For someone who was a former atheist, you sure are putting a tremendous effort in for Christianity. Do you plan to do something along the same line for the New Testament?
Howdy liteninbolt :0)
What did Christ save you from? Does this stuff not interest you at all? I don’t think of this as an effort, and certainly not a tremendous one. It’s fun. If you said “For someone who is a former atheist, you sure are having a lot of fun in your relationship with Christ” I would say… those who are forgiven more… love more.
Nope. It’s been done. In my study bible there is a harmonization of the gospels kinda like the above outline. I also have a different harmonization that’s all written out and makes Jesus’ ministry four instead of three years (I want to read it again this year). There’s also a timeline of Paul’s life which shows when events mentioned in his letters actually occured, and when those letters were actually written. Plus there’s books that go into early church history (I’ve got one I still haven’t dove into) (is ‘dove’ correct grammar… 'cause I thought it was a bird?).
If what I’m doing has already been done, that’s okay. Doing it myself is a lot cheaper, and impresses it into my brain a lot more effectively. Plus… like I said… it’s a lot of fun.
And I was kind of hoping others could have fun along with me. It’s starting to look like this project is all mine… which is fine and dandy with me. Your loss! 
I’ve got corrections to edit into the above outline, which I’ll get to right after I submit this reply.
[ Edit ] Hey… I just noticed… we have the exact same number of posts right now (489).
.
Icthus,
have you read or heard of Walter Wangerin’s The Book of God? It’s, essentially, what you’re driving at here: the bible as a novel, but i can tell from your outlines that you plan on covering a lot more material than he did. it’s been years since i’ve read it, but you might check it out as a source of inspiration, if nothing else.
Liteninbolt… sorry I came across defensive-sounding.
I’m going to have to leave most of your post without a reply because it is way off-topic (my fault), and I’ve addressed such things elsewhere.
anthem – Yeah, it’s already a narrative, but it is all jumbled together. Your thread, I see, is a belittling of the narrative. This thread is for those who enjoy the narrative. This thread is not a defense of the narrative and does not invite offense. I have plenty other threads for that.
abowloforanges – thanks. I have that book, I enjoyed it, and probably will use it for inspiration. I want to use the actual verses in the Bible, though… let the Bible speak completely for itself.
I’ve made some changes (in bold) to the original post.
If you’re following this and you think I’m leaving out good stuff or leaving in stuff that should be placed in the appendix… or if you have some input on how to put Job, Ruth, Jonah and Esther in with the main narrative… or whatever else… feel free to let me know your reasoning about it.
Mi project es su project.
I’m changing where Job will be located, since he existed during the patriarchs. I’ll edit my post above to reflect the changes.
Sometimes the truth is belittling.
And it’s not a belittline of the narrative at all.
Well, I’ve got an outline done which reads through the Bible (not just the Old Testament) chronologically and combines parallel passages. I’m so looking forward to starting it in 2011. I created a website so others can join me if they want to. All are welcome.
The narrative of the bible has already been fully provided:
The belief that a cosmic Jewish zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree…
rib-woman…lol…I like that.
It begins…
http://biblenarrativeproject.blogspot.com/2011/01/january-1-genesis-1-3-job-1-psalm-8-102.html
Happy new year 
I read your bit on Job. I wonder if you notice that it’s not Satan in Job, but the Satan, and what this means for the story. While you are right that Satan works to turn others from God, the Satan is something else, and understanding it contextualizes the book.
Since alyoshka brought it up Ichthus, is it your opinion that satan also intervened in Job’s thought process as well as being responsible for the physical woes that came upon him?
[Disclaimer: I do not interpret the Genesis narrative of Adam and Eve literally.]
Regarding Satan in the book of Job (alyoshka & liteninbolt), yes, my study notes say it is “the accuser” or “the adversary” … by 1 Chronicles 21:1 “Satan” becomes a proper name for that character…who (as you say) works to turn others from God. Notice the wife is not considered identical with “the accuser,” though she suggests Job curse God and die…so it does not mean any old accuser…but “the” accuser (adversary).
Litenin, I accidentally read past the first chapter of Job and read the second chapter as well (where Satan gives Job boils)…it doesn’t say anything about Satan putting thoughts in Job’s head. That isn’t to say that such things are impossible…just that the text is silent about it in this instance. Of course, the situation he is in influences how he feels and what he thinks about, but that isn’t exactly the same thing.
It is fascinating to read the beginning of Genesis and Job together…to compare them. Satan (adversary/serpent) comes up in both of them, up to the same old tricks in both of them. And the humans involved…they always have a choice (freedom is at the center of both narratives–smack dab in the middle of the Garden, even, in Genesis). They both start out “righteous”. Adam and Eve have their fruit and they take it, Job has his cursing…but refuses it. Adam and Eve are aware of Satan (the serpent), Job is not. Adam and Eve do not consult God (to which they have access)–Job has a long speech/prayer, though he does not know if God will even answer. And in the end, God speaks to them both, and they both have to live with the consequences of their choices. Adam and Eve chose apart from God and so get separation from him, Job spoke to God throughout his struggle and is restored. And, in the ‘real’ end (there really is only one), Satan loses, either way. (cross-posting this last paragraph to the Project)
[ The wives are both bad influences, but where Adam allows the influence (even to the point of blaming it all on his wife, who tries to then blame it all on the serpent), Job refuses it. I’m not sure it’s necessary to take this any further…just an observation. ]
This is precisely my project, to read Genesis 1-3 and Job together. But I must object to your Miltonian perception of things. The serpent and the Satan are not Satan. These are three distinct characters but that are nevertheless related genealogically.
