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Durham E-Theses Durham E-Theses Spiritual Reading: A Study of the Christian Practice of Reading Scripture HARVEY, ANGELA LOU How to cite: HARVEY, ANGELA LOU (2012) Spiritual Reading: A Study of the Christian Practice of Reading Scripture, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3916/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 SPIRITUAL READING: A STUDY OF THE CHRISTIAN PRACTICE OF READING SCRIPTURE BY ANGELA LOU HARVEY SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM DEPARTMENT OF THEOLOGY AND RELIGION 2012 SPIRITUAL READING: A STUDY OF THE CHRISTIAN PRACTICE OF READING SCRIPTURE ANGELA LOU HARVEY ABSTRACT The practice of reading Christian Scripture is at the heart of the Christian faith and its spirituality. This dissertation is a theological exploration of what “spiritual reading” might mean in the context of the western church today. I begin with a brief consideration of the term “spiritual reading” and its connections with practices of theological interpretation and lectio divina, and note how this type of reading has been intrinsic to the Christian faith. Chapter two considers the role of the church in reading the Bible spiritually, and it contrasts the setting of the church with the settings of modern biblical scholarship and of reading the Bible as a classic work of literature. Chapter three then turns to literature more broadly, and explores the spiritual dimensions to the practices of reading classical works. In contrast to a general method of religious reading, I argue that the Christian faith profoundly shapes the practice of the Christian spiritual reading of Scripture, and I turn to Karl Barth and Henri de Lubac in chapters four and five as two modern theologians who explore the theology behind spiritual reading. Barth profoundly sets out the reality of God, and de Lubac makes the centrality of Jesus clear. In chapters six and seven I look at Ellen F. Davis as one who exemplifies the kind of spiritual reading I am exploring; chapter six sets out Davis’ reading principles, while chapter seven examines four examples of her exegesis: Psalm 109, Psalm 149, Numbers 11, and the book of Ruth. In the conclusion I link these strands of spiritual reading together and note areas of further research, and give a sketch of a spiritual reader of Christian Scripture today. ii DECLARATION This work has been submitted to the University of Durham in requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. It is my own work, and none of it has been previously submitted for a degree at any university. STATEMENT OF COPYRIGHT The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published in any format without prior written consent from the author. Any information derived from it should be acknowledged. iii CONTENTS ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………………………………....ii DECLARATION AND STATEMENT OF COPYRIGHT…………………..………………………………......iii CONTENTS………………………………………………………………………………………………….......iv ABBREVIATIONS……………………………………………………………………………………………....vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…….…………………………………………………………………………..……vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………..…….…………….1 “Spiritual reading”………....................................................................................................5 The theological interpretation of Scripture and lectio divina………………..11 The individual reading of Scripture……………………….…………………………...17 CHAPTER 2: SPIRITUAL READING AND THE CHURCH.……………………………………………..…26 Sociology of knowledge…………..………………………………………..……………….27 Biblical scholarship………...…………………………………..……………..……………..33 Reading classics………...…………………………………..……………..…………………..39 A home for readers…..…………………………………………………………...................45 CHAPTER 3: READING WELL…………………………………………………………………………..….47 The rise of modern literary studies………………………..……………..…………...49 C.S. Lewis………...…………………………………..……………..…………………………....62 Alan Jacobs.………...…………………………………..……………..…………………….......67 Paul Griffiths.………...…………………………………..……………..……………………....74 Without end………...…………………………………………………………………………...81 CHAPTER 4: KARL BARTH AND THE REALITY OF GOD IN SCRIPTURE………………………..…...83 Barth and spiritual reading…………………………………………………………….....85 Church Dogmatics I.2, §21, Freedom in the Church…………………..…………87 §20, Authority in the Church: Scripture as God’s grace to the church……………………………………………………………...................88 §21, Freedom in the Church: The work of God and humanity in reading Scripture………………………………………………………………..91 Evangelical Theology………...