Markings, my notes on the Bible, is now available on this site for your use. (The New Testament section is current while the Hebrew Scriptures section is still under construction.)
This resource began as a set of 3″x5″ cards more than 30 years ago. It morphed into a simple database, then a set of pdf documents, and now as an easily accessible Word Press site. (I’ve been working on getting this format ready for the last 5 months.) I began this project for my own use, for Bible study and for preaching and teaching. I still use it regularly for that purpose, but now it will be easier for others to use.
There are two features which set this resource apart from others:
- A large number of these notes are poems or excerpts from poems. This flows out of my love for poetry but also out of the resonance with the poetic form of much of the Bible. Also, of all ‘secular’ writers, poets seem to draw upon the Bible and refer to the Bible more than other writers.
- The themes of these notes reflect the themes of this Living Consistency blog: the consistency between belief and life, the ability of the word to become flesh, freedom to change as expressed in God’s name—”I am becoming who I am becoming” (Exodus 3:14)—and an approach to interpretation as “literalists of the imagination” (Denise Levertov).
The section for each passage includes a series of five tabs:
- General references
- Cross references (more here than in most places)
- Verse references
- The Revised Standard Version
- The original Greek
Passages from the Gospels also include links to the notes on similar passages in the other Gospels.
Are you curious about a particular passage? Give this a try. You may well find something helpful or useful.
Are you reading through the Bible or doing daily devotions with Scripture? Add some breadth and depth with the notes here; the notes are both devotional and scholarly.
Do you preach or teach? Use this resource for a poetic, or an out-of-the-box, or a grounded approach to the passage you are working with. Having this variety of resources all in one place is helpful and efficient. There are treasures here; persist if you don’t find one early on.
However, if you are looking for a right answer or an orthodox interpretation, you probably won’t find it here. A professor of mine once noted that the purpose of a lesson plan is not to cover a subject but to uncover it. This I what I hope you will find: interesting questions, inspiration to pray, food for thought.
Enjoy!
To begin click this link Markings, use the dropdown menu above or enter: http://livingconsistency.org/WordPress/markings/
Let me know if you have any trouble navigating the site of if you have any suggestions for how I can improve this resource.
