also parts which are longer narratives.

wcarey 6y ago
I think my point, though, that the unit of thought in the scriptures is not the atomic verse, still stands. If you'd like to emend "collected works of Jane Austen" to "collected works of 19th century authors", feel free.
- goto11 6y ago
  I argue that in some cases the "units of thoughts" are verses (proverbs, laws), in other cases they are longer like psalms, sermons, chapters, letters or books. I totally agree taking a single verse out of a longer narrative rarely makes sense. But the bible is not like a novel or a collection of novels, although some of the books (like Job) is kind of like a novel.
  - wcarey 6y ago
    Proverbs is certainly the book most amenable to division into verses.
- RobertRoberts 6y ago
  A few things to consider: 1. Many of the writings are letters, and therefore short. 2. Many of the writings, though grouped together by books, their chapters really are often distinct documents written at different times. (some are even historical logs like Kings and Chronicles) 3. There are _many_ sections that really do break down by lines and sections. The best examples are Proverbs and Psalms. 4. It's a huge document, and much of it is useful to reference later, and having a system in place for this (of any kind) is helpful for many reasons. Last, I agree with your general sentiment. The first time I read sections of the bible without the artificial breaks and numbers getting in the way gave me a completely different perspective on the _content_. So I make a point to read like this when I feel the numbers may be in the way of comprehension.
- hajile 6y ago
  Single sentences commonly span multiple verses which alone is enough to imply that cannot be true. I think very few who have read a Bible would come to the conclusion that verses are intended to be atomic.
catawbasam 6y ago
No, but single narratives have been done -- Tolstoy's "The Gospel in Brief" is a nice example that both captures his interpretation of Christianity and ties explicitly back to the original verses. And its Tolstoy, so it makes a nice read :)

by goto11 6y ago

wcarey 6y ago

I think my point, though, that the unit of thought in the scriptures is not the atomic verse, still stands. If you'd like to emend "collected works of Jane Austen" to "collected works of 19th century authors", feel free.

goto11 6y ago
I argue that in some cases the "units of thoughts" are verses (proverbs, laws), in other cases they are longer like psalms, sermons, chapters, letters or books. I totally agree taking a single verse out of a longer narrative rarely makes sense. But the bible is not like a novel or a collection of novels, although some of the books (like Job) is kind of like a novel.
- wcarey 6y ago
  Proverbs is certainly the book most amenable to division into verses.
RobertRoberts 6y ago
A few things to consider: 1. Many of the writings are letters, and therefore short. 2. Many of the writings, though grouped together by books, their chapters really are often distinct documents written at different times. (some are even historical logs like Kings and Chronicles) 3. There are _many_ sections that really do break down by lines and sections. The best examples are Proverbs and Psalms. 4. It's a huge document, and much of it is useful to reference later, and having a system in place for this (of any kind) is helpful for many reasons. Last, I agree with your general sentiment. The first time I read sections of the bible without the artificial breaks and numbers getting in the way gave me a completely different perspective on the _content_. So I make a point to read like this when I feel the numbers may be in the way of comprehension.
hajile 6y ago
Single sentences commonly span multiple verses which alone is enough to imply that cannot be true. I think very few who have read a Bible would come to the conclusion that verses are intended to be atomic.

catawbasam 6y ago

No, but single narratives have been done -- Tolstoy's "The Gospel in Brief" is a nice example that both captures his interpretation of Christianity and ties explicitly back to the original verses. And its Tolstoy, so it makes a nice read :)