We are used to the Bible with stuff . We like our Bibles thick, with maps in the back and cross-references in the center column. We like knowing who is speaking and what the "original Greek implies."
October 26, 2023
Tonight, copy the Gospel of Mark into a Notepad file. Turn off your Wi-Fi. Read it in Courier New. the bible txt
But the .txt exercise taught me that the Bible doesn't need my help to be powerful.
Without a nice heading that says "Judgment on the Nations" (Ezekiel 25) to prepare you for the emotional impact, the poetry of doom hits like a freight train. It feels less like theology and more like a war crime report. We are used to the Bible with stuff
Listen for the breathlessness of the narrative. Notice how fast Peter (the source for Mark) tells the story. Notice the lack of fanfare.
No chapter headings. No red letters. No study notes in the margins. No devotional commentary popping up at the bottom of the screen. No verse numbers breaking up the flow. Just the raw, continuous text. A massive .txt file. Turn off your Wi-Fi
And isn't that where we were supposed to be all along? P.S. If you want the actual bible.txt , you can find plain text versions of most public domain translations (KJV, ASV, YLT) on Project Gutenberg. Open it up. Let it be messy.
For the last 500 years, we have been formatting the Bible for utility. Chapters (added in the 13th century) and verses (added in the 16th century) are incredible for finding things. But they are terrible for feeling things.
The Bible wasn't written for a Kindle or a Leather-bound journaling Bible. It was written on scrolls. It was written in uncials (ALL CAPS, no spaces). It was hard to read.