“The New Testament is not the historical unfolding of the historical Old Testament. It is the revelation in this world of that which was hidden in the Old Testament, but now made known through the Church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. This approach to the Scriptures came to be dismissed and even despised in more modern times. One strain of thought that clearly fueled this attitude was the rise of Nominalism in the West. Nominalism rejects “inner meanings,” certainly as anything more than ideas in our heads. Things are simply things, and words nothing more than the names we call them. Straightforward moral examples and historical events, interpreted largely in their own historical context, became the preferred way of seeing the Scriptures. Prophetic statements began to be seen as flatly predictive rather than possessed of irony, allegory and paradox. Historical-critical studies that dismantled various historical claims of other Christians, would be unthinkable without the assumptions of Nominalism. The battles between conservative historicists and liberal historical critics, however, take place on a battleground foreign to the world of the Fathers.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“The light contained in the Law of Moses, but hidden by a veil, shone forth at the sojourn of Jesus, when the veil was taken away and the good things, of which the letter had a shadow, came gradually to be known….For the things of the Old Testament are the shadow. Those of the New Testament are an image. Truth is the state of things to come.” (Fr. John Behr, St. Maximus the Confessor)
“The books of the New Testament quote the Old Testament over 300 times and clearly allude to it almost 500 times. However, the New Testament writings applied a distinctive interpretation (or interpretations) to the Hebrew scriptures. This way of reading the Old Testament is centered and grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Promised Messiah. As we see in the story of the “Walk to Emmaus,” the Risen Christ Himself taught the apostles how to comprehend the (Old Testament) Scriptures (Luke 24:45). Moreover, the resurrection cast the life and teachings of Jesus in a new light. Only after Christ had risen did the disciples fully understand His life, teachings, and actions on earth (e.g., Mark 9:32) (John 12:16).” (Fr. Basil)
“St. Paul makes it clear that there are meanings hidden in the Jewish Scriptures which were only revealed by and in Christ. The texts were read by the Jews only on a literal or ‘surface’ level, but because they weren’t seeking God’s Word, the Christ, they remain blind to the light that these Scriptures contain. So, in Paul’s view, a ‘veil lies on their heart’ obscuring the meaning God intended for them to find in the Scriptures. Paul’s reading of the Jewish Scriptures is consistent with the other New Testament authors and with the Lord Jesus Himself who clearly taught that Moses and the prophets were writing about Him – not about history as it was unfolding, but about the mystery which was to be revealed by God in Christ. This way of reading Scripture was continued by the Patristic writers who searched for Christ hidden in the Jewish Scriptures.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)
“The law turns into an Old Testament only for those who insist on understanding it according to the flesh; and for them it has necessarily become old and feeble because it is separated from its source of life. But for us, who understand and interpret it spiritually and according to the gospel, it is always new; indeed, both testaments are new for us not because of age, but because of newness of understanding.” (Origen)
“…the Bible is the main written source of divine doctrine since God Himself inspired its writing by His Holy Spirit (see 2 Tim 3.16 and 2 Pet 1.20). This is the doctrine of the inspiration of the Bible, namely that men inspired by God wrote the words which are truly their own human words—all words are human!—but which nevertheless may be called all together the Word of God. Thus, the Bible is the Word of God in written form because it contains not merely the thoughts and experiences of men, but the very self-revelation of God.” (Fr. Thomas Hopko)
“A literal reading of the Scriptures (even though they are inspired by God) will not bring you to the correct understanding of God’s will or plan. Thus, Paul concludes “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” and so he advocates a more spiritual reading of the Scriptures (that is the Old Testament). His method of reading and interpreting Scripture changes, as does his understanding of what God was hoping from His people all along. He puts Christianity on a separate track from Judaism by advocating for a new way to interpret Scripture.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)
