“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
My childhood experiences with the Bible
I was raised in a Christian religion, and grew up going to church every Sunday with my family. Thus, my education in the Bible began at a very young age; and I was fortunate to have good Christian values planted in me at a very early age. I grew up with the great stories of the Bible, from the Creation and Exodus found in the Old Testament, to the Nativity and Easter stories found in the New Testament. The Bible is filled with great stories, and I am convinced that this is part of its great power to influence humanity to do good and become better people. Children latch on to the stories of Joseph in Egypt, David and Goliath, and Daniel and the Lions’ Den; and their power is not lost on adults – they still have the power to grab and move people, even in their old age.
My favorite painting of Jesus Christ
My high school and young adult experiences with the Bible
I stayed awake in Sunday School during my childhood, and went to my church’s Seminary classes for teenagers during high school. But I had not really begun to study the Bible in the way that I should have. I didn’t even open the scriptures most of the time, let alone study it at an academic level; and I consider my high school years to be a time of insufficient spirituality and inadequate conviction, where I did not take the scriptures as seriously as I should have. I did read the New Testament in English, in its entirety, during high school – the first time that I had done so. I also took classes at my church’s Institute during college (one class per semester). But it was not until partway through college that I really began to take the scriptures seriously. Some things happened which are too personal to go into, which helped me to change my life, and make the gospel more central to it.
My experiences with studying Biblical history and archeology at an academic level
After I graduated from college with my business degree, I eventually got the desire to read the New Testament in the original Greek one day, and started to learn the language at its most basic level. I found that even my study of Greek and Roman history could be surprisingly helpful, and my study of the language was even moreso. I tried to follow the program of study for my church’s Bible Studies program at its most prominent school. This program goes by the name of “Ancient Near Eastern Studies” at that school. Thus, I studied the history of the Ancient Near East, which roughly corresponds to the region that we today call the Middle East (although this correspondence is not exact). I also read a book about Ancient Egypt (the scene of the Exodus as well as Joseph’s captivity), and two others about the archeology of the Bible. These helped to show what modern science has been able to reveal about certain parts of the Bible. These are the parts whose specifics are known, such as the locations and cultural details – although I should acknowledge that many specifics are not known (not yet, at least). These things all helped me much in my Biblical studies, and helped me to have an appreciation for the scriptures’ historical context.
Greek New Testament
Finishing my reading of the Bible in English, and getting up to speed on Ancient Greek
I also read the New Testament in Spanish during this time, and later read an English-language manual about the New Testament made by my church. This manual gave me some helpful commentary on the many wonderful sermons and stories found within its pages. I also read both volumes of an English-language manual about the Old Testament made by my church (links to the first and second volumes respectively). These helped to give me some cultural background that is difficult to find in the scriptures themselves. Equally importantly, I read the entire Old Testament in English at this time, which was something that I had never done before. I also continued my ongoing study of Ancient Greek. I have now used my Ancient Greek to read Plato in the original, and I hope to eventually use it to read the New Testament in the original as well. The other work that I’d done with the relevant history was also helpful, but the language may still be the most important part of my studies, as it will eventually allow me to read verses with fewer things getting lost in translation. I still don’t consider myself to be anything but an enthusiastic amateur, and I don’t pretend to have all of the knowledge of professional Bible scholars. But I have still gained much from my study of these things, and found them to be useful and relevant to my life.
The Hebrew Bible in the original
Beginning to study Biblical Hebrew, and my plans to indefinitely continue studying it further
During this time, I had also entertained the idea of learning Biblical Hebrew – not necessarily to read the Old Testament in the original (although I strongly considered that), but to gain an understanding of Ancient Jewish culture that might be useful in my study of the Bible. Even the New Testament is strongly influenced by Jewish culture, and there is much for Christians to learn from this culture, that can be helpful in understanding the Bible. Therefore, for this and other reasons, I later began to undertake the study of Biblical Hebrew, in the hope that it would help me to understand the Bible. There is much to recommend here for students of the Good Book, of course, if they are serious about wanting to do Biblical scholarship. I am sure that the benefits must be even greater, if you actually use the language to read the Hebrew Bible. Thus, I hope to be able to do this at some point.
Tad R. Callister
Comments on the relevance of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ
There is one other thing that I feel to mention, which is relevant to my study of the Holy Bible. It is a book which has helped me to understand the Bible more than any other – a book which acts as a “confirming, clarifying, unifying witness of the doctrines taught in the Bible so that there is only ‘one Lord, one faith, one baptism’ ” (in the words of Tad R. Callister). That book is the Book of Mormon. Though some believe that the Book of Mormon is in opposition to the Bible, we declare that it is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ” (as the book’s subtitle says), and helps to clarify some of the issues that are left somewhat mysterious in the Bible itself. If you have never read it, I highly recommend getting a free copy (perhaps here), or reading it online at the church’s website here. If you go into the book without preconceived notions or a closed mind, you may find that it will answer some of the questions that we all have, which we so greatly yearn to have answered. It is an invaluable resource for Biblical scholarship, and has much to offer for people interested in the Lord’s word on the Earth today.
The unique perspective that Latter-Day Saints bring to the study of the Bible
As church apostle Jeffrey R. Holland once said, “We [Latter-Day Saints] love and revere the Bible … The Bible is the word of God. It is always identified first in our canon, our ‘standard works.’ ” “Continuing revelation does not demean or discredit existing revelation,” he said earlier in this talk, as “the Old Testament does not lose its value in our eyes when we are introduced to the New Testament, and the New Testament is only enhanced when we read the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” (Source: A talk given in 2008) We of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are proud to call ourselves Christians, in short, and we are proud to declare our deep and abiding love of the Bible. We invite people of all creeds and backgrounds to hear our message of the Restoration of Christ’s church, and to hear the unique perspective that we as Latter-Day Saints bring to the study of the Bible. We invite those with questions about our belief in continuing revelation, from the Book of Mormon to living prophets today, to hear the explanation given by our apostle Jeffrey R. Holland about this subject (which I quoted above). I link to it here (and below).
Jeffrey R. Holland
A sacrifice that I give to God with a willing heart, and with deep gratitude to the Lord
In closing, the Holy Bible is the most influential book ever written, and will always be the First and the Last for true believers – “the Alpha and the Omega,” to quote the New Testament. My desire to learn Biblical Hebrew and Greek, and to study the relevant history and archeology of Biblical times, is a testimony of how much I love and reverence the Bible. I have dedicated countless hours of my time to studying the languages, history, and archeology of the Bible; and I give this sacrifice to God with a willing heart, and a deep gratitude to the Lord. The love of the Bible that I acquired so early in my childhood is still with me, and I am still moved by its stories and touched by its message. Whether you are Catholic or Orthodox, Protestant or Jewish; I am sure that I can find some issues of common ground with you in our shared love of the Bible; and of the powerful and moving sermons contained within its pages. It is a beacon in modern times and a signal in all times, and helps us to find our way through the darkness and confusion of life.
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
If you liked this post, you might also like:
Part of a series about
My own experiences
My deep and abiding love of the Bible
Note: These posts do not have to be read in any particular order. Since time periods overlap, there isn’t much chronological order to observe here.
See also this series about
Modern languages
Note: These posts do not have to be read in any particular order. Since time periods overlap, there isn’t much chronological order to observe here.
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