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Pierced By Love: Divine Reading in the Christian Tradition
Jesus is the point of reading the Bible. Christians read Scripture to encounter Christ and be conformed to his image. Scripture is no mere human text; it is God's living word. So how should we read it?
For Christians throughout the centuries, the answer has been lectio divina—“divine reading.” In Pierced by Love: Divine Reading with the Christian Tradition, Hans Boersma invites Christians to retrieve this ancient and meditative way of reading the Bible. Lectio divina is a sacramental reading. It aims to take us more deeply into the life of God. Through practicing the four movements of lectio divina—attentive reading, extended meditation, prayerful reflection, and silent resting—we have a structured and simple way to focus on Christ, listen to the Spirit, and rest in God's love. We no longer simply read the words of Scripture; instead, we read the face of God in the eternal Word.
Drawing insights from our forefathers, such as Augustine, