Reading the Bible Again For the First Time: Taking the Bible Seriously But Not Literally

This book changed my life. It taught me so much. I cried when I found out the author passed. I’ve read several of his other books and he’s educated, interesting, and explains things well.

Biblical scholarship is finally available for people in the pews. If you are a person who has loved the Bible but has (even once) found yourself asking, "what does that mean?" then this book will be a godsend. Marcus Borg, one of the most noted biblical scholars of our time, provides a very readable explanation of the content that so many of us have heard for years and years and yet have only been able to recognize as being "from" scripture. Borg does a masterful job in laying out the premise for a much deeper understanding of our sacred heritage, beginning with his own fascination with the material as a young child, throughout his conservative seminary training into his role as a preeminent scholar who is determined to bring the beauty of our sacred tradition into the hands of the people for whom it was meant. His style is gracious and he is cognizant that seeing scriptural passages broken down and dissected (and assigned meaning that heretofore has been spoken of only in academic circles) can be a stressful endeavor for the common Christian with little or no training in biblical interpretation. Yet his analysis, while always respectful, is incisive and liberating. His insights bring to light the intentions of the biblical authors in such a way as to make them appear brand new. Reading this book will make you realize how much beauty has remained hidden in scripture because few people have been willing to share these valuable and life affirming insights with Christians outside the seminaries. Understanding the scriptures literally is clearly ONE way to read them, but perhaps the least effective. There is far more depth present than what a literal interpretation renders. Borg sheds light on that beauty within and in an extremely readable way provides us with some of the remarkable power contained in this sacred book. Although he has been dubbed a "liberal scholar" and carelessly dismissed by conservatives because of his association with the Jesus Seminar, he remains steadfast in his faith. He is committed to sharing his love of God and his understanding of Jesus as Messiah and Lord with others who love the Bible as he does. Reading this book will allow you to see scripture anew.......or, "Again, for the First Time."

I think I was the wrong person to read this book. This book is targeted to people who were raised in a traditional Protestant church, but are dissatisfied with the experience. I think this book will add value to such people. So, I gave it a fairly good rating. A lot of the book was dedicated to explaining why the Bible should not be read historically literally. That should be obvious to any Catholic (the largest Christian church in the world). One can read books by Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) to see that. A good example is "In the Beginning, A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation." Make no mistake about it, Mr Borg and Pope Benedict would disagree about many things, but they agree that Genesis is not an historic/scientific story of the creation of the world. There are good examples in the Bible that are obviously not to be taken literally. One is Ezekiel 39:18-20, "And you shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth…drink blood till you are drunk...And you shall be filled at my table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men." If one reads that literally, it suggests that cannibalism is ok. However, if you are still struggling with literal reading of the Bible, this book might be for you. Having said that, I think Mr Borg is selling God short. He dismisses things that are not so obviously impossible. One example is the parting of the Red Sea. Again, the story was passed down orally for many generations, by people who don't understand geology like people do today; so the details are probably not historically accurate. But, that doesn't mean that nothing happened. Large scale geological events sometimes happen. The Missoula Floods is an example. Glaciers dammed rivers in Montana until the water floated the ice dam, and water rushed from Montana to the Pacific Ocean. This is what formed the Columbia River Gorge. The Bridge-of-the-Gods is another example (the natural one, not the man made one): a huge landslide once blocked the Columbia River, and it was possible to walk across the Columbia River. And, there is the legend of the formation of Crescent Lake (Washington State). Two tribes were fighting. A large landslide crushed the warriors from one of the tribes, and that tribe took it as a sign to leave the valley forever. That rockslide also dammed the river and Crescent Lake was formed behind it. Sometimes flood basalt lava covers hundreds of square miles. The Yellowstone super volcano hasn't erupted since humans became civilized. Also, mega-tsunamis can happen in confined bodies of water. And, storms can cause water to surge in long slender bodies of water. These things may happen so seldom that most of us never see them, but they do happen. It is important to not confuse things that happen seldom with things that never happen. Why couldn't God have led the Israelites to right place at the right time? But, I think is it more than just geology. There are many other comments in the book that I would respond, don't confuse things that happen seldom with things that never happen. But, I will also concede with Mr. Borg's comment that the historical happenedness is not really the point, and is not worth arguing much about. It is the spiritual message, the contact with the sacred (spirit) that is the point. This is an important message of the book, and is worth reading. Again, having said that, when you read the book, make sure you think for yourself. (That is what Mr. Borg is trying to get you to do with the Bible. Do it with his book too.) He talks a lot about God denouncing domination political systems. I think that is really in the Bible (see Luke 22:25-27). But, the Bible is so much more than that. It is about many types of relationships, not just relationships between the powerful and the commoners. So, if these issues are important to you, read the book. If you have already moved past these issues, then find a different book.

