God, where are you' This has been the cry of humankind since creation. Of course, it is the divine within us who really poses the question, and when we truly begin to search for an answer, we will discover that God is already looking for us! In this brilliantly illuminating volume, Enzo Bianchi reasons that, above all, the story of God is the story of his relationship with his people. In order to help us get to know this God of our fathers, he analyses a number of encounters between the Lord and significant figures in the Old Testament. The author suggests we can be challenged to question our own certainties like Abraham, suffer torment like Jacob, or falter and become discouraged in the face of a daunting task like Moses. The search for God involves exploring what is profoundly human, and the greatest manifestation of humanity is to be found in the figure of Christ. That is why we cannot think of God today without turning our minds to Jesus.

The Bible is an ancient, enigmatic text from a culture vastly different from our own and most of us find it hard to read: how then can we understand its importance in the church, and how can it enrich our lives? Central to Lectio Divina is the conviction that to read the Bible faithfully and prayerfully is to learn an art. It is also to be in community, and to enter into dialogue with the God who speaks to each of us through the biblical page. Enzo Bianchi touches on some of the key insights in the history of Christian biblical interpretation - from the brilliant thinker Origen in the third century, to the development and refinement of historical criticism and related approaches in the modern era. He explains how to do lectio divina and understand its four 'moments' - lectio, meditatio, oratio, contemplatio. This is not simply a book about how to approach to the Bible, because Scripture ultimately wants to lead us beyond itself - to the truth and mystery of Christ that can never be captured fully in the written word.

Scripture brings the Word of God to us when we read and welcome it in faith as the Word which comes from God and leads to God. Scripture is the means by which we live in God. The ancient monastic (and patristic) way of reading Scripture involves reflection (meditation) and prayer. It is listening to the Word, allowing the Word to become active in our lives. It is, in the words of Saint Jerome, 'opening our sails to the Holy Spirit without knowing on what shores we will land.'

God, where are you' This has been the cry of humankind since creation. Of course, it is the divine within us who really poses the question, and when we truly begin to search for an answer, we will discover that God is already looking for us! In this brilliantly illuminating volume, Enzo Bianchi reasons that, above all, the story of God is the story of his relationship with his people. In order to help us get to know this God of our fathers, he analyses a number of encounters between the Lord and significant figures in the Old Testament. The author suggests we can be challenged to question our own certainties like Abraham, suffer torment like Jacob, or falter and become discouraged in the face of a daunting task like Moses. The search for God involves exploring what is profoundly human, and the greatest manifestation of humanity is to be found in the figure of Christ. That is why we cannot think of God today without turning our minds to Jesus.

The Bible is an ancient, enigmatic text from a culture vastly different from our own and most of us find it hard to read: how then can we understand its importance in the church, and how can it enrich our lives? Central to Lectio Divina is the conviction that to read the Bible faithfully and prayerfully is to learn an art. It is also to be in community, and to enter into dialogue with the God who speaks to each of us through the biblical page. Enzo Bianchi touches on some of the key insights in the history of Christian biblical interpretation - from the brilliant thinker Origen in the third century, to the development and refinement of historical criticism and related approaches in the modern era. He explains how to do lectio divina and understand its four 'moments' - lectio, meditatio, oratio, contemplatio. This is not simply a book about how to approach to the Bible, because Scripture ultimately wants to lead us beyond itself - to the truth and mystery of Christ that can never be captured fully in the written word.

Scripture brings the Word of God to us when we read and welcome it in faith as the Word which comes from God and leads to God. Scripture is the means by which we live in God. The ancient monastic (and patristic) way of reading Scripture involves reflection (meditation) and prayer. It is listening to the Word, allowing the Word to become active in our lives. It is, in the words of Saint Jerome, 'opening our sails to the Holy Spirit without knowing on what shores we will land.'