Bhopal, India, Jul 10, 2007 / 08:53 am
A group of Christians set a new world record by writing out the entire Bible in 232 minutes. They chose to do this on the seventh day of the seventh month of the seventh year of the new millennium.
An ecumenical team, which ranged in age from 11 to 77 and included priests, nuns, pastors, brothers, and lay people, was led by local layman Sunil Joseph, reported ICNS. Joseph set his own record in 2005 by writing out the Bible on his own in 123 days.
The writing began at 5 p.m. in the presence of Archbishop Pascal Topno. It ended at 7:32 p.m. with common prayer.
“It is a historic movement of brotherhood among the Christians,” the archbishop told those present. “We are one in Christ. Our differences are nothing before the strong brotherhood feeling we have among us.”
The event was also organized to mark 07 / 07 / 07, organizers said. Christians consider the number seven, which appears often in the Bible, as the most complete number among all numbers.
“This is an effort to spread the message of love in the Holy Bible for the unity and brotherhood of our country,” Joseph said. “It is also to encourage people to read the message of love embedded in the Holy Scripture.”