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A brief history of Public Bible Reading

As part of our crash courses on Public Bible Reading, we begin by looking at a brief history of Public Bible Reading:

On the edge of crossing to the promised land, Moses commanded that every seven years: "you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God..." (see Deuteronomy 31:9-13) Imagine a colossal nation-wide conference where the purpose simply was reading and hearing the words of the Bible. This practice is given the name Hakhel (the Hebrew word for 'Assemble') and has in part been reinitiated since the establishment of the modern state of Israel.

Evidently this command was neglected because by King Josiah's day because midway through his reign (in the 620s BC) the Book of the Law was rediscovered and to their horror they realised their nation's disobedience to God's Word. Josiah sought to reestablish the covenant and brought all the people to the Temple and "he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD" (2 Kings 23:2). Here is the picture of the righteous King drawing the people back to God through the scriptures.

Nevertheless, even Josiah's reforms didn't stop the people being sent into exile. At the return to the land, Ezra gathered the people together and for a whole week, "day by day from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God" (Nehemiah 8:18) The people were so moved to tears by the word of God that they had to be reassured and encouraged "to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them." (Nehemiah 8:12).

By the time of Jesus, the weekly practice of reading the scriptures was well established and Jesus himself read at the Synagogue in Nazareth, which Luke indicates was his regular custom in ministry (Luke 4:16-30)

This practice carried over into early Christian gatherings such that Paul encouraged Timothy: "devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, to teaching." (1 Timothy 4:13)

In addition to the Old Testament scriptures, it was customary for the New Testament letters to be read aloud:
"I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers." 1 Thessalonians 5:27
"And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea." Colossians 4:16
"Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near." Revelation 1:3

In the next century after the New Testament, you can see this dedication of early Christians to the public reading of the Bible here by Justin Martyr:

And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits. (First Apology 67)

As you can see, for thousands of years - God's people have gathered to hear the Words of God read to them aloud and they have powerfully moved them to spiritual renewal.

Posted by Robert Turnbull on Tuesday 4:26 pm, February 10 2009 - Permalink

Categories: Public Bible Reading