The 60-Minute Bible

In our unchurched world, there is a growing hunger to understand the Judeo-Christian world view. “What is it that has everybody in such a lather?” 

Of course, you could ask a Rabbi, Priest, or Minister for help, but that would likely lead to instruction in one particular ‘faith’ while you’re looking for the broadest, most inclusive possible overview. 

When I was 14, I determined to read the entire Bible over the summer, book by book, from Genesis through Revelation. Yup, while you were at the beach, I was in my room, busy studying. In the end, I settled for an ‘extensive sampling’, but 50 years later a business associate told me his New Year’s resolution was to read the entire Bible, end to end, before the end of that year…and he did it!

I doubt many folks would be willing to commit to such a project today. But what if I could make the task a little less daunting? Instead of an entire year, or summer, what if you could digest the entire Bible in just 60 minutes? Might that be of interest?

I’m not talking about a summary; I’m talking about actual Bible verses, quoted verbatim, with minimal contextual notes in between. I have selected 24 short passages from the Judeo-Christian Bible that I believe offer the sort of overview people are seeking. At a minimum, I hope you’ll come away saying, “Ah, so that’s what all the noise is about.” So enjoy! And as for the 99 hours I just saved you? You’re welcome!

Most gods of the 2nd millennium BCE created the universe merely by willing it, reducing our world to the status of a wholly owned subsidiary of God, Inc. Not so YHWH, ‘God’ in the Judeo-Christian tradition:

Genesis 1: 1 – 4 (Creation)

Our world is not just a figment of some god’s imagination. Marx was right! The material world is real. YHWH created this world by ‘letting it be’, ‘seeing that it was good’, and then ‘separating (e.g. light from darkness) and gathering’ (e.g. water into seas). YHWH follows that pattern through all 6 stages of creation. Long before Charles Darwin, the authors of Genesis 1 produced their own, remarkably accurate, theory of evolution. 

We encounter YHWH again in the calling of Abraham (Abram), the Patriarch of Jews, Christians and Muslims alike and, by extension, of us all.

Genesis 12: 1 – 3 (Covenant)

Abraham is the Bible’s first existential hero. Responding to God’s call, he leaves family, friends, and an upper middle class lifestyle to become a nomadic immigrant in a strange land. In recognition of Abraham’s faith, trust, and courage, YHWH establishes an eternal Covenant linking Abraham and his descendants (and ultimately all human beings) to God.

We resume our story on the slopes of Mt. Horeb. The Hebrew people are now slaves in Egypt. Moses, himself ‘fostered’ by members of Egypt’s extended royal family, encounters YHWH in a perpetually burning bush. 

Exodus 3: 1 – 6, 13 - 15 (Moses)

These verses may be the most important in the entire Bible because this is where God formally introduces himself to us. He meets us in history and in the context of daily life; he tells us who he is and even lets us know his name. From here on, we’re on a first name basis with Divinity.  

The first 5 books of the Bible constitute Torah (The Written Law). It includes the Ten Commandments, made famous by Cecil B. DeMille and Charlton Heston. But the crux of the new Social Contract is buried in an obscure text:  

Leviticus 25: 1 – 13 (Jubilee)

The social contract outlined here is by far the most radical social program ever conceived: a completely egalitarian re-distribution of productive wealth (Capital) every 50 years! Marx could only dream… This ‘Jubilee’ theme plays a significant part in Jesus’ ministry and in the Constitution of the early Church.

Joshua entered the Promised Land with all the swagger of a newly minted presidential front-runner. Armed with a party platform developed during 40 years of wandering in the wilderness of Sinai, the Hebrews were ready to conquer Cannan, by persuasion if possible, by force if necessary. 

At that time, the walled city of Jericho was the unassailable ‘capital’ of Cannan. The city’s rulers were so confident that they regarded Joshua’s military maneuvers outside its walls as mere entertainment. And yet, Joshua captured the city in just 7 days and with nary an arrow fired.

Joshua 6: 1 – 5, 15 – 16, & 20 (Jericho)

Joshua’s weapon of choice was liturgical dance, spelling out the details of God’s ‘plan’ for Cannan! But this was only the coup de grace; it followed a period of espionage, infiltration, agitation, and a heightened class consciousness. 

The Liberation of Jericho was perhaps the first recorded instance of a successful proletarian revolution. Would that the revolutionaries of 1776, 1789, 1848, 1871 and 1917 had paid more attention to Joshua. 

The Fall of Jericho began a 250 year period known as the time of Judges. There was no permanent or centralized government. Imagine ‘there’s no state’, John Lennon! 

Charismatic leaders arose ad hoc when circumstances required and were confirmed in office by popular consensus. Otherwise, YHWH ruled directly through the 613 mitzvoth of Torah and the consciences of individuals. 