“The scriptures are the word of God in human language and expression. Not every word is intended to be understood literally. They are inspired but not dictated by God. Some Christians are uncomfortable with this and would insist that only dictation could account for biblical inspiration. But this is a naïve and simplistic view. The presumption that the Bible is Scripture because God dictated every word leads to an interpretive problem: how do we explain the variety of literary styles and perspectives in the Bible? Sometimes the same story is told more than once and with different details. Insistence that dictation is the only way to explain inspiration is based on fear that if the Bible is not dictated, then it is not inspired at all.” (Dr. Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou)
“The inspiration of Scripture is the affirmation that, while humans performed all these tasks at various times and in various places, they were guided in so doing by the Spirit of God. This is what gives the Bible its unique character among all the other books and ancient texts that exist and that are the product of human activity. This is also the reason the handling of the Scriptures—their reading, studying, preaching, and meditation—is always accompanied by prayer.” (Fr. Stephen De Young)
“The Scriptures can only be rightly understood by the same Spirit that inspired them. Those who do not listen to them in that Spirit will not comprehend them. The Lord said in the Gospel of Mark, “The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside, everything is in parables, so that they may be ever hearing but never understanding…” (Mark 4:11-12). Accordingly, to be made “worthy” to hear the Holy Gospel is given by the grace of the Spirit of God.” (Fr. Basil)
“The Scriptures are not a manual on how to live a moral life or how to organize the Church as an institution. The Scriptures are the means by which we come to know the Risen Christ, always through the working of the Holy Spirit…A Christian does not come to read the Scriptures alone and isolated, left to his or her own devices to try to come to the right conclusions that will allow him or her to do what is needed to find salvation. A Christian comes to the Scriptures with the aid and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. But merely asserting the presence of the Holy Spirit is still a nebulous thing.” (Fr. Stephen De Young)
“Reading the Bible properly requires us to use our soul, mind and tongue in a holy fashion in come to the right interpretation of the text. And that right interpretation itself may apply only to the moment or to a particular person and may not be the one and only meaning or use of the text. “First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:20-21).” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)
“To penetrate to the very heart and marrow of the heavenly words, and to contemplate their hidden and deep mysteries with the heart’s gaze purified, can be acquired neither through human science nor through profane culture, but only by purity of soul, through the illumination of the Holy Spirit...spiritually speaking, if we draw more water from the well of Scripture than is drinkable (out of desire for the purity of our intellect and heart), due to our pride and inquisitiveness we will be destroyed in our attempt to grasp the incomprehensible with our limited human faculties. The same and worse happens to those who desire to scrutinize and unravel the incomprehensible mysteries of the Scriptures with an intellect inexperienced and unenlightened by the Holy Spirit.” (St. John Cassian, Elder Cleopa of Romania)
“Our thoughts lead to a critical question. If the key to understanding the Scriptures is in possession of the Holy Spirit, who possesses the Holy Spirit? We might quickly respond that baptism gives each of us the “seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.” And yet, it is not so simple, for how can we distinguish between the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and our own thoughts? We need someone to give us direction. Something besides ourselves is required that can use the Holy Scriptures in the way St. Paul outlines: “for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). This agent of the Truth of scriptures would give us a necessary check on our perception of the working of the Spirit within us. I suggest that this guardian of the Truth is the Church that Paul calls “the pillar and ground of the Truth” (1 Timothy3:15). Jesus Christ remains forever in His Church by the Holy Spirit to open men’s minds to understand the Bible (Jn 14.26, 16:13). Only within Christ’s Church, in the community of faith, of grace, and of truth, can men filled with the Holy Spirit understand the meaning and purpose of the Bible’s holy words” (Fr. Basil, Fr. Thomas Hopko)
