Spiritual Reading: A Study of the Christian Practice of Reading Scripture
Ebook
Reading Scripture is a spiritual practice at the very heart of the Christian faith. But how is it possible to encounter God in reading the words of the Bible? Does reading the Christian Bible require a different approach from how one may read other texts or writings? What is required of the spiritual reader to read well? Seeking to answer such questions, Angela Lou Harvey provides a theological exploration of the idea of "spiritual reading" in the context of the Western church today. Drawing upon insights of theologians such as Karl Barth, Henri de Lubac, and Ellen F. Davis, the author suggests that the particulars of Christian belief profoundly shape the distinctive practice of the spiritual reading of the Bible.
"Angie Harvey offers an engaging analysis of spiritual reading
as a Christian practice of reading scripture, helpfully located in
the landscape of theological interpretation and lectio divina, and
with the church serving as a "home" for spiritual readers. Her
studies of several key writers deepen our appreciation of the depth
and complexities of what is involved, while offering vision for
renewed Christian reading. Harvey offers today's readers
significant 'ressourcement' for a key task."
--Richard S. Briggs, Lecturer in Old Testament and Director of
Biblical Studies, Cranmer Hall, St John's College, Durham
University
"'You are not here to verify, / Instruct yourself, or inform
curiosity / . . . You are here to kneel / Where prayer has been
valid.' What T. S. Eliot wrote about a place is also true, Harvey
argues, of a book: the Bible. Reclaiming the tradition of lectio
divina and reflecting on its relationship to the Bible reading
practiced in the academy, her own book is a welcome reminder of the
one thing that matters."
--Francis Watson, Durham University
Product Details
- Title : Spiritual Reading: A Study of the Christian Practice of Reading Scripture
- Authors:
- Harvey, Angela Lou
- Moberly, R. W. L.
- Publisher: Cascade Books
- Publication Date: 2015
- ISBN: 9781498209779
Angela Lou Harvey holds degrees from Rice University, Harvard Divinity School, and Durham University, from which she received her PhD. Having grown up in Texas, she now lives in England, where she is raising a young family and with them learning more about how to read.