The
PastoralPlanning.com
Bible Study
in Plain English
By using this Bible Study in Plain English, you…
will become more knowledgeable about the whole Bible.
will have a powerful spiritual journey through the text.
will know how to approach the Bible in the future.
will grow in faith!
This Bible Study in Plain English is…
designed for personal or group use.
designed for folks with not very much background in the Bible.
leads you through the Bible from front to back.
requires you to have a Bible of your own.
includes within it a journal or writing space.
is reproducible.
touches on every major point in the entire Bible.
is loaded with conversation-starters and vital information.
is really enjoyable to use!
What’s in this Bible Study in Plain English?
This Bible Study in Plain English is your introduction to the whole Bible. It’s
designed to be easy and enjoyable to use.
The Bible Study in Plain English does not move through the Bible precisely in
the order in which the various books appear there. Rather, it groups certain
kinds of books together, and provides clues about how to understand them
more easily.
It would be a very good idea for you to own a map or a series of maps showing
various historical periods of Bible history. There are probably good maps in the
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back of your Bible.
When reading and studying your Bible, it’s perfectly OK to write in it. That does
not show a lack of respect and it’s great way to learn. Use a pencil or a “Bibleready” pen that works on the kind of paper many Bibles use. The notes you
write will make the Bible more personal and important to you.
The word “bible”
The word bible derives from the Latin and Greek languages. In Latin, one might
say biblia to refer to a book, or a collection of pages. In Greek, one might use
the word 
(pronounced ta biblion), which means, literally, “the
book.” And that’s exactly what the Bible is, a collection of books that were
written over a long period of time, beginning more than a thousand years before the common era and continuing up through about 130 in the common era.
Throughout this Bible Study in Plain English, we’ll refer to the period before
Christ as BCE, “before the common era,” and the period since Christ as CE,
“during the common era.” This is in accord with multi-faith practice.
Likewise, in this Study we’ll follow the custom of Jewish scholars who prefer to
call the first 46 books of the Bible the “Hebrew Scriptures” rather than the “Old
Testament.” The name “old testament” does not show respect for Jews and others for whom these texts are not “old” but still rather “new.” And we’ll refer to
the latter part of the Bible as the “Christian Scriptures” for the same reason.
The Hebrew Scriptures. The books of the Hebrew Scriptures deal with the
agreement, or covenant, between God and us human beings. They tell about
the journey of God’s Chosen People (the Hebrews) from the creation stories to
approximately one hundred years before the birth of Christ. The Hebrew Scriptures are divided like this:
Pentateuch (or Torah): The first five books tell the story of salvation:
Creation to Noah
Abraham & Sarah and their descendants
Moses and the Exodus
The Covenant at Mount Sinai
The Law
These books are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Of
all the forty-six books in the Hebrew Scriptures, these first five are the most
important to the Jewish people.
Historical Books: These books tell the military battles, heroic tales and important events in the history of the Hebrew people. They include the stories of
Joshua, Samuel, Saul, David & Bathsheba, Solomon, and the division of the
kingdom. The historical section includes books like Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 &
2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles.
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The Prophets: These books tell the message of spokespersons sent from God to
the People. A prophet is precisely that: one who speaks for God. These books
give the teachings and biographies of the Hebrew prophets. The prophetic section includes books like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Amos, Hosea and
others. The stories of Elijah and Elisha are found in the historical books.
Wisdom Books: These books contain poetry, philosophy, prayers, proverbs, and
songs. The wisdom section includes books like Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,
and the Song of Solomon.
The Christian Scriptures. The writings in the Christian Scriptures deal with
the new covenant between God and the people. This covenant was revealed in
the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. The Christian Scriptures tell the story of
the conception and birth of Christ, his life and mission, his death and resurrection, and the early years of the church. The Christian Scriptures include the
following writings:
The Four Gospels: These four books tell the story of Jesus’ birth, life, death,
and resurrection. These include the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and
John. Of all the books of the Bible, the Gospels are the most important to
Christians. They are the heart and soul of the Christian Scriptures.