“Just as Scripture (2 Peter 1:20) was not written by the mere volition of men but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (v. 21), so Scripture is to be interpreted by holy men guided by the Holy Spirit. Heretics (ch. 2) and unstable Christians (2 Peter 3:16) interpret incorrectly. The apostles (the we of 2 Peter 1:19) are guided by the Holy Spirit, trusting in the promise of true interpretation (Jn 16:13). The Church, founded by the apostles, likewise receives the Holy Spirit.” (Orthodox Study Bible, 2 Peter 1:19-21)
“Watch over the conduct of your soul and body, so that you develop a disposition receptive to divine thoughts. Then you will be able with full consciousness to understand all the mysteries and miracles hidden within the Holy Scriptures.” (St. Peter of Damascus)
“The Bible is a product of synergy, divine-human cooperation. In order to understand it, we also are expected to contribute our human efforts, which should not be limited to learning facts, reading books, or acquiring information about the Bible. Equally important is the spiritual aspect: a pure heart, a good life, prayer, silence. Since the Bible is a spiritual book, spiritual insight is needed to understand it…The Scriptures are spiritual and can only be understood spiritually. Our level of understanding is dependent on our spiritual level. The Bible has many layers of meaning, and what we draw out of it depends greatly on our spiritual life and our relationship to God.” (Dr. Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou)
“Even after the resurrection the disciples had to have their minds supernaturally opened to see a suffering messiah. The risen Jesus says that explicitly in Luke 24:44-45, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything that is written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the scriptures. The point is straightforward: Only someone who knew the outcome of the puzzle, who knew how all the elements of the messianic mosaic would come together, could make sense of the pieces. Jesus had to enable the disciples to understand what the Old Testament was simultaneously hiding and revealing. It wasn’t a matter of reading a verse here and there. Unfortunately, most Christians today don’t understand the complexity that Luke 24:44–45 reveals. Instead, they repeatedly hear the New Testament read back into the Old. That’s unfortunate, since this makes Old Testament passages say things that no New Testament writer ever quoted them as saying… By God’s design, the Scripture presents the messiah in terms of a mosaic profile that can only be discerned after the pieces are assembled. ” (Michael S. Heiser)
“The disciples did not simply come to understand Christ in the light of the Passion. Rather, only when turned again (or were turned by the risen Christ) to the scriptures (meaning what we now call the “Old Testament”) did they began to see there all sorts of references to Christ, and specifically to the necessity that he should suffer before entering his glory (cf. Lk 24.27), which they then used in their proclamation of Christ. In other words, the scriptures were not used merely as a narrative of the past, but rather as a thesaurus, a treasury of imagery, for entering into the mystery of Christ, the starting point for which is the historical event of the Passion. In this it is not so much scripture that is being exegeted, but rather Christ who is being interpreted by recourse to the scriptures. Not that they denied that God had been at work in the past, but their account of this “salvation history” is one which is told from the perspective of their encounter with the risen Lord, seeing him as providentially arranging the whole economy, the “plan of salvation,” such that it culminates in Him.” (Fr. John Behr)
“Word and Spirit can never be separated, and both are at work in the task of interpretation…it is only when Christ himself opens the scriptures, to show how they all speak of Him and His Passion, that the inspired meaning of the scriptures is brought to light…” (Fr. John Behr)
“All that we read in holy Scripture for our instruction and salvation demands an attentive ear. You have just heard [Luke 24:13-35] how the eyes of those two disciples whom the Lord joined on their way were kept from recognizing Him. He found them in despair of the redemption that was in Christ, supposing Him now to have suffered and died as a man, not imagining Him to live forever as the Son of God. So He opened to them the Scriptures and showed them that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and for all things to be fulfilled that were written concerning Him in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms—in short, the whole of the Old Testament. Everything in those Scriptures speaks of Christ, but only to him who has ears. He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And so let us pray that He will open our own.” (St. Augustine)