Judges 21: 25 (Theocracy)

Not that the temptations of political and military power were not everywhere. After a string of military victories, the people clamored to make Gideon their King. But in a Sherman inspiring moment, he declined:

Judges 8: 22 - 23 (Theocracy)

But the people were not satisfied for long. Surrounded by strong, centralized monarchies, they pined for ‘their piece of the pie’. Samuel, the last of the great Judges (his sons were disasters), delivered a passionate defense of YHWH’s rule:

I Samuel 8: 10 – 18 (Theocracy)

We might just as well be reading Benjamin Franklin. Unfortunately, Israel did not heed God’s warning. They chose a king, first Saul then David, and the rest, as they say, is ‘history’: Israel was divided, conquered, and exiled. “Who’d a thunk it?” (Hairspray)… other than Samuel, and of course, YHWH.

Fortunately, history had a Track B: Wisdom. By rejecting Theocracy, Israel was abandoning not only the Covenant but also the cosmology of Genesis. In its place, Israel developed a rich, proto-existentialist philosophy: 

Ecclesiastes 1: 1 – 11 (Wisdom)

Am I reading Solomon…or Sartre? History also had a Track C: Prophesy. Covenant theology did not suddenly disappear; it remained underground, kept alive by an archipelago of prophets, speaking truth to power: 

Isaiah 42: 1 – 9 (Prophesy)

Many of the prophets pair a searing indictment of the status quo with a utopian vision of the future, modeled on the Garden of Eden. Who were their political consultants? Anyhow, much of their teaching focuses on the coming of a Messiah and the restoration of Theocracy:

Jeremiah 31: 31 – 34 (Covenant)

During the tumultuous first century CE, Judaism was fractured. Numerous ‘sects’ and ‘parties’ - the Essenes and the Zealots, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the Scribes and the Sanhedrin - all competed for the hearts and minds of the faithful based on their differing interpretations of the prophets’ message. 

Into this cauldron stepped Jesus of Nazareth. He offered a new interpretation of Torah that built on the Wisdom and Prophetic traditions and that ultimately transformed his branch of Judaism into a separate religion, Christianity.

Jesus’ public ministry begins in his hometown synagogue (Nazareth). A young man by Rabbinical standards, Jesus (age 30) has just returned from 40 days in the desert. He rises to read from Torah and infuriates his bougie audience by proclaiming a Jubilee (above), i.e. the immediate and total redistribution of all productive property. 

Luke 4: 16 – 21 (Jubilee)

The foundational principle of Christianity, The Great Commandment, is not a Christian invention. It is simply a juxtaposition of two verses from Torah – a pairing already in circulation before Jesus’ time.   

Matthew 22: 35 – 40 (The Great Commandment)

The Great Commandment is deceptively mundane. This is no Categorial Imperative (Kant) nor is it the Golden Rule. Jesus uses this meme to proclaim congruence among each of us, our neighbors (‘as yourself’) and God (‘like it’).

Elsewhere, however, Jesus does offer a fresh interpretation, application and extension of Jewish theology, cosmology and ethics. His teachings are summarized in two lengthy New Testament passages: 

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5: 1 – 7: 29) 

The Last Supper Discourses (John 14: 1 – 17: 26)

But if you’re following the 60-minute plan, you can settle for:

Matthew 5: 3 – 12 (Beatitudes)

Matthew 6: 9 – 13 (Lord’s Prayer)

John 15: 9 – 12 (Last Supper)

The story of Jesus’ passion, crucifixion and resurrection is widely known. It is unnecessary to retell it here. However, a few things stand out and call for our special attention:

Luke 22: 14 – 20 (Eucharist)

Like each of us, Jesus is an historical phenomenon: one and done! But Christ also exists outside of spacetime: everywhere, all the time, all at once! Christ is both the locus of history and an event within that history and Eucharist is a physical manifestation of this reality. 

Jesus is fully divine and fully human, not half and half, but all and all. Being human does not mean merely physical suffering. It also entails ‘the dark night of the soul’, the overwhelming sense of despair and isolation that comes over all of us at one time or another as we stand on the edge, peering into the dark and silent abyss. This is the terrible price we pay for the total ontological freedom spelled out in Genesis.  

Matthew 27: 46 (Despair)

Critics of Judeo-Christianity often base their views on the so-called Problem of Evil: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Jesus’ crucifixion, despair, and death answer that argument. The ontological freedom of the created world is so complete that even God, incarnate in the world, must hit rock bottom.  

Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances get considerable attention in all 4 Gospels and elsewhere in the New Testament. However, one event in that narrative is particularly powerful and provocative:

Luke 24: 13 – 35 (Resurrection)

As suggested above, the early Church embodied Marx’ notion of ‘permanent revolution’ in the form of ‘perpetual Jubilee’, the on-going redistribution of wealth:

Acts 2: 42 – 57 (Jubilee)

Ultimately, Christianity is focused on the end times, the Eschaton, the Apocalypse, summarized first by St. Paul and later by John of Patmos:

I Corinthians 15: 19 – 28 (Eschaton)

Revelation 1: 8 & 22: 13 (Eschaton)

In the end, God is all in all. Christology, the theology and cosmology of Christianity, is magnificently summarized in two brief hymns:

John 1: 1 – 5 (Christology)

Colossians 1: 15 – 20 (Christology)

So that’s it! Did I keep my 60 minute promise? Thanks for taking this trip with me. I hope you enjoyed yourself and I hope you feel your time was well spent. Should your plans call for future air travel, I hope you’ll once again consider flying Aletheia Today. Thank you!