Some time ago, in fact it seems like an age ago, I thought I would have a go at reading the Bible. I am currently around three quarters of the way through, having just got started on the New Testament. Of the many things I have learned about the Bible from reading it the comparative lengths of the Old and New Testaments came as a surprise. I had always imagined that the two sections would be roughly the same length, or perhaps I just did not pay enough attention in Sunday School.
The Old Testament was both depressingly blood drenched, overly long, blandly repetitive and largely narrative free. The constant imprecations and dire oaths do become hard reading, and the long genealogy lists and compilations of dimensions of things, parts of the OT come across like an Ikea guide to building a tabernacle, are hardly gripping either.
Getting to the New Testament then with its messages of tolerance, peace and love is a breath of fresh air. The story of Jesus looks to be so short though, he is born, and only a handful of pages later he is about to die, I thought he would get more of a run. Oh well, 79% down, as we Kindlers' say, I'll keep clicking the page turn button.
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