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Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading
Eugene Peterson is convinced that the "way" we read the Bible is as important as "that" we read the Bible. Do we read it for information about God and salvation, for principles and "truths" that we can use to live better? Or do we read it in order to listen to God and respond in prayer and obedience?
"Eat This Book" challenges us to
...moreHardcover, 186 pages
Published
January 1st 2006
by William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
(first published 2000)
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In Eat This Book, Peterson continues the work he began in his masterful Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places to construct a "spiritual theology." And in this book, he takes up "spiritual reading." Peterson guides into an intentional encounter with the Bible by focusing not just on the fact that we read the Bible, but in focusing on how.
Peterson's focus can be summed up by the guiding metaphor that gives the book its title: eat this book. The metaphor comes from the book of Rev...more
Peterson's focus can be summed up by the guiding metaphor that gives the book its title: eat this book. The metaphor comes from the book of Rev...more
Quick, useful, and, in places, awfully deep. The discussion of the Oxyrhynchus and Ugarit discoveries, and their profound influence on Biblical translation, will really stick with me.
The basic idea is that for a long time, Bible scholars and translators assumed that the Bible was somehow rigidly otherworldly in its style and content. The Oxyrhynchus discovery in Egypt (late nineteenth century) of everyday writing from ancient Greece (bills, notes, shopping lists, etc.) revealed that...more
The basic idea is that for a long time, Bible scholars and translators assumed that the Bible was somehow rigidly otherworldly in its style and content. The Oxyrhynchus discovery in Egypt (late nineteenth century) of everyday writing from ancient Greece (bills, notes, shopping lists, etc.) revealed that...more
What if you read the Bible and actually understood it? Or, what if you read the Bible and consumed it to the point that you actually digested and incorporated the gist of what you read?
Peterson's book teaches the simple method of reading the Bible as a means of communing with God. Spiritual Reading has nothing to do with talking to dead people. It is a way to bring a dead faith to life.
Eat This Book challenges us to read the Scriptures on their own terms, as God’s revelation,...more
Peterson's book teaches the simple method of reading the Bible as a means of communing with God. Spiritual Reading has nothing to do with talking to dead people. It is a way to bring a dead faith to life.
Eat This Book challenges us to read the Scriptures on their own terms, as God’s revelation,...more
Honestly, I was disappointed after reading this book. There were definitely some great points made by Peterson, and parts of the book had a very solid flow, easy to follow and understand. Peterson does write in a very conversational way (hence the title is very appropriate) but as a result at times it comes across as very flighty and off-focus - or off message. In my opinion this placed a haze around the overall central message of what I felt Peterson was trying to capitalize on.
The m...more
The m...more
I read this right after reading "The Year of Living Biblically." It was a fascinating contrast of approaches to the Bible. Both aim to "live the Bible" but A.J. Jacobs attempts to interpret and follow the Bible literally while Eugene Peterson stresses that the Bible is "chock full of metaphor" and "the metaphor treated literally is simply absurd".
I found the first sections of "Eat This Book" difficult to get through. I'm not sure i...more
I found the first sections of "Eat This Book" difficult to get through. I'm not sure i...more
Even if you read the bible daily, are you truly "living" it? Peterson shares with us how to read the bible-- by LECTIO DIVINA (sacred reading) which is divided into 4 ways:
(1) LECTIO -- read, listen to what God is saying.
(2) MEDITATO -- listen to what God is personally saying to you.
(3) ORATIO -- reply to God personally through prayer.
(4) CONTEMPLATIO -- live the bible everyday
and at the end of the book, which I really found so interesting, Peterson talk...more
(1) LECTIO -- read, listen to what God is saying.
(2) MEDITATO -- listen to what God is personally saying to you.
(3) ORATIO -- reply to God personally through prayer.
(4) CONTEMPLATIO -- live the bible everyday
and at the end of the book, which I really found so interesting, Peterson talk...more
Eugene Peterson is always profound, and this book does not disappoint. Reading it carefully, not speeding through its pages to cross it off a library list, will yield a new perspective on the Scriptures, one that will simultaneously complicate and simplify. Our own responses to the Scriptures will be simplified (ask not, what can I know here, but what can I obey?") and yet complicated as well. Just as it should be. We have too long Sunday-School-ized this book, reducing it's fresh, disturbi...more
I have a hard time following Eugene Peterson's writing sometimes. I often have to read and re-read his sentences to understand what he's trying to say. I've discussed this with others and they don't seem to have the same problem, so I think it's just something about the way my brain works.
