Spiritual Reading with the Venerable Bede
Author: Bobby Valentine | Filed under: Church History, Hebrew Bible, Prayer, Psalms, Venerable Bede
Spiritual Reading with Bede
About a month ago I “found” myself at one of my favorite spots: Half-Priced Books. I happen to be looking through their generally very good religion section and found a little gem. The book is called The Abbreviated Psalter of the Venerable Bede translated and edited by Gerald M. Brown (for 4 bucks!!).
Bede, probably most famous for his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, lived and breathed the Psalms as the “stuff” of prayer. He was born around A.D. 672/3 and died in A.D. 735. As a monk he was a follower of the Opus Dei (Latin for the “work of God”) which was a rigorous approach to spiritual formation. Following this path Bede would devote eight hours a day “munching” the Psalter, meditating on the Psalter, and praying the Psalter. Bede became a living book of Psalms.
Other disciples sought his guidance in praying through the Psalter and the Abbreviated Psalter (AP) was the result. The AP is sort of a cliff notes version of the Psalms. Bede has gone through all 150 Psalms and boiled them down to one prayer thought. Literally some of the Psalms are a single line, while others contain a significant portion of the text. For Bede this was a tool simply to get the mental juices flowing because you were already supposed to have the text memorized. But as a prayer guide it helps bring the reader shoulder to shoulder, not only with the ancient Israelite, but with Christians in medieval England.
I have enjoyed this book on several levels. First, I like to see what the Bible looked like to folks in different ages. If you want to know what the Latin Psalter looked like in the eighth century this is a good place to read. Second, the AP is a good way to get at the heart of the Psalter for personal reading and devotion. It is good to munch on at that level. Third, it is a fine guide for focused prayer by helping my prayer from degenerating into a wish list.
There is another level that I have alluded to that I have enjoyed this book, that is lectio divina (divine reading or spiritual reading). Bede expected his monks to read at this level. Lectio divina has four levels (we discuss these in chapter 5 of my book with John Mark Hicks, Kingdom Come).
First, you take a small section (verse or small paragraph) and you read it over and over. You read it silently and then verbally. You “savor” the text or “taste to see that the Lord is good.”
Second is meditation. Here we ask direct questions of the text, “how is God calling me in this text? what should my response be to the voice of the Lord?” What word or idea sticks out that seems to be calling for attention? Meditation is not about what the text meant per se but about encountering God in the present through the text.
Third is prayer. Whatever thoughts well up inside of you as a result of your meditation we turn them back to God in prayer.
The fourth step is contemplation. Here we simply try to quiet our soul and be silent before God. We might call it “resting” in his Presence.
Bede’s AP is a delightful book in itself. It is also a blessing in aiding not just monks but modern disciples to slow down and enjoy God through spiritual reading (and praying) with him in the Psalms. Psalm 28 in the AP reads “Adore the Lord in holy majesty.” That may not be such a bad thing for disciples to spend time doing. It is his invitation to simply adore the Father. When was the last time we spent any significant amount of time doing that? To ask the question is to answer it for many . . . and that is the value of Bede. He can help us. I am thankful for the treasure this saint has left for us today.
Shalom,
Stoned-Campbell Disciple
May 13th, 2006 at 6:50 pm
Hi Bobby. We had the Rochester College Choir at our church last night. I was able to get off work early and greet them when they arrived.
We kept 6 of the guys at our home last night. They thought they won the lottery when they discovered:
1. They were all staying together.
2. We have a solar heated pool.
3. They had permission to swim.
4. I have a pool table.
5. They had permission to play.
Bottomline – We didn’t go to bed until 1am.
I’ll have to get another night of sleep so I can feel up to trying your recommendation.
Happy Mother’s Day.
May 14th, 2006 at 10:11 pm
Looks really good, Bobby. Thanks for sharing this resource.
Peace.
May 15th, 2006 at 1:47 pm
Hi Bobby,
I tried this today and it was awesome. Monday’s always seem to be a battle for me to keep my spirits up. I picked Psalm 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
As I repeated this and asked God to speak to me, the fifth mandate from the Sheperd of Hermas came to mind. It’s about patient endurance and two ways of being.
Then Revelations came to my mind. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.
I couldn’t stop praising God for what He spoke and it was as though the very room I sat in became brighter. It was simply being reminded of the hope we have in Jesus.
I was becoming frustrated with the lack of hope I see in so many christians. This prayer helped me look in the mirror instead of at everyone else. My hope was being tested. Have a great day, and thank you!
A Little Toe,
Penney
May 15th, 2006 at 3:23 pm
Cecil and Steve thanks for visiting. It was a good Mother’s Day.
Penny,
Delighted you found my blog. I am pleased to see that you have tried Lectio Divina with the Psalms. It is a technique that is not for everyone but I am delighted you have been blessed. Some folks are in a big rush . . . and you have to SLOW down for Lectio Divina . . . you have to “savor the flavor” so to speak.
Blessings upon you.
Bobby Valentine