The serpent, for instance, isn’t “up to the same old tricks” unless by this you mean its trying to share its knowledge with Eve. That’s all the serpent is doing. It’s not trying to deceive them (as Satan would).
What you need to understand is that the serpent is a good creature, and Satan is evil, and something terrible happens in between these. The Satan (of Job) is the missing link.
Hi Ichthus. I would also like to place a disclaimer. People’s interpretations of the Bible are their own. I try my best not to judge anyone’s thoughts (even to exclusiveness of my own private thoughts concerning others those interpretations) of their beliefs on scripture. God knows I have my own logs in my eyes to contend with. When questions arise in my mind, it is mainly due to what seems plainly evident on the language of the Bible. Such as, “no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (‘me’ referring to Jesus)” for example. When something I see that flies into the face of counter scripture, then I will question somenone’s level of comprehension. This disclaimer has nothing to do with what has so far been discussed in this thread thus far.
I have given thought on the response you’ve made in this thread. I see parallels between Adam & Eve, Job and the fall of satan from Heaven. If you know of a text which shows concordances or parallels in Bible scripture, I would be most appreciative for the suggestion.
It is possible that satan wheedled some amount of doubt upon Job’s mind. The only thing that deters my reasoning from that is because God Himself told the devil on the outset that Job could not be turned from God’s Favored Eye. In my best reckoning, the greatest harm Job exercised was questioning The Creator’s preponderance for what befell him. While it cost him his family and material possesions, the greatest thing he retained was his spiritual connection with God. Whether this is perceived as an allegorical, parabolic or literal dissertation, the message of this in the pages of the Bible appears the utmost important aspect of all of this. The wisdom gained by Job if it is a literal translation far out breachs any suffering he sustained for the good it contains for all mankind in my opinion.
In regard to the wives of these two incidents, they were no more guilty or innocent of trangressions that were made. They having minds and conscience of their own might have fallen into the same situation if the tables were turned. Gender in my opinion is only applicable to this world, not within the confines of God’s realm.
Alyoshka,
The serpent (not that I interpret the creation narrative literally) is deliberately deceptive. In 3:1 he asks Eve “Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?” Why would the serpent ask Eve if God said they couldn’t eat from “any” tree of the garden, when actually God said they COULD eat of any tree of the garden, save one? 1. To make them feel restricted from eating from ALL the trees (since they couldn’t eat from ALL of them), not just 2) to make them feel restricted from eating from that particular tree. Double wammy. Crafty, indeed. But it’s just the beginning. In verse 4 the serpent says, “You surely will not die!” But, they surely do. Physical death is not the central point here (as some young-earthians might think), but separation from God (a worse, more ultimate kind of death). Strike two. The final blow comes when the serpent tells them his version of God’s motive. Rather than telling them the truth–that God wants them to KNOW only good, he puts a massive spin on it and tells them God doesn’t want them to be as wise as he is. Bull-oney. The only “wisdom” they ever got out of the deal was a loss of innocence. Before they fell in the serpent’s trap, they were naked and unashamed, like any innocent kid or wild animal…able to have loads of innocent fun together without all the gender war-game crap. The serpent is definitely a bad guy here. Same one referred to in Job, 1 Chronicles, Revelation (“that old serpent” 12:9), et cetera. He is already considered terrible by the writer of Genesis. Which narrative was ‘told’ first? Do you know?
Liteninbolt,
The fall of Satan from heaven is referred to by Jesus in Luke 10:18–he is not talking about a literal fall from a literal heaven, but about a rapid decrease in Satan’s power because of the 70 disciples Jesus sent out.
The point of Job is not any wisdom he gained, or what he did or didn’t do wrong. Job is a counter-argument against those who would say that the only reason to be “good” (to love what is good, to love God) is for selfish reasons…family, possessions, health, acceptance (definitely not a “prosperity gospel”)–Job never cursed God despite all his loss and pain, but instead wrestled with God, like Jacob did–that is relationship. [ Of course family, possessions, health and acceptance are not bad…that isn’t the point, either (hence, Job is restored). ] And Genesis and Job both deal with theodicy…Genesis deals with why things are so screwed up, Job deals with the issue of bad things happening to good people…it all comes back to the ultimate purpose, our freedom to love. “Wisdom” without love is a noisy gong, a clanging cymbal.
Seems we’ve had this sort of discussion earlier in ILP.
I hope you’ll join me at the Project this year.
There is your reading of the text, where the serpent is crafty, and there is my reading, where the serpent is just sharing its knowledge. Your arguments only show the possibility of your reading, they don’t discount mine. (And to be perfectly honest, I think both readings are true: but mine comes first.)
Look at it this way: where does God say, prior to Genesis 3 where the serpent (or in your reading Satan) appears, “Let there be Satan”? Why isn’t Satan mentioned beforehand?
What God does say is “Let there be creatures that go upon the earth,” which is clearly what the serpent is, and that “these creatures were good.” So what else could this possibly mean than that the serpent is good and, according to my reading, is only sharing its knowledge? How do you turn what is clearly a good creature evil? Where does this happen in the text?
I say your reading is true since once the serpent deteriorates (genealogically) into Satan, then the story can be reread such that the serpent is Satan, and it works perfectly well. (So well that, well, it is the dominant view! As per your reading’s popularity…)