Anyway, I was a little disappointed by this book. I was hoping for practical wisdom about how to actually approach reading the Bible with the same mindset as eating food, but I felt like Peterson foc...more
Anyway, I was a little disappointed by this book. I was hoping for practical wisdom about how to actually approach reading the Bible with the same mindset as eating food, but I felt like Peterson foc...more
I always learn something from reading Peterson. I love his thoughts on reading to live differently "all true knowledge of God is born out of obedience." I love his thoughts on Exegesis and the archeological discoveries that led us to more fully understand koine greek as the language of the people. This naturally is a huge event for Peterson, as it is one of his primary goals in the Message.
Not as profound for me as Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, but well said, well tho...more
Not as profound for me as Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, but well said, well tho...more
In the first half of this book Peterson discusses the practice of Lectio Divina as a model for engaging actively with the biblical text. I had heard of this approach but had not read much about it prior to reading this book. I appreciate Peterson's description, but would have liked more examples or detail to help me practically apply it. Peterson's description created a strong interest in me to "eat the text" but nevertheless left me still somewhat uncertain as to how to really do that...more
Very cool book about how to read scripture like it means something: like it is real spiritual food. The title comes from the strong angel's (can we just agree that "strong angel" is an awesome and crazy phrase) directions to John during the Revelation, and Peterson puts some umph on it. It's iteresting, in that his insistance on the essentially linguistic nature of the universe and on Jesus' explicit parallel with linguistics makes reading the bible almost the same as taking the euchar...more
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I have been savoring Eugene Peterson’s passionate and thoughtful book “Eat this Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading.” In the chapter on prayer and praying in and through the word and the world of scripture, he says of the reality of living in the world:
“It is not easy. It was not easy for Jesus those nights on the mountain, that night in Gethsemane, those hours on the cross. Nobody ever said it would be easy. God didn’t say it would be easy. But it’s the way things a...more
“It is not easy. It was not easy for Jesus those nights on the mountain, that night in Gethsemane, those hours on the cross. Nobody ever said it would be easy. God didn’t say it would be easy. But it’s the way things a...more
Eat This Book: The conversation in Spiritual Reading (Lectio Divina)
Eugene Peterson has once again reminded his audience why they love reading him: because he holds a mirror up and asks the question: Why are you so impressed with yourself? Instead, he shows them how incapable they are at doing anything good on their own. Instead, he reminds his audience how big, gracious loving and merciful God is and to be joyful about the work that the Father, Son and Spirit are doing among the com...more
Eugene Peterson has once again reminded his audience why they love reading him: because he holds a mirror up and asks the question: Why are you so impressed with yourself? Instead, he shows them how incapable they are at doing anything good on their own. Instead, he reminds his audience how big, gracious loving and merciful God is and to be joyful about the work that the Father, Son and Spirit are doing among the com...more
Based on the instances in Scripture where John, Jeremiah and Ezekiel are told to "eat this book", Peterson makes the point that Scripture, rather than being read to attain knowledge, is meant to be assimilated in much the same way that we assimilate our food. "Christians feed on Scripture. Holy Scripture nurtures the holy community as food nurtures the human body. Christians don't simply learn or study or use Scipture; we assimilate it, take it into our lives in such a way that...more
Eugene Peterson, author of The Message (Bible translation), goes to great lengths to describe the way a believing person can and should approach and use the Bible. Peterson tells about the way his pet dog occasionally finds a deer carcass in the wilds of the Northwest U.S. where his family vacations and returns to the cabin proudly managing a large and savory bone. His dogs initially places it on display and later carries it to a more solitary place for gnawing, caressing and enjoying. Evenut...more
This book was amazing. With plenty of ideas about how to implement Lectio Divina (spiritual reading) in the reading of the Bible, and even some history on the translations of the Bible, this book kept me interested and inspired all the way through. For the first time, I really have a better understanding, too, of how Peterson's translation of the Bible, The Message, came about. This book, along with Life With God, by Richard J. Foster, have completely changed my world when it comes to reading...more
Eugene Peterson grabs you by the collar, looks you in the eye and dares you to think outside the box! I love his fresh and integrating style of writing. Eat This Book takes you into a journey of "partaking" and savoring the word of God through an approach called "Lectio Divina" a process that incorporates, meditation, contemplation, and oration. For anyone who thinks reading the Bible is boring can start right here with Eugene Peterson.
