Time for my first notes on the reading list project. We are not playing by Desert Island Disc rules, so the Bible and Shakespeare do not get thrown in for free. However, as I’ve noted before, the Bible is the first book I read most mornings so it has got to be at the top of my list.

While I have now read it many times, it is a large work and not particularly ideal for reading from cover to cover. Paul suggested that I might like to highlight a smaller subsection. On reflection, it has got to be the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

I know that is four “books” but, taken together, they are still no longer than an enthusiastic short story. They can largely be read as a simple narrative, making them quite easy to follow. Most importantly though, they are the four direct accounts of the earthly life of Jesus. His life, teaching and person is the lynch pin on which the rest of the New Testament (the shorter, end section) hangs and which is both rooted in and illuminating the “Old Testament” (which Christianity shares with Judaism).

Whether or not Jesus said and did what is written is the basis of the Christian faith; without starting in the gospels and reading out from there, the reader is much more likely to get derailed by musings about whether Adam had a belly button and who Cain got married to.

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