I have struggled for a few years to get to grips with the many problems presented by the bible. The classic evangelical approach is that every word is to be taken as literal truth. I did a talk a few years ago about Joshua and the levels of violence were disturbing. I found myself admitting that I had very little to say. Then there are the inconsistencies in the gospels and the frankly unbelievable stories such as Adam and Eve, Jonah and Balaam's ass. The warning has always been that if you select only those parts of the bible that you like that you water down the whole. This excellent book by Marcus J Borg addresses those very concerns. He present s the bible in a new way - from the point of the view of those who wrote the various documents and those who would have received them. He places the bible within the world that it came into being, rather than as a guide book to be interpreted as if it was written last week. So, for example, the gospels might be history - a factual narrative, testimony - statements of the impact of Jesus or metaphor - stories to tell readers what Jesus was like. But Borg does not write this in a way that dilutes the bible. On the contrary he points out that each of these is valid. The underlying truth remains the same. He writes as an academic but in a way that does not hide his own passion and love for the scriptures. A great read and highly recommended for anyone seeking the truth behind the most popular book in history.

A must for anyone who has ever had questions about the bible and would like to take advantage of years of study and thought on the subject. This book is fairly easy to read but is none the less scholarly and packed with information and insight. My only regret was to find out that Marcus Borg had passed away and that I would be unable to tell him how much his work had impressed me.

This is another insightful book from Marcus Borg. The introductory chapters on how people read the Bible are very interesting. The chapter on the Pentateuch will be familiar to anyone who has done and introductory course on the Old Testament with its fairly standard discussion of J & P, and the Chapters on the Gospels and on Paul repeats will be familiar to anyone who has read some of Borg's other work. Where this book stands out, however, is in the chapters on the Prophets and on Revelation. I would definitely recommend it for those chapters.

I purchased this book for a Lenten group book study. Marcus Borg provides historical information and perspectives that I personally find interesting and in line with my views. I suspect the content would be difficult (or require an openness to consider other points of view) for people who currently see the Bible as "divine from God".

Should the Bible be taken literally as fundamentalists believe? No says biblical scholar Marcus J. Borg, author of Reading the Bible Again for the First Time. He advocates an historical metaphorical way of reading and interpreting it - an approach he says that is becoming increasingly common in recent decades. Using this lens he takes the reader through the Old and New Testaments shedding light on the meaning behind the scriptures and showing how they can bring meaning to our twenty-first century spiritual lives. He argues that we need a fresh way of approaching the Bible that takes the texts seriously but not literally. In making his argument he presents a contemporary way of re-connecting with the Bible and its wisdom. Borg does not see the Bible as a whole as divine in origin, or some parts as divine and some as human. He maintains that it is all human product, though generated in response to God. We must discern "how to read and interpret it and how to hear and value its various voices," he says. Borg's unique book invites everyone, whatever their religious background, to engage the Bible, explore its mysteries and appreciate its relevance. It's a fresh approach well worth considering. Barry Francis