“…the eunuch asked, “About whom does the prophet say this, about himself or about some one else?” (Acts 8.34). “Meaning” resides in the person of whom the text speaks, and our task is to come to know this person by understanding how the text speaks of him.” This fundamental point is made by Christ himself, when he says, “You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life, yet it is they that witness to me” (Jn 5.39). To emphasize the point, he says a few verses later, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me” (Jn 5.46).” (Fr. John Behr)
“Throughout the writings of what came to be the New Testament, we find that Paul’s high estimation of the Old Testament was a norm that other writers of the Bible shared. The books of the New Testament quote the Old Testament over 300 times and clearly allude to it almost 500 times. However, the New Testament writings applied a distinctive interpretation (or interpretations) to the Hebrew scriptures. This way of reading the Old Testament is centered and grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Promised Messiah. As we see in the story of the “Walk to Emmaus,” the Risen Christ Himself taught the apostles how to comprehend the (Old Testament) Scriptures (Luke 24:45). Moreover, the resurrection cast the life and teachings of Jesus in a new light. Only after Christ had risen did the disciples fully understand his life, teachings, and actions on earth (e.g., Mark 9:32) (John 12:16).” (Fr. Basil)
“A right reading of Scripture requires an honest willingness on our part to set aside our pet prejudices and assumptions, so that we may be open to what Christ our God truly teaches. The secret to receiving grace from the Holy Scriptures lies in humility. We expect God to correct us, leading us more deeply into the divine mind and steadily away from our limited human biases and our arrogant certainty.” (Dynamis 8/14/2020)
“The Bible lives in the Church. It comes alive in the Church and has the most profound divine meaning for those who are members of the community which God has established, in which He dwells, and to which, through His Word and His Spirit, He has given Himself for participation, communion and life everlasting. Outside of the total life and experience of the community of faith, which is the Church of Christ, “the pillar and bulwark of the truth” (1 Tim 3.15) no one can truly understand and correctly interpret the Bible.” (Fr. Thomas Hopko)
“The Scriptures were not written so much as a history of what God did in the past, but to instruct us today in how to follow Christ. It is in the light of Christ that we come to fully understand the depth of Scripture including any of the aspects of Torah that are law, rules or regulations.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)
“…we should not treat the Scriptures as if they were sheets of paper that stand between ourselves and the Lord, the object of our faith. Instead, when we read the Gospels, we should read them as if the disciples who witnessed the words and actions of our Christ were telling the story of our Savior directly to us. And when we read the writings of St. Paul, we should read them as if he were writing them specifically to us. Thus, we should believe that the Scriptures are not just so many words on a page. But the Holy Spirit addresses us through the living testimony of the eyewitness to the Lord’s majesty (2 Peter 1:16) written in the inspired writings of the Bible.” (Fr. Basil)
“It is not the Old Testament that is done away with in Christ but the concealing veil, so that it may be understood through Christ. That is, as it were, laid bare, which without Christ is hidden and obscure. The same apostle adds immediately: “When you shall turn to Christ, the veil shall be taken away.” [2 Cor. 3:16] He does not say: “The law or the Old Testament will be taken away.” It is not the case, therefore, that by the grace of the Lord that which was covered has been abolished as useless; rather the covering has been removed which concealed useful truth. This is what happens to those who earnestly and piously, not proudly and wickedly, seek the sense of the Scriptures. To them is carefully demonstrated the order of events, the reasons for words and deeds and the agreement of the Old Testament with the New, so that not a point remains where there is not complete harmony; and such secret truths are conveyed in figures. When they are brought to light by interpretation, they compel those who wished to condemn rather than to learn.” (St. Augustine)
“…the church has viewed Jesus of Nazareth as the personal fulfillment of everything the Bible promises about prophetic, priestly, and kingly ministry. The prophets, priests, and kings of the Old Testament anticipated the prophetical, sacerdotal, and royal dimensions of Christ’s saving work.” (Philip Ryken)
“As we grow in the Lord, our vision gradually conforms to the Lord’s mind, until we find ourselves thinking with Him. We develop what Father George Florovsky calls a “scriptural mind” – one which is wholly attuned to God.” (Dynamis 5/16/2020)
