Free Download: Part 4 - Meditation on Scripture
Spiritual Formation~
A God Encounter
Note: The following is an excerpt from our free study download called, Meditation on Scripture- A God Encounter. Read more about this download here .
Meditation on scripture is a gateway to reflective encounters with God that transform the brain matter of Bible data into the relational matter of the heart and soul. You can experience authentic and direct encounters with Jesus, just like Nathanael did under the fig tree.
The first Christians adopted the Jewish methods of meditation on scripture but then they began to search for different ways to interact with the Logos of Christ. Early Christian teachers in Antioch, a hub of Christian faith in the 4th century, wanted an authentic strategy for proper interpretation of the Bible.
The School of Antioch developed a strategy called theoria to counteract more speculative practices used in the early Church. Although many academics describe theoria as an "exegetical method" it is essentially a contemplative process. A section of scripture would be read slowly and reflectively, and then the reader sits in quiet contemplation waiting for God to give insight on the text.
Contemplating the scriptures in this way revealed a higher spiritual meaning of the words. After the text was contemplated, insights revealed to the reader were then considered in the context of the whole Bible and known interpretation to test their orthodoxy.
Nearly two centuries later, another ancient Christian practice had matured into a more formal custom and usage. This method, known as lectio divina, was documented and put forward by a Christian monastic leader named Benedict in the 6th century.
The name, lectio divina, is a Latin term that means, divine reading. It was later developed into a more structured form by a group of monks in the 12th century. This form, with its four steps, is the most popular strategy for meditation on scripture in Western Christianity today. Lectio divina has four rungs that progress from reading, to meditation, to prayer and to contemplation, which captures the essence of the most ancient forms of meditation on scripture.
Read more about our free download study called, Meditation on Scripture- A God Encounter, here .
Copyright © 2010, Calvin R. Wulf and Lisa Are Wulf
TAGS: Spiritual Formation, Christian Meditation, Christian Discipleship
Posted by Spiritual Formation House at 5/13/2010 7:00 AM 
Categories: Spiritual Formation, ALL CALVIN'S ENTRIES
Tags: Christian Meditation Christian Discipleship Spiritual Formation
Categories: Spiritual Formation, ALL CALVIN'S ENTRIES
Tags: Christian Meditation Christian Discipleship Spiritual Formation
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