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Biblia Sau Sfinta Scriptura A Vechiului Si Noului Testament
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October 18, 2026
Given its central role in the development of history in the Western world, the “Bible” demands a careful approach, leading to a lengthy reading process: tedious, rewarding, anger-provoking, thoughtful and fanciful.
From its start, in “Genesis”, we establish the need to create an immediate relationship of God to our world, with a special, intimate connection between God and the people of Israel. In that, the text mixes myth with national identity, as when we are introduced to the gods of Olympus or those of the Vikings. In the remaining books of the Torah, the bond of the creator to the chosen people is fundamentally cemented through a string of fantastical events that define God as one solely interested in the welfare of a people to the detriment of their opponents. What becomes clear early on is that the human in this arrangement has little agency. If they follow the Law, God is on their side, leading to victory; if they do not, God departs, leaving them to collective downfall. Nonetheless, these five books possess an enviable descriptive simplicity, allowing the reader to immerse themselves in the writing, even when it is purely statistical, especially in “Numbers”.
The same literary simplicity is carried forward in the early historical books, though mostly elevated to a more refined standard in the “Books of Samuel”. The theological wrapping around historical nuclei lends itself to an excellent exercise in propaganda, concluding with the “Books of Chronicles”. Deep cracks in the continuity of the message begin with the adjoining of the “Book of Ezra” and the “Book of Nehemiah” before the “Book of Esther”. The damnation of any relationship between Israelites and other nations in the former two books sits rather inconsistently with the celebration of Esther, who is married to the king of Persia. Moreover, these three books make for an ugly representation of God, one who is constantly driven by petty jealousy rather than omniscience. Here we find one of the clearest examples that the scriptures are the result of human fallibility and not divine intervention.
The beauty of the “Bible” starts shining brightly with the “Book of Job”. This is unquestionably the most remarkable work of philosophical analysis in the entire book. Preceding the Socratic dialogues, the debate within is of paramount importance in tackling the essence of the Abrahamic God. The human and God are not divorced from each other; rather, Job concludes that the existence of one is necessary for the other. Good and evil are not dichotomous but symbiotic. This first of the wisdom books leads us into the exquisite poetry of the “Psalms”, culminating in the exceptional sexual allegory that is the “Song of Songs”. This passionate ode to love towers among the erotic verse of the ancient world.
From the list of prophetic books to follow, some deserve special attention. The “Book of Isaiah”, in both content and style, is a validation of piety. With its literary elegance, the text is convincing in its beliefs, also serving as the main source of inspiration for Christ’s teachings, the latter being an almost verbatim copy of Isaiah’s writings. Contrasting with it is the “Book of Jeremiah”. The fantastical visions are not only fanciful but actually do a disservice to the concept of God as a universal being free of form. The same issues can be attributed to most of the other prophetic books, with the exception of the “Book of Daniel” in particular and, to a degree, the “Book of Joel”. The apocalyptic visions in these two books are blessed with an evocative writing style, both lyrical and dramatic.
The “New Testament” follows roughly the same structure as the “Old Testament”, albeit much more limited in scope. The four Gospels serve as the historical setting for establishing Jesus as the key to defining a new identity for his followers. All descriptive in nature, they reapply the simplicity of the Pentateuch books, with the “Gospel of John” attempting a more artful exposition of the events. Like the “Old Testament”, the “Acts of the Apostles” that follows adopts too embellished an approach to the narrative, leading largely to incredulity and merely an unconvincing, forceful call to just believe that what we are told is the truth.
The “Epistle to the Romans” serves as the main philosophical treatise of the “New Testament”. Clearly following the Greek tradition, Paul manages to construct a compelling argument for Christianity as the evolution of Judaism by mainly providing the human with agency. Through the choice of believing in Christ, the human being actively engages in shaping their existence, thus contrasting with a more arbitrary benefit of God’s will, which some of the prophets of the “Old Testament” may lead us to accept. Here we also get an affirmation that the teachings of the “Bible” are predominantly man-made, for the service of human beings in leading a good earthly life. With this thought in mind, we should read his other letters, in which ideas of hatred are presented as truths but are clearly a reflection of the traditions of the world in which he lived. Whether it was Paul himself who wrote those ideas or more bigoted scholars who followed and edited them, these letters are sadly the root cause of Christianity’s ills, such as its demeaning stance towards women or the antisemitism that came with the rise of this new religion. The only exception to this is the “Epistle to the Hebrews”, which seeks a genuine engagement with theological thought and the need for continuity among Abrahamic religions.
The last of the books of the “Bible” is its greatest literary achievement. The “Book of Revelation” presents a dark power that generates a dramatic conclusion of celebration through faith. Its poetic finale leaves the reader with the impression that this was a worthy reading experience.
With plenty of great writings, including “Genesis”, “Job”, “Song of Songs”, “Isaiah”, “Daniel”, the “Gospel of John”, “Romans” and “Revelation”, and with more controversial texts that mar it, it is evident why the “Bible” has managed to rise in history as the most successful work of propaganda. The advice is to read it, though, rather than engage with its teachings through secondary sources. You would be surprised to find that it is a far more tolerant book than most of its proponents would make you believe.