“Because the Scriptures have a specific, God-given meaning (2 Peter 1:20, 21), it is impossible to truly understand them apart from the Church, for apostolic interpretation is held in the consciousness of the Church.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Acts 8:30-31)
“…to assert the "centrality" – even "sufficiency" – of Scripture does not mean a self-sufficiency. As Father Georges Florovsky writes, "We cannot assert that Scripture is self-sufficient; and this not because it is incomplete, or inexact, or has any defects, but because Scripture in its very essence does not lay claim to self-sufficiency. We can say that Scripture is a God-inspired scheme or image (eikon) of truth, but not truth itself. . . . If we declare Scripture to be self-sufficient, we only expose it to subjective, arbitrary interpretation, thus cutting it away from its sacred source.” (Rev. Dr. Eugen J. Pentiuc)
“The scriptures open the heavens to us, that is their goal. If we read them only to try to find past history, we miss the very thing they have to offer us. We are not reading the Bible to learn past history, but to discover the Way to the Kingdom of Heaven. Concerns about the literal truth of the Bible are often misguided as they turn people away from seeing God and to seeing only the things of this world…Holy Scripture ought not to be read in the spirit of worldly wisdom, which wrangles over words, but in the spirit of the wisdom of God, and of spiritual simplicity.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh, Alexei Khomiakov)
“It is not sufficient to read the Scriptures for inspiration, or even for edification. Our objective should be to make it possible for the word to sink down to the level of the spirit where it becomes one with our spirit. The more fully and more richly the word is hidden in our hearts the more certain will be the answer to our prayers from the Father…The more fully and more richly the word is hidden in our hearts the more certain will be the answer to our prayers from the Father…The proximity of the word to us must be the major pursuit of each believer. It is not so much how often you study the word of God that counts as much as it is how close and familiar the word remains with you. Has the word of God become part of your daily vocabulary? Does the word permeate your consciousness, your personality, your desires and your thoughts?” (Father Eusebius Stephanou)
“If you try to reduce the divine meaning to the purely external signification of the words, the Word will have no reason to come down to you. It will return to its secret dwelling, which is contemplation that is worthy of it. For it has wings, this divine meaning, given to it by the Holy Spirit who is its guide … But to be unwilling ever to rise above the letter, never to give up feeding on the literal sense, is the mark of a life of falsehood…It would be a good thing had we no need of the written Scriptures but instead had the Holy Spirit living and active in our hearts. But because we lost the grace of the Holy Spirit, God, in his love and mercy gave us the Holy Scriptures. And how bad are you if having lost the Holy Spirit and received the Holy Scriptures you don’t even read the Holy Scriptures.” (Origen, St. John Chrysostom)
“The Holy Bible (or Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments) is the most authoritative part of the Sacred Tradition of the Church. As with today's laws that govern the life of our modern society, these laws are the product of the life of the community; however, once produced, they are placed above and regulate this life. So it is with the Holy Scripture: once established by the Christian community, led by the Holy Spirit of God, then Scripture is placed above and regulates the life of the Christian community. The Bible is the product and the epiphenomenon [“outward form”] of the life of the Church, being also the work of men. But it is also the work of the Holy Spirit of God, working in this life of the Church. This is why the Church is subjected to the authority of the Bible.” (His Eminence Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh)
“The Incarnate Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, is not only God but also man. Christ is a single Person with two natures-divine and human. To de-emphasize Christ's humanity leads to heresy. The ancient Church taught that the Incarnate Word was fully human-in fact, as human as it is possible to be-and yet without sin. In His humanity, the Incarnate Word was born, grew, and matured into manhood. I came to realize that this view of the Incarnate Word of God, the Logos, Jesus Christ, paralleled the early Christian view of the written Word of God, the Bible. The written Word of God reflects not only the divine thought, but a human contribution as well. The Word of God conveys truth to us as written by men, conveying the thoughts, personalities, and even limitations and weaknesses of the writers-inspired by God, to be sure. This means that the human element in the Bible is not overwhelmed so as to be lost in the ocean of the divine. It became clearer to me that as Christ Himself was born, grew, and matured, so also did the written Word of God, the Bible. It did not come down whole-plop-from heaven, but was of human origin as well as divine. The Apostles did not merely inscribe the Scriptures as would a robot or a zombie, but freely cooperated with the will of God through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.” (Father James Bernstein)
