“I know Song of Songs is a fan favorite, but I honestly skip over it on rereads because it’s plot-irrelevant filler.”

– the kind of controversial hot take I prefer to talk about regarding the Bible

I enjoy Biblical lore in the same way I enjoy exploring the worldbuilding of Middle-Earth or examining how different pieces of Star Wars media interpret the nature of the Force and its philosophical implications. But it’s been pretty difficult to find other people who not only share that same interest, but also have the same (or higher) level of familiarity with the source material. A lot of pop culture understandings of Judeo-Christian mythology are an amalgamation of Bible canon, apocrypha, rabbinical lore, and Dante and Milton’s fanfictions – which is fine, but tends to muddy the discussion if the participants don’t know what aspects originate from where.

– James