Bible stabbing

When stabbing the Bible , the Bible is opened aimlessly and a verse or chapter is read at the passage from the Bible that has been hit in this way, namely without much thought . This is an old New Year's Eve custom, especially in Christian households . Bible stabbing is also used by evangelicals , among others , to prophesy or seek advice.

New Year's Eve custom

On the night of the turn of the year, the Bible is opened sideways with the thumb and then blindly held in one place. What is here in the Bible text should provide information about the coming year.

Fortune telling

The arbitrary opening of the Bible becomes a form of fortune-telling if it is done with the assumption that the opening is guided by God or the Holy Spirit and the passage in the Bible determined in this way is understood as a divine answer to a question asked. Conceivable questions could be about the right behavior in a certain situation or about the possible consequences of a decision.

Francis of Assisi

The legend of the three companions tells about the earliest beginnings of the Franciscan order, Francis of Assisi and his first two companions, Bernardo di Quintavalle and Pietro Cattani, asked God about their commission while piercing the Bible. As their program of life, they adopted the three scriptures found in this way:

“If you want to be perfect, go sell your property and give the money to the poor; so you will have an abiding treasure in heaven; then come and follow me. "( Mt 19,21 EU )
"Take nothing with you on the way, no walking stick and no storage bag, no bread, no money and no second shirt." ( Lk 9.3 EU )
"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself, take up his cross every day and follow me." ( Lk 9.23 EU )

Web links

Georg Otto Schmid: fortune telling. In: relinfo.ch, 1995. - It contains information about piercing the Bible / opening the Bible.

Individual evidence

^ Ute Nürnberg The turn of the year in the hymn. On the history, motifs and theology of German and Swiss songs. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2016, ISBN 978-3-647-62436-5 , p. 203
↑ Christoph Benjamin Schulz: Poetiken des sheets. Georg Olms Verlag, 2015, ISBN 978-3-487-15256-1 , p. 67

[1] Ute Nürnberg The turn of the year in the hymn. On the history, motifs and theology of German and Swiss songs. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2016, ISBN 978-3-647-62436-5 , p. 203

[2] Christoph Benjamin Schulz: Poetiken des sheets. Georg Olms Verlag, 2015, ISBN 978-3-487-15256-1 , p. 67