“Not all persons and things designated in Holy Scripture by the same word are necessarily to be understood in exactly the same way. On the contrary, if we are to infer the meaning of the written text correctly, each thing mentioned must clearly be understood according to the significance that underlies its visible form.” (St. Maximos the Confessor)
“We should never think that the Holy Scriptures of the Old or New Testament are a book of rules that contain within themselves certain rules for every circumstance of life and every difficulty. As though all a Christian has to do is deal with these rules and incorporate them into his life. It unfailingly will lead a person from a series of blindly-formulated questions to a series of blindly-formulated answers. It will lead every Christian to a literalist reading of the Scriptures and to a moribund interpretation of it. But it will never lead him to a living creativity filled with the Spirit and with meaning.” (Ivan Ilyin)
“An understanding of the Lord’s ways and actions does not come automatically, even among those who search the Scriptures…It is not sufficient to read the Scriptures for inspiration, or even for edification. Our objective should be to make it possible for the word to sink down to the level of the spirit where it becomes one with our spirit.” (Edith M. Humphrey, Father Eusebius Stephanou)
"Typology is the interpretation of certain historical events occurring in the Old Testament as “types” that prefigure events to be fulfilled through the Incarnation of the Son of God, and in His life and ministry as confirmed in the New Testament. In each case, the type—the first event—is linked to its corresponding future event, called the “antitype.” It is a relationship that begins with a promise and ends with a fulfillment in Christ…With the Old Testament looking forward to the New through types, theophanies, and prophecies, and the New, in antitypes and fulfillment, pointing back to the Old, the essential unity of the two Testaments within one comprehensive Testament is revealed.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Typology)
“The Old and New Testaments together form a single mystery….The types, like patterns, anticipated and sketched out beforehand the dispensations [the order of things] which would be accomplished under the new covenant….If anyone, therefore, reads the [Old Testament] Scriptures with attention, he will find in them an account of Christ, and a foreshadowing of the new calling…The treasure hidden in the Scriptures is Christ, since He was pointed out by means of types and prophecies.” (St. Maximus, St. John Chrysostom, St. Irenaeus)
“Typology is the method of Biblical understanding which seeks the spiritual meaning of the historical events described in the Old Testament.” (John W. Morris, Ph.D)
“Allegorical interpretation is a label used to describe a certain type of interpretation, particularly of the scriptures…Strictly speaking, this would be designating this type of interpretation as other than literal interpretation, although the term ‘literal’ is itself subject to multiple definitions. So, for example, the idea of typology, that Old Testament figures are a type, or fore-image of Christ, is often not considered allegory, but as a part of literal interpretation.” (Fr. Stephen DeYoung)
“…typology stresses the connections between actual persons, events, places and institutions of the Old Testament, and parallel realities in the New Testament. Another way of understanding the relationship between Old and New Testaments of Scripture is allegory…a quest for the “hidden” or symbolic meaning of a given Old Testament narrative, a meaning considered to be higher, fuller or more spiritual than the meaning discerned by the typology.” (Fr. John Breck, Father George Morelli)
“When Christians are not growing spiritually, doctrine is difficult to explain to them. Let us repent of being dull of hearing (Hebrews 5:11)—a constant criticism Christ and the prophets had of God's people—and habitually and vigorously exercise ourselves in spiritual matters. The primary spiritual exercise is the study and knowledge of the Scriptures." (St. John Chrysostom)
“We must so train ourselves that the mind, as it were, swims in the law of God, under the guidance of which our life must be governed. It is very useful to be occupied with reading the Word of God in solitude and to read the whole Bible through with understanding. When a man so equips his soul with the Word of God, then he is filled with understanding of what is good and what is evil." (St. Seraphim of Sarov)
