Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading

The second part of Peterson’s momentous five-volume work on spiritual theology, Eat This Book challenges us to read the Scriptures on their own terms, as God’s revelation, and to live them as we read them. With warmth and wisdom Peterson offers greatly needed, down-to-earth counsel on spiritual reading. In these pages he draws readers into a fascinating conversation on the nature of language, the ancient practice of lectio divina, and the role of Scripture translations; included here is the "inside story" behind Peterson’s own popular Bible translation, The Message.

Countering the widespread practice of using the Bible for self-serving purposes, Peterson here serves readers with a nourishing entrée into the formative, life-changing art of spiritual reading.

Study Guide available.

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All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Spiritual Reading, yes - Lectio Divina, not so much., 2008-12-31
I enjoy Eugene Peterson's work both for his theological insights as well as his accessible style. This book is a compelling study of how one should approach spiritual reading of the Bible. He addresses many common misconceptions (e.g. that the Bible is unintelligible to the average person, that Bible passages can be read outside the context of the whole, etc.). Eat This Book particularly targets literalism, and as such can come across as an apologetic for The Message: The Bible In Contemporary Language, to which some reviewers have taken exception.

If you are looking for detail about Peterson's perspective on Lectio Divina, however, this is not it. Had I looked at the table of contents, this would have been clear, as there are only 30 pages (out of 185) explicitly about Lectio.

Eat This Book successfully makes the case for reading the Bible in a way that focuses on living the Word that you take in. It is less helpful in guiding the reader in practical ways to do so (e.g. Lectio). I am glad that I read this book, but will pass it along rather than keep it in my permanent library. For further exploration of Lectio Divina, I recommend Too Deep for Words: Rediscovering Lectio Divina.




1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Reading Scripture is much more than you ever imagined!, 2008-01-16
A fascinating read - very encouraging and challenging. Peterson is the author of The Message, a contemporary translation of God's Word which many have praised for its insight and depth. In this book, Peterson examines the way that Christians approach reading Scripture and basically says that most read God's Word incorrectly. According to the Book of Revelation, Peterson says that we are to eat God's Word, to digest it, to allow it to enter our very being. He claims that even the way that the Bible is written is as important as what is written in the Bible - again, that the comprehensive manner of Scripture lends itself to a comprehensive digestion of the whole, as opposed to reading bits and pieces or taking smaller chucks of the larger whole. Like a novel or a movie, the Bible is written in such a manner to communicate a story that taken in small bites as verses or chapters misses the forest for the trees. Peterson also says that Christians shouldn't just read Scripture, they should assimilate it into their very lives - God's truth should emanate forth from their lives, in their decisions, by their actions and countenance. As Christ has described Himself as the Bread of Life and has declared that men should not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from God - Peterson uses this concept to further reinforce his premise that Scripture is the very nutritional sustenance necessary for daily living. Without God's Word we are anemic and frail, with it we are energized and empowered.

Eat This Book is not an easy read - not as easy as Peterson's The Message translation. He dives into some deep issues in this book including the four elements of reading - lectio, meditation, oratio, and comtemplatio. The information is powerful and very challenging and I would suggest this book for any serious, or wanting-to-be-more serious, student of Scripture.


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Eat! Eat!, 2007-11-10
If you follow the advice and the reasoning in this book, I predict you will have an experience with the Bible similar to that described in the Road to Emmaus passage (Luke 24:13-32). That is, your hearts will burn within you as He opens up the Scriptures to you.


1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

One Of Peterson's Finest -- and They're ALL Mighty Fine!, 2007-10-20
Eugene Peterson is a mighty man of God. I love his books because they are well-researched, beautifully written and leave a lasting impression.

If you want to get closer to God, Eugene Peterson can show you how!

I recommend Peterson to every seeker I meet.

Kristine M Smith, Author
DeForest Kelley: A Harvest of Memories : My Life and Times With a Remarkable Gentleman Actor


2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

A Must!, 2007-08-26
Excellent way to delve into the Word! A great aid to understanding Scripture and applying it to one's life. Highly recommend!!

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