The collection of writings we call The Bible is the most popular book in the world. The printing of new editions of the Bible is never-ending.

For publishers and booksellers, the Bible is a profit stream that will not quit. Bible societies dedicated to the distribution of the Bible continue to thrive. Wycliffe Bible translators are committed to translating the Bible into every language in the world. The Gideons give Bibles away by the hundreds of thousands. The typical American household has not one, but many Bibles on the shelf.

Yet few people read the Bible, and even fewer understand what they are reading. For those who read the Bible, they look very hard for a revelation from God that will help them find the keys to life. Some find the answers for which they are looking. Most throw up their hands in despair. I am one of those who found a life-giving message. I love the Bible and have spent a lifetime trying to understand this unusual collection of writings. I have had the privilege of good quality Bible education at both the college and graduate levels. Critical studies of the Bible have left an indelible mark on my thinking. I cannot read the Bible without asking key questions. Who wrote the material? When was the material written? Who were the writers’ audiences? What were the circumstances under which the authors wrote? What literary devices were used in the writing?

Here is a summary of my understanding of the Bible.

The Bible is a collection of writings. The collection of writings is rooted in a nomadic tribe that emerged out of the old Mesopotamian civilization that thrived in the valley between the Tigrus and Euphrates Rivers in the second and third centuries BCE. Today we call the area Iraq. The first named person who emerged in the tradition is a shadowy figure, Abraham. Two things mark the Abraham story. It is in the Abraham story that we first get a glimpse of the standard of complete obedience to a particular God. In response to the call of God, “Abraham went out not knowing where he was going.” Second, his religious practice was firmly rooted in the blood sacrifices that were common in the area.

The grandson of Abraham was Israel. Under Israel the clan grew. By tradition he had 12 sons. The name Israel means “he who wrestles with God.” The whole tribe ended up as slaves in Egypt in the 13th century BCE. In their slavery, the Israelites were illiterate and ignorant, but they faithfully kept alive the oral traditions about their roots in Abraham.

The first giant of the Israelite story appeared as the deliverer of the Israelites. His name was Moses. The first of the two great focal points of the Israelite history is found in the story of Moses at Mt. Sinai. The 10 great Commandments of God were given to the Israelites, written in stone. The Israelites continued as wanderers, but they took with them the law of God, written in stone. They became very successful warriors and eventually staked out a land for themselves in southern Palestine.

The second giant of the Israelite story was David. He took on the mantel of King of Israel. Under his leadership, Israel conquered the entire area. He chose Jerusalem as the capital of the nation. But it was more than a capital. David made the capital city the home of God.

The Law of God and the City of God are the abiding topics of the entire body of Bible writings.

The history of the Israelites is tumultuous. Only two kings, David and Solomon could keep the nation together. The descendants of Israel split and splintered. In the process they mastered the art of argument. Today we recognize in the Bible writings two distinct traditions. They are commonly called the “great” tradition and the “lesser” tradition.

The great tradition represented the establishment controlled by kings and priests. The lesser tradition was the voice of reformers. The two parties argued constantly. They argued about the nature of God and about responsibility to neighbors. The uninformed Bible reader reads and sees contradiction. The informed reads the Bible and hears two sides of a healthy argument. Broadly speaking, the priests defended the establishment, and the prophets called for reformation.

When we come to the New Testament, we find the story of Jesus, a peasant reformer from Northern Palestine. He was very clearly a disciple of Isaiah, the greatest of all the Old Testament reformers. The call of Jesus was for justice for the poor. He freely reinterpreted the meaning of the laws of God. He criticized the priests and religious officials who controlled the temple in Jerusalem.

There is little question that Jesus was executed in Jerusalem because of his calls for reformation. He was fully engaged in the arguments that mark the Israelite story..

He argued and lost.

What happened after the death of Jesus takes us to a new episode in the argument.

The majority of his followers caved in to the great tradition and made Jesus into a blood sacrifice on an altar called a cross.

Was Jesus the fulfillment of the sacrificial system rooted in Abraham, or was he a unique prophet that called for a reassessment of our values and understandings?

Read the Bible. It is a very good argument in which we should all be engaged.

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister who lives in Palmer. His e-mail address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.