Published: September 04, 2008 11:05 pm         

Bible is sacred, important, but do you know what it says?

Point Blank

Millions of people around the world own it.

They profess to read it and follow its dictates.

Many say they study it daily.

But according to one recent survey, nine out of 10 Americans own a Bible, but fewer than half ever read it.

Why?

For many folks, the King James Version of the Holy Bible is difficult to read without a companion guide or resource text.

The Bible’s Elizabethan English diction and syntax can be as tough on modern readers as Hamlet and King Lear.

In other words, the Bible perfectly fits Mark Twain’s definition of a classic: “a book which people praise and don’t read.”

The King James Version, nevertheless, contains some of the most beautiful poetry ever compiled by mankind.

But the book’s elaborate sentence structure — often containing superb rhetorical devices of parallelism and balance — can be daunting to first-time readers.

Perhaps that’s why my nephew asked me the other day to recommend a newer, more user friendly version of the text.

I presented him with a New King James Version from my library shelf. “I’ll try this one,” he said.

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But let’s step back a moment to consider the supreme importance of the Bible: Not only do we praise the Good Book, but we quote it daily in public and private. It permeates our language and our laws.

It’s in our courts for administering oaths.

And despite the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, it is on the Capitol steps when America inaugurates a president.

It is cited by politicians and preachers, playwrights and poets.

And as its phenomenal sales prove, the Bible holds a special place in nearly every country in the world. The worldwide sales of the Bible are literally uncountable.

It is even tough to keep track of all the translations of the Bible that exist around the world.

There are complete texts in more than 40 European languages, 125 Asian and Pacific Island languages, and Bible translations into more than 100 African languages, with another 500 African-language versions of some portion of the Bible.

At least 15 complete Native-American Bibles have been produced.

Ironically, though, the first Native-American translation, completed in 1663, was made into the language of the Massachusetts tribe, which the Puritan colonists then promptly wiped out.

In English, meanwhile, there are more than 3,000 versions of the entire Bible or portions of the text.

The King James Version, first produced in 1611, and the Revised Standard Version remain the most popular translations, but publishers thrive on introducing new versions and “specialty” Bibles every year.

The Living Bible — one contemporary, paraphrased version — has sold more than 40 million copies since 1971.

Around the world, active Bible study classes attract millions of students.

So, whether we worship in some formal setting or not, it is clear that people of nearly every nation remain fascinated by the Bible and its rich treasury of stories and lessons.

And yet, the Bible is clearly many things to many people. The problem is, most of us don’t know much about the Bible; we depend on second-hand scriptural summary at the risk of missing out on the beauty and grace of the original accounts.

Others receive their Bible basics from the great but factually flawed Hollywood epics like the Ten Commandments, the Greatest Story Ever Told and the Robe.

But most people simply never learned anything at all about a book that has influenced the course of human history more than any other.

Public schools don’t dare go near the subject. Perhaps we should be grateful for that, considering the confusion confronting educators today about how to design instruction for the 21st century.

Ignorance doesn’t stop at the churchyard gates, however.

In a 1997 survey, the London Sunday Times found that only 34 percent of 220 Anglican priests could recite all of the Ten Commandments without help.

All of them remembered the parts about not “killing” and not committing adultery.

But things got a little fuzzy after that.

In fact, 19 percent of the priests thought that the eighth commandment included the lines: “Life is a journey. Enjoy the ride.”

Sadly, the example just points to the fact that many seemingly pious people consider the Bible sacred and important but just do not know what it says.

(We gratefully acknowledge research contained in the national bestseller, Don’t Know Much About the Bible by Kenneth C. Davis)

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Top o’ the morning!

— Blankenship is a columnist for The Register-Herald.

E-mail: jabbb@suddenlink.net