“Searching the Scriptures restores our right perspective on life. Secular humanism refers to a world devoid of God, or marginalizes God as an idea confined to people with a particular interest in religion. Scripture, by contrast, approaches God as the primary actor amidst all of human history. He alone offers salvation to all nations, and He alone makes sense of everything that bewilders us.” (Dynamis 1/19/2018)
"“For whatever things were written before were written for our instruction, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” (Rom 15: 4) Here St. Paul states the obvious about the Scriptures: that they were written for us. That is, for us actually to read them, and to be instructed and comforted by them. And that we might have hope; the hope of His Kingdom. They are not written as some kind of legal or political system, as a plan for an earthly kingdom. So I need not bash other people over the head with my Bible, because I’m not called to impose my reading of it on anyone but myself." (Sr. Dr. Vassa Larin)
“For though Holy Scripture, being restricted chronologically to the times of the events which it records, is limited where the letter is concerned, yet in spirit it always remains unlimited as regards the contemplation of intelligible realities.” (St. Maximos the Confessor)
“A prayerful reading of the Bible leads to the revelation of the secrets of a Godly life. Why do I say “secrets,” as if to say “hidden messages”? Because for the one who does not read the Bible, or the one who does not read it carefully, or for the one who “reads” and does not allow its words to penetrate his soul and affect his life, then the Gospel is just words on paper. For the one who reads it carefully, for the one who reads it prayerfully, allowing the words of the Gospel to touch his soul and affect his life, the Gospel is a powerful tool, a holy “book” and the “best news” one can ever hope to hear.” (Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis)
“In all things that you find in the Holy Scriptures, seek out the purpose of the words, that you may enter into the depth of the thoughts of the saints and understand them with greater exactness. Do not approach the reading of the Divine Scriptures without prayer and asking the help of God. Consider prayer to be the key to the true understanding of that which is said in the Holy Scriptures." (St. Isaac the Syrian)
“One of the most important ways we come to know God is through study of the His Word. The more we read the Bible, the greater our understanding of God and His divine plan for our lives becomes. As we prayerfully study the scripture, the words will take hold and dwell in our hearts bringing us peace and joy.” (Melissa Tsongranis)
“Just as important as knowing why we should read the Bible is knowing how we should read the Bible…The holy Fathers recommend serious preparation before reading and studying the Bible; but of what does this preparation consist? First of all in prayer. Pray to the Lord to illumine your mind--so that you may understand the words of the Bible--and to fill your heart with His grace--so that you may feel the truth and life of those words. Be aware that these are God's words, which He is speaking and saying to you personally. Prayer, together with the other virtues found in the Gospel, is the best preparation a person can have for understanding the Bible.” (St. Justin Popovich)
“During prayer, and when reading God’s Word, we must reverence every thought, every word, as the Spirit of God Himself, the Spirit of Truth.” (St. John of Kronstadt)
“…the faithful do not read the Bible simply to learn about the Lord, but rather to meet the God the Word in the words of Holy Scripture.” (Dynamis 1/13/15)
“The Bible is about our relationship with God and if we don’t understand it that way, but rather see it as a rulebook or textbook, our orientation to it can become the obstacle that blocks our relationship with God instead of fostering it. He says this is what the Jewish religious leaders did that caused them to miss the truth of who Christ was. They used the Scriptures for the very purpose of avoiding Him.” (Dallas Willard)
“One of the great mysteries of the Christian faith is our belief that the Old and New Testaments are a living word, with the capacity to train us in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). In a way that is beyond our conscious knowing, the word of God slowly remakes our hearts, slowly puts love in order in us.” (Rev. Christopher H. Martin)
“Christians often reduce the Bible to a book of doctrine or abstract truth about God which you can read and study endlessly but never have a personal encounter with God as a result of this effort. Human rationality alone will never penetrate the workings of God.” (Dallas Willard)