…………………………………..…………………….......100 Sections I, II, and III: Participation in biblical reading with the Spirit, faith, and hope………...…………………………….………….......101 Section IV: Participation in biblical reading with love….….……...108 From freedom to love………...…………………………………..……………..………...114 CHAPTER 5: HENRI DE LUBAC AND THE SPIRITUAL SENSE OF SCRIPTURE………………..…...116 Spiritual Understanding………...………………..………………………………………118 Jesus and history……………………………………..……………..…………….118 “Spiritual meaning”………...……………………………..……………..……....121 The spirit of the New Testament………...…………..………………….....126 Early and medieval spiritual interpretation and its decline…….127 Medieval Exegesis: volume one..……………………………………………………….129 Synthesis and the Spirit……………………………………………………..…129 Discipline in exegesis…………………………………………………………...130 Unity in the life of the mind………………………………………………..…133 iv Scripture’s depths………………………………………………………………...135 Jesus as unifying event………………………………………………………….137 The Christian Newness……….....................................................................................139 Spiritual interpretation’s prospects…………..…………...………………………...143 Reading towards Christ………...…………………………………..……………..………146 CHAPTER 6: AN ARTFUL READER: ELLEN DAVIS………………………………………..……….….151 Davis’ manner of art………...…………………………………..……………..……….…..152 Davis’ intellectual background………..……..……………..……………….153 Davis’ context of writing………...……………………………………………..156 Wonder………...…………………………………..……………..……………………………..162 Imagination………...…………………………………..……………..……………………….164 Slowness………...…………………………………..……………..…………………………...166 Attentiveness to biblical language………...…………………………………..……..167 Uncertainty and trust………...…………………………………..……………..………...174 Repentance and spiritual growth………...…………………………………………..176 Concluding note: The place of prayer, and of Jesus?………...………………..179 CHAPTER 7: ELLEN DAVIS’ ART IN PRACTICE………………………………………..……………....183 Psalm 109………...…………………………………..……………..………………………….183 Psalm 149………...…………………………………..……………..………………………….190 Numbers 11………...…………………………………..……………..……………………….197 Ruth………...…………………………………..……………..…………………………………..203 Reading Ruth spiritually………...……………………………………………..204 Ruth, chapter one………...…………………………………..……………..…….211 Pages still turning………...…………………………………..……………………………..224 CONCLUSION………...…………………………………..……………..……………………………………226 BIBLIOGRAPHY………...…………………………………..……………..…………………………………233 v ABBREVIATIONS ATR Anglican Theological Review CD Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics ET Karl Barth, Evangelical Theology EA Ex Auditu IJST International Journal of Systematic Theology JBL Journal of Biblical Literature JTI Journal of Theological Interpretation Medieval Henri de Lubac, Medieval Exegesis, volume one Scripture Henri de Lubac, Scripture in the Tradition SJT Scottish Journal of Theology THES Times Higher Education Supplement vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Any account of how we got to where we are must begin with God, so Karl Barth insists, and so I have increasingly found true these doctoral years. I am so thankful to my Lord and my God for his grace upon grace to me, a grace shown afresh each day I struggle to know him and his unfolding Word. In so many ways this grace has been and continues to be mediated to me through others. My poor grasp of biblical Hebrew as an undergraduate led to much time spent in Dr. Matthias Henze’s office hours, and from his patient and engaging teaching I was first exposed to biblical studies and challenged to grapple with the complexity of the Bible. It was his counsel that pointed me both towards my masters program and towards Durham, and I am still thankful for his encouragement all those years ago, that which launched me into this field. Professor Walter Moberly, my doctoral supervisor, has been instrumental in shaping my interests in Scripture and spirituality the past few years; both his own scholarship and his reading suggestions have been gems in my studies. His genuine care for his students is obvious, and I appreciate so much that care and the ways he has helped me think through how my studies relate to the even more important work beyond them. Thanks also are due to Professor Francis Watson, my secondary supervisor, for his many helpful insights and direction. So many friends and family have encouraged me along this way— especially in Durham, the Shepherds, the Menzies, and the Johnsons. Margaret Parkinson’s
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