Courtesy WIkipedia
Benedict
15th century image of St. Benedict of Nursia, founder of the Benedictine monastic tradition.
An isolated reader of Scripture is as dangerous as a self-taught surgeon. One of the presenting conceits of contemporary Christianity is that the isolated interpreter has become normative. Few things are deadlier to Christian truth than exegesis stifled by personal idolatries and hidden prejudices. Princeton Seminary’s C. Clifton Black suggests, as a cure to such (mis)reading, bringing the saints alongside us as we explore “the strange new world” we call Scripture. He takes a cue from Benedictine spirituality and encourages reading the Bible with both hospitality (welcoming strangers) and humility.
If you’ve never experienced Benedictine hospitality, you’re missing out. Following the lead of both the Bible and the Rule of St. Benedict, this vision of hospitality recognizes that in welcoming the stranger, we welcome Christ himself. This delightfully informs our reading of Scripture, for if we meet angels unawares when welcoming guests, might the Spirit also speak to us about the truth of Scripture from voices we would otherwise ignore or neglect? Thus, Black concludes:
“If like-mindedness is our overt or tacit criterion for interpreting Scripture in community, then we shouldn’t be surprised to hear only echoes of our own biases while learning little. Does the theologically liberal reader shield herself from scholarship more conservative? Does the neo-orthodox read nothing of the liberationist? For as long as members of the three Abrahamic faiths read their Scriptures only within conventicles, ignorance and mistrust are bound to proliferate. None of us holds the truth in Scripture by the ears, and none of us ever shall. Hospitable interpreters seek help in understanding Scripture wherever they can find it. ” (58)
An openness to others’ thoughts naturally tends toward taking our own ideas less seriously. The resulting – or at least correlative – humility is also a great aid to the exegete who desires her reading to be not only accurate or insightful but also an act of worship. Humility is a monastic virtue that is foreign even to many Christian ears today. Readers of Scripture, lay or clergy, novice or doctorate-wielding, would do well to remember the distance between our thoughts and God’s thoughts – and treat our interpretation of the text accordingly. Again, Black is insightful:
“Because we are frail creatures and not our own Creator, we beware of mistaking our own voice for God’s alien word. We discipline ourselves to listen more keenly, assuming our ignorance and not our knowledge. We resist a constant temptation to control other interpreters and to manipulate other voices – including those within Scripture itself. When the Lord sounds just like us – when Scripture can no longer surprise or disturb or offend us – we should be very, very afraid: it’s likely we’ve locked ourselves in an echo chamber. And if, God help us, we are entrusted with teaching others about Scripture, we should remember that we too much someday give an account of what we have said and done (Jas 3:1).”
The world has seen enough of proud, isolated, and eccentric readings of the Bible. What is needed today, for the renewal of the Church and her witness, is followers of Jesus who are able to read the holy writ well. A humble and hospitable approach to the sacra pagina holds great promise, for personal study and discipleship but especially for community worship, witness, and discernment. After all, the Bible is the book of the church, and reading it wisely means reading in a way that does not create a scandal or shipwreck with our neighbors in the Body of Christ.
Humility and hospitality don’t cover everything, but I believe they would certainly go a long way towards renewing our encounter with the God’s word, which is, “living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword. It penetrates to the point that it separates the soul from the spirit and the joints from the marrow. It’s able to judge the heart’s thoughts and intentions.” (Hebrews 4:12, CEB) Such a gift from the Triune God’s treasury will not be opened to hearts ill-disposed to the humility and hospitality which mark a disciple of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word from all virtue and wisdom flows.
What do you think? What other virtues are needed to read the Bible well? Are there downsides to these?
Source: Black, C. Clifton, Reading Scripture With the Saints (Eugene: Cascade Books 2014).
The Rev. Drew B. McIntyre is a United Methodist pastor in Asheboro, NC. He blogs at Uniting Grace and is a co-founder of the collaborative blog Via Media Methodists.