“Anyone who wants to be always united to God must pray often and read the Bible often. For in prayer it is we who are speaking to God, but in the readings it is God speaking to us. All spiritual progress is based on reading and meditation. What we do not know, we learn in the reading; what we have learned, we preserve by meditation."'(St. Isidore of Pelusium)
“Reading Scripture regularly leads us deeper into the ways of Lord, so that we may acquire His perspective on the activities of the world. Scripture provides a light to our minds amidst the swirl of popular opinion, trends, and fads.” (Dynamis 5/27/2015)
“Reading the Bible provides us with a two-fold advantage. It instructs our minds, and introduces us to the love of God by taking our attention off vanities. None can understand the meaning of the Bible if they do not acquire familiarity with it through the habit of Bible reading." (St. Isidore of Pelusium)
“Regular reading, study, and reflection on God’s Word in the Bible is an essential part of Christian ascetic life.” (Fr. Thomas Hopko)
“Ultimately, the goal of personal Bible study is a transformed life and a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus Christ…Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." (Kay Arthur, St. Jerome of Stridonium)
“Holy Scripture is like a fountain or an endless spring, of the wisdom of God in which we must be steeped and partake in accordance with our level of wisdom and spiritual maturity. Just as we take water from the well with a bucket, empty it into our pitcher and then into our glass in order to quench our body’s thirst, so must we also do with our spiritual thirst when we are urged to drink of the deepest ocean of wisdom, the Holy Scriptures." (Elder Cleopa of Romania)
“The primary spiritual exercise is the study and knowledge of the Scriptures.” (St. John Chyrsostom)
"The essence of Scripture is to reveal the Uncreated Word, who inspired the human authors of Scripture, and to reveal Him as Scripture’s fulfillment." (Dynamis 1/19/2014)
“The Bible is not a collection of stories, fables, myths, or merely human ideas about God. It is not a human book. Through the Holy Spirit, God revealed His person and plan to certain believers, who wrote down his message for his people… This process is known as inspiration.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 Timothy 3:16)
“Scripture is the written expression of the revelation fulfilled in Christ through whom we come to know the true God and how God truly is. Through the words of Scripture, Christ continues to address us, evoking a response in and through the Holy Spirit.” (Father Joseph Loya)
“It is necessary for everyone to know Scriptural teachings, and this is especially true for children. Even at their age they are exposed to all sorts of folly and bad examples from popular entertainment. Our children need remedies for all these things! We are so concerned with our children’s schooling: if only we were equally zealous in bringing them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord!" (St. John Chrysostom)
“Even today, when an abundance of books and audio recordings are available through stores, libraries, and the electronic media, we are to come to Scripture as the Church teaches us: reverently and attentively, never treating the Bible as merely one book among many. The secret to receiving grace from the Holy Scriptures lies in humility. We expect God to correct us, leading us more deeply into the divine mind and steadily away from our limited human biases and our arrogant certainty.” (Dynamis 8/15/2014)
“In all things that you find in the Holy Scriptures, seek out the purpose of the words, that you may enter into the depth of the thoughts of the saints and understand them with greater exactness. Do not approach the reading of the Divine Scriptures without prayer and asking the help of God. Consider prayer to be the key to the true understanding of that which is said in the Holy Scriptures." (St. Isaac the Syrian)
“If reading scripture becomes a daily habit, there will be days where it makes sense and speaks to us, and then other days when we won't seem to remember in the very next minute what we just read. Never mind. The practice is to keep showing up, if even for a few minutes, trusting that God's word in scripture restores.” (Rev. Christopher H. Martin)
“Reading the Scriptures is a great means of security against sinning. The ignorance of Scripture is a great cliff and a deep abyss; to know nothing of the divine laws is a great betrayal of salvation. This has given birth to heresies, this has introduced a corrupt way of life, this has put down the things above. For it is impossible, impossible for anyone to depart without benefit if he reads continually with attention." (St. John Chrysostom)
"Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." (St. Jerome)
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