My original thought, carrying over from another thread I made (which has been very helpful in its responses, thank you to those who have been answering) was that I want to create an alternate version of the Bible. Now, to do that, I figure I probably need to have a good grasp on the Bible itself. I'm not religious by any means, but I think the concept is great, and it works well for certain things in my novel. Now, by having a good grasp, my thinking is that I need to have pretty much ALL the sections and passages saved as notes for reference. Is this necessary, to have every single portion? Or is there a better way to do this? Basically, is this completely insane of me? I'm not entirely well versed in Biblical things to begin with, so I don't have much of a head start. Opinions? What are the essentials, if not all parts are necessary.
My opinion is that you sit down with a King James version of the Bible and read through it several times. Once you have a "good grasp" on the Bible, then you could begin writing your own version of it. ALL parts of the Bible are essential. NO parts can be left out. ETA: If you're making a novel, you're not re-writing the Bible. Plain and simple.
I'm writing a different "Bible", taking from the original, taking cues from it and making one that would kind of parallel the original.
Then you're not re-writing the Bible...you're writing a fictional story and it should not be classified as the Bible.
I think he means he wants to create an alternate version of the Bible for use in the world he is using for his story. Is that correct?
Now, although I agree with what Libby said, I understand that it would take a lot of patience to read through a king james version of the bible, so here is a link that shows an outline and themes of each book of the bible. It tells you what all happened, and what circumstances the instructions were given to the people. I would also suggest that you get as biblically versed as you can, if you're going to be making a parallel. http://www.ibs.org/niv/studybible/index.php Also, be clear in knowing that the bible wasn't written as one book. The collection we use today was chosen through a process called canonization. The only original pieces of the bible was the Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. I would suggest that you read through those five. They're the first, they shouldn't be too hard to find.
Also, just a general bible-reading tip, remember that it has been translated umpteen times from the original hebrew and greek, so some words will not hold their original meaning still. And be aware, that a lot of the old testament is very metaphorical, so don't read it with a litteral mind.
Actually most of the Old Testament as we know it were created as historical records for early Hebrews. That's why books like Numbers exist. It's their history as they saw it. If you're going to take the time to read through the Bible during your research phase (or whatever you want to call it), then you might want to use an NIV or some similar version. Most people tend to get lost in the King James version. Plus, it sounds like you're just trying to get an overall concept of it, so an easier to understand version is better anyways.
I have a question. Is your version of the Bible really that important in your fictional world? How much of it would you "re-write"? Do you really think you should "rewrite" it completely or wouldn't it just be easier to take bits and pieces? As WAN said, the Old Testament were created as historical records, it was written by people for people.
In a lot of ways it is going to be pretty significant to how the story will turn out, I think that's where my feeling is on this at this point.
I'd like to read this story when it's finished. It has the potential to be an interesting read. Just make sure you do your research right. Concordances might also give you a helping hand. There are probably thousands published, and I'd imagine more than a few up for download around the internet.
I'll IM you when this thing is nearly finished. Or if it'd be OK, could I IM you to discuss the aspects of my story and maybe get a lot of this stuff clear in my head?
I think that Biblical history would be something important for you to look at, as well as some information on the textual sources of the Bible. Remember that our Bible comes in two parts, written many years apart. The Old Testament consists of history, both ancient (the beginning of the world) and contemporary (the books of Kings, for example). The latter half of the Old Testament consists of histories centered around prophets, sent by God to reform their contemporary society. Many of these prophets spoke of the Messiah who was to come... in the Christian belief, these were fulfilled by Jesus. The New Testament was written one or more generations after the life of Christ, some by witnesses, some by those who had spoken to witnesses. The Gospels are written accounts of the life of Jesus; Acts consists of the history of the formation of the church. Most of the rest of the New Testament consists of letters written by the leadership of the church, consisting of advice for members of the new religion. Finally, Revelations is another book of prophecy, dealing with the end of the world. So in your world's version of the Bible, you need to address all of these points: How did the world begin? How did God communicate with His people? What happened when they messed up? Who were the prophets? How was that prophecy fulfilled? What prophecies remain to be fulfilled? I don't think you have to actually rewrite the Bible to use it as a backdrop. Just know what the stories and beliefs are, and maybe have a single story written to use as an example when necessary.
If you were referring to me, then that's fine. Can't promise that I'll be alot, but I'll at least make an effort to do so.
I know the bible very well, I studying it professionally, and learned to read Hebrew. After knowing the different Christian possitions and debating them for years, I began to specia in Judaism, both ancient and modern, and everything in between. If you need any help let me know.