From its start, in “Genesis”, we establish the need to create an immediate relationship of God to our world, with a special, intimate connection between God and the people of Israel. In that, the text mixes myth with national identity, as when we are introduced to the gods of Olympus or those of the Vikings. In the remaining books of the Torah, the bond of the creator to the chosen people is fundamentally cemented through a string of fantastical events that define God as one solely interested in the welfare of a people to the detriment of their opponents. What becomes clear early on is that the human in this arrangement has little agency. If they follow the Law, God is on their side, leading to victory; if they do not, God departs, leaving them to collective downfall. Nonetheless, these five books possess an enviable descriptive simplicity, allowing the reader to immerse themselves in the writing, even when it is purely statistical, especially in “Numbers”.
The same literary simplicity is carried forward in the early historical books, though mostly elevated to a more refined standard in the “Books of Samuel”. The theological wrapping around historical nuclei lends itself to an excellent exercise in propaganda, concluding with the “Books of Chronicles”. Deep cracks in the continuity of the message begin with the adjoining of the “Book of Ezra” and the “Book of Nehemiah” before the “Book of Esther”. The damnation of any relationship between Israelites and other nations in the former two books sits rather inconsistently with the celebration of Esther, who is married to the king of Persia. Moreover, these three books make for an ugly representation of God, one who is constantly driven by petty jealousy rather than omniscience. Here we find one of the clearest examples that the scriptures are the result of human fallibility and not divine intervention.
The beauty of the “Bible” starts shining brightly with the “Book of Job”. This is unquestionably the most remarkable work of philosophical analysis in the entire book. Preceding the Socratic dialogues, the debate within is of paramount importance in tackling the essence of the Abrahamic God. The human and God are not divorced from each other; rather, Job concludes that the existence of one is necessary for the other. Good and evil are not dichotomous but symbiotic. This first of the wisdom books leads us into the exquisite poetry of the “Psalms”, culminating in the exceptional sexual allegory that is the “Song of Songs”. This passionate ode to love towers among the erotic verse of the ancient world.
From the list of prophetic books to follow, some deserve special attention. The “Book of Isaiah”, in both content and style, is a validation of piety. With its literary elegance, the text is convincing in its beliefs, also serving as the main source of inspiration for Christ’s teachings, the latter being an almost verbatim copy of Isaiah’s writings. Contrasting with it is the “Book of Jeremiah”. The fantastical visions are not only fanciful but actually do a disservice to the concept of God as a universal being free of form. The same issues can be attributed to most of the other prophetic books, with the exception of the “Book of Daniel” in particular and, to a degree, the “Book of Joel”. The apocalyptic visions in these two books are blessed with an evocative writing style, both lyrical and dramatic.
The “New Testament” follows roughly the same structure as the “Old Testament”, albeit much more limited in scope. The four Gospels serve as the historical setting for establishing Jesus as the key to defining a new identity for his followers. All descriptive in nature, they reapply the simplicity of the Pentateuch books, with the “Gospel of John” attempting a more artful exposition of the events. Like the “Old Testament”, the “Acts of the Apostles” that follows adopts too embellished an approach to the narrative, leading largely to incredulity and merely an unconvincing, forceful call to just believe that what we are told is the truth.
The “Epistle to the Romans” serves as the main philosophical treatise of the “New Testament”. Clearly following the Greek tradition, Paul manages to construct a compelling argument for Christianity as the evolution of Judaism by mainly providing the human with agency. Through the choice of believing in Christ, the human being actively engages in shaping their existence, thus contrasting with a more arbitrary benefit of God’s will, which some of the prophets of the “Old Testament” may lead us to accept. Here we also get an affirmation that the teachings of the “Bible” are predominantly man-made, for the service of human beings in leading a good earthly life. With this thought in mind, we should read his other letters, in which ideas of hatred are presented as truths but are clearly a reflection of the traditions of the world in which he lived. Whether it was Paul himself who wrote those ideas or more bigoted scholars who followed and edited them, these letters are sadly the root cause of Christianity’s ills, such as its demeaning stance towards women or the antisemitism that came with the rise of this new religion. The only exception to this is the “Epistle to the Hebrews”, which seeks a genuine engagement with theological thought and the need for continuity among Abrahamic religions.
The last of the books of the “Bible” is its greatest literary achievement. The “Book of Revelation” presents a dark power that generates a dramatic conclusion of celebration through faith. Its poetic finale leaves the reader with the impression that this was a worthy reading experience.
With plenty of great writings, including “Genesis”, “Job”, “Song of Songs”, “Isaiah”, “Daniel”, the “Gospel of John”, “Romans” and “Revelation”, and with more controversial texts that mar it, it is evident why the “Bible” has managed to rise in history as the most successful work of propaganda. The advice is to read it, though, rather than engage with its teachings through secondary sources. You would be surprised to find that it is a far more tolerant book than most of its proponents would make you believe.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review