Thomas Meyer - The Memorization Study Bible

First printing: June 2018
Second printing: February 2020 Copyright 2018 on all notes and appendices by Thomas Meyer. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews. For information write: New Leaf Press, P.O. Box 726, Green Forest, AR 72638 New Leaf Press is a division of the New Leaf Publishing Group, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-89221-760-1 Library of Con gress Number: 2018943826 Cover by Felicia Joyce Design Please consider requesting that a copy of this volume be purchased by your local library system.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. Scripture quotations designated NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Contents Note from the Author During my time studying in the Holy Land, I became fascinated by the techniques that have been used to memorize Scripture over the ages. Contents Note from the Author During my time studying in the Holy Land, I became fascinated by the techniques that have been used to memorize Scripture over the ages.

I learned that at the 1,700-year-old Eastern Orthodox monastery of Mar Saba, monks with little contact with the outside world or modern conveniences tell of young boys who routinely memorize 150 psalms. In a study in the 1917 edition of the Psychological Review , a group of Jewish mnemonists (people highly skilled in feats of memory) demonstrated how they memorized to the point of knowing the placement of words on each of the 5,000 pages that contained the 12 books of the Babylonian Talmud. Witnesses described a challenge using a pin put through the Scripture to a specific page and place to test the mnemonists memory. A pin would be placed on a word, let us say, the fourth word in line eight; the memory sharp would then be asked what word is in the same spot on page thirty-eight or page fifty or any other page; the pin would be pressed through the volume until it reached page thirty eight or page fifty or any other page designated; the memory sharp would then mention the word and it was found invariably correct. He had visualized in his brain the whole Talmud; in other words, the pages of the Talmud were photographed on his brain. It was one of the most stupendous feats of memory I have ever witnessed and there was no fake about it.

I hope you enjoy your experiences in memorizing Scripture and that you find The Memorization Study Bible a powerful resource for your efforts.

---

. G.M. Stratton, "The Mnemonic Feat of the 'Shass Pollak,' " Psychological Review , 1917, 24(3), 244247. Memorization Matters! "I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture. That's right.

No other single discipline is more useful and rewarding than this. No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced.

Your faith will be solidified." Charles R. Swindoll "Begin reading, studying and memorizing Scripture as never before.... Read it, assimilate it, feed on it; let it be your staff and strength. It is quick and powerful. It is the bulwark of the soul.... Store these Scriptures away so that if your Bible is ever taken from you, you will have the Word of God written on the tablet of your heart." the late Rev.

Billy Graham "When we memorize Scripture, we make that connection between the Bible, our mind, and our heart more constant, more deep, and more transforming. I'll venture this: Realistically, nothing can replace it. Nothing can replace Bible memory in doing what it was designed to do forging a connection between the word, the head, and the heart." John Piper "Scripture memorization, which has been an incalculable blessing in my own Christian life, is almost a lost art these days... the musical phrasing in the King James makes it easier to memorize than the more ponderous English of the modern versions." Dr. Henry Morris "Gather the riches of God's promises. Nobody can take away from you those texts from the Bible which you have learned by heart." Corrie Ten Boom

---

Quick Start You can begin with any verse, chapter, or biblical book of your choice. If you want some initial ideas, we have included some in the appendices. There are several collections of Scriptures you can use to quickly start your memorization and some interesting quotes about Bible memorization and its history! They include the following: Timely Tips Memorize one verse at a time.

Say the verse out loud while writing; it is very important! Minimize distractions so you can focus. Use a small ruler or piece of paper to isolate the verse you are learning on the page. Integrate this into your daily or weekly devotional time. Challenge your family to learn one verse a week! A Word of Encouragement This memory edition of the Bible had its origin in my increasing conviction (from many years of memorizing the Scriptures as a student, lecturer, and now professor) that all of the many excellent and useful editions of the Scriptures left much to be desired in regard to fostering memorization of the Word of God. I have endeavored to share my own technique of memorization on the pages of this New Testament study Bible with the purpose of facilitating memorization through the power of format combined with an original technique of using the number of words in each verse to aid in memorization. This method has helped me to memorize 20 complete books of the Bible to date.

The Memorization Method 1.When utilizing this book, the memorizer is advised to deal with one verse at a time. 2.Write out the entire verse longhand in the same format this book uses and speak it while you write it. That way your mind, eye, hand, mouth, and ear are all working together in unison. a.While writing the verse in the provided format, you may notice that there are no more than eight words per line, called an eye's glance by ancient memorizers. This essential brevity of each line allows you to retain the short series of words in your short-term memory. b.The number of words are indicated in each line's right-hand column.

These numbers function as a temporary memory crutch as you repeatedly write out each line of your verse. Once you have memorized the verse, you won't need the reminder of numbered words in each phrase. c.Each line or phrase is arranged to start with a conjunction if possible. To neatly line up the ands, buts, etc. gives a sense of uniformity to the verse and makes it easier to memorize. 3.Write each verse over and over until you have it completely memorized.