O Taste & See!
The Sweetness of Scripture Is Not Just for Beekeeping Monks
Lectio divina, or divine reading, is nothing out of the ordinary. We tend to think of its four steps—reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation—as an esoteric practice, something monks engaged in long ago. The Latin term divina may intimidate us into thinking that lectio divina is something different from what we typically do in reading the Bible. But divina does not mean “esoteric”; it is more akin to our term holy. The Scriptures are holy—set aside for a unique purpose. For many centuries, believers referred deferentially to the Bible as the “divine Scriptures,” meaning that it has a special place or function. It’s a phrase we should retrieve. Scripture is divine in the sense that it has a special place within the church. And because Scripture is divine, our reading, too, should be divine.
True, for many centuries, monks engaged in lectio divina (and they do so, still). But that observation doesn’t render the practice esoteric or elitist. Monks embark upon meditative reading of Scripture (lectio divina) for the simple reason that they love the Scriptures—much as every true believer does. Love of Scripture naturally leads to fervent, repetitive reading and prayerful meditation upon its words, always in the hope of seeing the face of God (contemplation).
THIS ARTICLE ONLY AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS.
FOR QUICK ACCESS:
Hans Boersma is the Saint Benedict Servants of Christ Professor in Ascetical Theology at Nashotah House Theological Seminary. He is a senior editor of Touchstone.
Get six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access including pdf downloads for only $39.95. That's only $3.34 per month!
Get a one-year full-access subscription to the Touchstone online archives for only $19.95. That's only $1.66 per month!
bulk subscriptions
Order Touchstone subscriptions in bulk and save $10 per sub! Each subscription includes 6 issues of Touchstone plus full online access to touchstonemag.com—including archives, videos, and pdf downloads of recent issues for only $29.95 each! Great for churches or study groups.
Transactions will be processed on a secure server.
more on bible from the online archives
24.3—May/June 2011
The Making & Endurance of the King James Bible, 1611-2011 by Barton Swaim
32.2—March/April 2019
on Preserving Physical & Spiritual Nourishment by Nathanael Devlin
more from the online archives
32.1—January/February 2019
Answers Secular & Religious by Allan C. Carlson
32.6—November/December 2019
Historical Truth, Beguiling Stories & Three Kinds of Hearers by Anthony Esolen
calling all readers
Please Donate
"There are magazines worth reading but few worth saving . . . Touchstone is just such a magazine."
—Alice von Hildebrand
"Here we do not concede one square millimeter of territory to falsehood, folly, contemporary sentimentality, or fashion. We speak the truth, and let God be our judge. . . . Touchstone is the one committedly Christian conservative journal."
—Anthony Esolen, Touchstone senior editor