This is a very good book. The first section deals with how we should be reading scripture. The second section deals with how scripture should be translated culturally (not just the words, but also in how we speak of scripture to others). He uses his work on the Message Bible as an illustration of how he really thinks about this. I highly recommend this book. This one was the most readable of the three books in this series that I have read so far.
This book was really great. I love the poetic feel to Peterson's writing, as well as the genius found within the message he is trying to speak to us. This book gave me a fresh insight on reading and actually living my Bible and taught me not to read as a spectator anymore. I also learned a lot about translations of the Bible. It was a good book that I recommend to anyone.
I listened to Eat this Book)and enjoyed it - but often regretted not having the book in front of me to mark in and comment on. I especially enjoyed the first half - talking of spiritual reading and the appropriate response to the Biblical text. The second half, which includes history and talk of the work of translation, was good, but more information than challenge.
I am hesitant when it comes to Lectio Divina. I think LD encourages taking scripture out of context. Peterson urges us that we must read scripture for formation, not information. I get the most formation when I read for information. I also think it is a dangerous mystic practice that puts people in a evil spiritual realm of meditation. Not a fan of this book.
Michelle
marked it as to-read
A conversation in the art of spiritual reading. Rec. by Ann Voskamp. Rec. by Scripture Union blog. "The author of The Message tackles an important question: how can Bible reading and prayer become a genuine dialog with God? If you're hungry for a Bible engagement experience that's more than just informational, this is the book for you. I love this book!"
“Eat this book,” Peterson implores his readers. We cannot simply approach the Bible searching for facts and self-help tips; rather, we must devour the text for the spiritual nourishment so essential to our life of faith – read prayerfully and personally, looking to live and obey. Peterson’s work here does not offer ‘five simple steps to reading the Bible right,’ but instead explores the rhyme and reason of scripture: its spirit, its world, its theology, its story, its reading. Under-girded by so...more
I read this with N.T. Wright's "The Last Word." A good book for evangelical Christians who want to learn how to read Scripture spiritually. However, Peterson does discuss the importance of exegesis.
I enjoy Peterson's insights, and especially liked the background on how he came to produce his contemporary translation of scripture called The Message. But it is often too terse, and makes statements which he would have done well to unpack with illustrations, anecdotes, etc. It seemed to me at times that he assumed too much about his readers. Thought-provoking, but frustrating at times.
Peterson hits the bullseye. After you've had your fill of Bible study methods books, come get the good stuff. Highly recommended.
Jonathan
added it
i love this boook.. it keeps yu thinking the ancient way of reading in todays world...
Peterson writes as a poet, philosopher, translator, theologian, pastor and follower of Christ. Rarely do you see someone with such a pastoral heart and a scholar's mind. I found every page to be beautifully written and deeply insightful in reading Scripture as God's word to his people.
This book should be read by anyone who exposits the Bible either professionally or as a volunteer. I would highly recommend it for people who simply want to read the Bible and hear God's voice in the mi...more
This book should be read by anyone who exposits the Bible either professionally or as a volunteer. I would highly recommend it for people who simply want to read the Bible and hear God's voice in the mi...more
Doug777spring
is currently reading it
Challenging
Peterson takes a long look at the way we use the Bible - arguing that we often simply study it or use it to support our own understandings instead of letting the Word of God shape us. He makes a strong argument for spiritual reading, a way of reading that allows the words to form in us and not just be something we know, read, or study. The book is well written and an easy read. It explores the way we use language and the way God uses language to speak in and through us.
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Eugene H. Peterson is a pastor, scholar, author, and poet. For many years he was James M. Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology at Regent College. He also served as founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland. He has written over thirty books, including Gold Medallion Book Award winner The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language a contemporary translation of t...more
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