An invitation into lectio divina, the reading of the Scriptures. The author encourages a reconsideration and acceptance of the Origenist fourfold way of interpreting Scripture (literal, allegorical, moral/tropological, and analogical); writes much about encouraging the reading of Scripture both individually but especially communally; and commends lectio divina and its four steps: lectio, meditatio, oratio, and contemplatio. In this perspective one moves through the objective attempt to understand the text in context and then more subjectively to seek to apply it to one's own life and experience. The author also speaks about challenges in terms of reading and understanding Scripture and even just in reading and understanding in and of itself. The author is Roman Catholic, writes within a Roman Catholic framework, and ostensibly primarily to Roman Catholics. Knowledge of basic Latin, and at least a bit of Greek, proves helpful in understanding him; much is left untranslated. The book undoubtedly serves its primary purpose, but I was disappointed that very little time was spent in discussing the development of the spiritual discipline of lectio divina; this book is more about discussing issues surrounding lectio divina than lectio divina itself. Nevertheless, it has some good food for thought in terms of our relationship to the Scriptures and what we seek to get out of them.—Ethan Longhenry, Goodreads reviewer Bianchi’s remarkable accomplishment in Lectio Divina is reconciling recent scholarly trends in biblical interpretation with a devotional use of the Bible. As scholarship that draws from pre-critical hermeneutics proliferates, Bianchi shows how the insights of such scholarship can only be fully accessed through Spirit led engagement with the text. Some books that seek to revive ancient spiritual practices get bogged down in technique. Bianchi offers a broad theology of Scripture. He never dictates the minutia of how spiritual reading is to be achieved. Instead, he charts the basics of a path through the Bible that reads along the grain of the text, respecting the unity that the Spirit creates from a diverse set of books. Bianchi’s prescription of the lectio divina is sorely needed as a way of bringing coherence to our scattered spiritual lives. —Andrew Stout for The Englewood Review of Books This is not your ordinary book about lectio divina. For one thing, it does not begin to give indications about the how-tos of the ancient spiritual practice until two-thirds of the way through the book. The reason for that is that the author thinks it is useless to know techniques if you do not understand that the underlying principle, in this case the sacramentality of the Bible as the work of God, a concept which has been underground in the western Church for a long time. Another difference from many contemporary books on lectio divina is that the author does not suggest that just any old text (or new text, for that matter) will do. Brother Enzo Bianchi, a Roman Catholic, is the founder and still prior of the ecumenical monastic Bose Community of men and women, which he and a few colleagues inaugurated in 1965 in northern Italy. Bianchi’s deep understanding of Scripture and the early monastic tradition has made him an important voice of the post-Vatican II era, and his influence in the Church as the founder of a new ecclesial community has dramatically increased under the last two Popes. Pope Benedict XVI invited him to the Synod on the Word of God in 2008 and the Synod on the New Evangelization in 2012, and in 2014 Bianchi was appointed by Pope Francis as a consulter for the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. This is a book worth reading and rereading.—Jerome Kodell, O.S.B., Subiaco Abbey, American Benedictine Review

Enzo Bianchi is not only a first-rate Scripture scholar, he is the founder of the very dynamic monastery of Bose in north Italy. Therefore, when I learned that he has written a book on Lectio Divina, I read it with eager anticipation. I was not disappointed. Bianchi has a very good grip on the delicate art of personal, meditative reading of the Bible. His analysis of this topic is very solid and insightful. With his deep biblical wisdom, he is able to explore the whole Christian tradition of prayerful reading. St. Benedict mandates at least two hours of lectio divina a day for his monks (RB 48), which is a considerable challenge for the modern person. But with Enzo as our guide, we can do it!— Terrence Kardong

Enzo Bianchi is not only a first-rate Scripture scholar, he is the founder of the very dynamic monastery of Bose in north Italy. Therefore, when I learned that he has written a book on Lectio Divina, I read it with eager anticipation. I was not disappointed. Bianchi has a very good grip on the delicate art of personal, meditative reading of the Bible. His analysis of this topic is very solid and insightful. With his deep biblical wisdom, he is able to explore the whole Christian tradition of prayerful reading. St. Benedict mandates at least two hours of lectio divina a day for his monks (RB 48), which is a considerable challenge for the modern person. But with Enzo as our guide, we can do it! - Terrence Kardong