The Acts of the Apostles: The book called the Acts of the Apostles tells how the
early Christians carried Jesus’ message from Jerusalem to the world. It describes the early church community, details how the faith was spread, and tells
about Paul’s several missionary journeys around the northeast end of the
Mediterranean Sea.
The Letters: There are twenty-one letters (or epistles) that bear the names of
Paul or of the apostles Peter, James, and John. These letters were written by
church leaders to other Christians in places like Rome, Colossae, Thessalonica,
Ephesus, and Galatia to encourage and correct them in their faith.
Revelation: The last book in the Bible, the Revelation of John, is perhaps the
most difficult to understand. It uses apocryphal language to describe the critical events surrounding the Christians of that period. By putting the people,
events, and institutions of the day into coded language, the author safeguarded
him or herself as well as the readers, while offering them great hope amid apparent turmoil.
Various kinds of writing. The Bible contains as many different styles of writing as there are authors. Here are some examples of some of the writing styles
you will find:
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Epic Stories: These are larger-than-life accounts of the growth and history of
God’s People. They were written down by unknown compilers based on tribal
stories told over many generations. Read the story of Abraham or Moses, for
example. They’re part of an epic tale describing God’s love for us and God’s desire that we live faithfully.
Parables and Allegories: These are teaching stories, told to make certain points.
Parables were famously used in the Christian Scriptures, but they also appear
in the Hebrew Scriptures. When you read of Nathan confronting David, for example, or of Jesus teaching about forgiveness, chances are you’ll be reading a
parable.
Poetry: These are some of the oldest and most beautiful poems in human history. Read Psalm 16, for example, and you will understand the power of poetry
to touch the human heart.
Songs: Psalms and canticles in the Bible were set to music and sung by the
people. And in the Christian Scriptures, the letter writers sometimes appear to
be quoting hymns from the early church or from the Hebrew Scriptures. Read
Mary’s hymn in Luke and you’ll hear an echo of Hannah’s hymn from 1 Samuel.
Laws: The Bible contains the many laws, rules, procedures, and traditions of
the faith community. Almost the entire book of Leviticus, for example, tells
about the laws observed by the Hebrew people. Read chapter 19 for a great example of this.
Letters: Some of the most powerful literature in the Christian Scriptures are the
letters from church leaders to individuals or communities in the early church.
Other Literary Forms: The Bible also contains short stories, religious history,
biographies, and many other forms of writing. All in all, the Bible is a fabulous
book, full of mystery, and brimming over with the exciting word of God.
This Bible Study in Plain English includes the following elements:
A general description of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, which you’ve just
read.
Two free, downloadable charts, showing the history, documents, and probable
authors, one describing the Hebrew Scriptures and one describing the Christian Scriptures. Keep these charts handy as you encounter the texts of the
Scriptures to help you understand the context of each book of the Bible.
There are a total of sixteen studies, each containing the following elements:
“Read it and see!” which leads you directly into the text itself. Again, feel
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free to read much more than the Study suggests. This Study is only
meant to lead you into the text. The rest is up to you.
“Sacred pause!” which is a suggestion for private thought and prayer or
discussion. Often during the sacred pause, the Study suggests that you
read the text aloud, or that you retell the stories aloud in your own
words. Don’t fail to take advantage of these suggestions. You will come
away from reading the Bible much more in tune with its spirit by doing
this.
“Chat room!” which suggests points for discussion to help make using the
Study with a group of friends very easy. It’s one of the best ways to read
the Bible. If you’re working as a group, you can also use the Sacred
Pauses suggested in the Guide to extend your conversation.
“Note this!” which are special notes here and there meant to help you remember certain key notions that will improve your understanding of the
text.
“Dateline!” which give notes about the dating of certain elements of the Bible For some readers, knowing where they are in history is very important.
“Note pad” which is a built-in journal or writing space for your use during
this Study. This will allow you to make your reading of the Bible personal
and permanent. Use this space as much as you can. Follow the suggestions in the Study, but also write whatever you notice about the text,
about how it fits into your life, and about questions you may have as you
proceed.
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The top 10 reasons why people don’t sit down and read the Bible
(according to the people themselves).
