ari :)’s Reviews > The New Testament > Status Update
ari :)
is 53% done
guess who's back ;)
i did not care for the Acts of the Apostles. granted, the Gospels are a tough act to follow, but Acts’ mix of hagiography, martyrdom and sanitized controversy is hardly a fitting sequel. there are moments where Luke’s gift for narrative shines through, like the sequence surrounding the death of St. Stephen. they are surrounded by the worst kind of preaching.
on to Paul’s epistles.
— Sep 27, 2025 11:21AM
i did not care for the Acts of the Apostles. granted, the Gospels are a tough act to follow, but Acts’ mix of hagiography, martyrdom and sanitized controversy is hardly a fitting sequel. there are moments where Luke’s gift for narrative shines through, like the sequence surrounding the death of St. Stephen. they are surrounded by the worst kind of preaching.
on to Paul’s epistles.
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ari :)’s Previous Updates
ari :)
is 58% done
done with the epistle to the Romans. a weighty text, and one much abused by the theologians (faith, works, salvation, original sin? all in here. also some homophobia for good measure). it doesn't help that Paul is not a particularly transparent writer, especially taken out of his context. there are some moments of great spiritual beauty here though.
on to Corinthians.
— Oct 15, 2025 10:12AM
on to Corinthians.
ari :)
is 41% done
done with John. what a strange book, filled with signs and glory. i will admit it took me some time to warm up to the Johannine Christ, a rather hermetic character compared to the Jesus of the Synoptics, but He is capable of a remarkable tenderness.
the rest of the New Testament is fairly unknown to me; next up are the Acts of the Apostles.
— Aug 09, 2025 11:28AM
the rest of the New Testament is fairly unknown to me; next up are the Acts of the Apostles.
ari :)
is 33% done
done with Luke. to me, Luke's gospel is lit with the blue and gold of Fra Angelico's Annunciation; it is easily the most literary of the four. in spite of this light and this craft, though, the New Testament has a remarkable ability to unsettle the reader, once we set aside our preconceptions of what Scripture is supposed to mean.
— Jul 25, 2025 02:36AM
ari :)
is 22% done
what to do with the Gospels? Matthew and Mark were completely and utterly convinced that the Kingdom of God was absolutely imminent, and that their lynched Anointed would be back any day with to judge the cosmos. any day now, i suppose...
i am filled with more questions than answers. on to Luke.
— Jul 21, 2025 09:41AM
i am filled with more questions than answers. on to Luke.
ari :)
is 7% done
DBH's introductory material and scientific postscript on the lexicon of the New Testament are marvelous. his translation is meant to read like the Greek does—amateurish, clunky, breathless testimonies of God made man. i have really enjoyed Matthew thus far.
— Jul 18, 2025 06:45AM