Reading the Bible is hard work, but very rewarding! Many people want to read
the Bible but haven’t. As you think about doing this yourself, be aware that it’s
easier to start this than to stay with it. Here are the top ten reasons why people
report they have never read the full Bible.
1. It’s too long
2. Too many of the names and places are unfamiliar
3. A lot of it is history or laws that no longer seem relevant
4. I’ve tried but I get bored
5. I want to know what’s in it but I don’t want to read it
6. I get lost in some of the more complex parts
7. It seems so violent in the Hebrew Scriptures - all those wars and
military activities
8. I just don’t have a very good understanding of it and that makes
reading it very difficult
9. I get enough of the Bible at church
10. I just don’t make the time for it
This Guide is designed to help you over all of these hurdles. It’s designed to
make the Bible part and parcel of your life.
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Who wrote the Bible?
The Bible was written by many different authors over a period of more than a
thousand years. In each case, the Holy Spirit inspired and guided the authors.
The authors wrote in their own words and in their own styles, using their own
skills and their own language. Most of the Hebrew Scriptures were written in
Hebrew while the Christian Scriptures were all written in Greek. Over the
years, there have been many translations of these original texts. Not all the
translations are identical.
The order of the books.
Most people who read the Scriptures assume that the books of the Bible were
written in the order in which they are presented there.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the order would be:
first the Torah
followed by the historical books
next the wisdom and poetry books
and finally the prophets
And in the Christian Scriptures, the order would be:
first the four Gospels
then Acts of the Apostles
followed by the letters of Paul and others
and finally the Revelation of John
That is not the order in which these books were written, however. It’s an arbitrary order established when the Bible was formed. The free, downloadable
charts show the probable order and authors of the various books in the Scriptures. In speaking about the dating and authorship of the various books in the
Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, one must understand that biblical scholarship (shared among Catholic, Jewish, Anglican, and Protestant scholars) is
constantly unfolding a more and more accurate picture of these writings. Our
understanding of when and by whom some of the documents in the Scriptures
were written is growing.
And here’s one more thing.
No one of these writers on this list sat down at his or her desk one day and
said to him or herself, “Gee, I think I’ll write a book of the Bible today.” Each of
the documents in the Scriptures began as something else.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the purpose and audience for many of the books varies. In many cases, there is no doubt that the writer wanted to set down a permanent historical record of the people and events that formed the Hebrew people. Other texts were liturgical in nature. Some were poetry. And some may
have been written originally as stories to encourage and celebrate their lives
and victories.
In the Christian Scriptures, Mark’s Gospel, for example, may have been an
early catechism book. Luke and Acts seem to be something of a travelogue of
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the faith. The various letters were written to encourage, correct, or celebrate
the faith in the early communities of Christians.
None of the books found in the Bible was intentionally written as part of the Bible. Later, after generations had revered them, a collection of books and letters
was finally drawn together as a Scripture. Even after a list of books to include
in the Bible was agreed upon, disagreement about what should and should not
be included in the Scriptures continued down through the centuries. Even today, not everyone agrees on what books should be included in the Scriptures.
The method of study
We recommend that you simply follow the notes and move through each of the
study guides provided in this series. Have Bibles open and handy. All notes
and other jottings can be made right on these reproducible pages. Space is always provided, or use the back of the sheets for more elaborate notes.
We suggest you begin each study period by Breaking Open the Word from last
Sunday’s Liturgy of the Word. Notes on how to do that, along with Questions of
the Week, are provided on pastoralplanning.com.
Bibles often have excellent short commentaries built right into them. We suggest you read those commentaries, marking them with your notes and questions, before meeting to study as a group. Make full use of the front matter and
back matter in your Bible as well.
Most groups have better outcomes when a facilitator is named. It might be possible to pass the duties of facilitator around from person to person, or one
member of your group may emerge as your leader. In either case, you’ll find the
notes in this Bible Study in Plain English to be complete and user-friendly.
Bill Huebsch, 2007
This resource may be reproduced for your own use, or for use with a small group within your parish. The
permission to reproduce is on the honor system. If you are using this resource beyond a reasonable number, please re-buy it at pastoralplanning.com. Thank you.
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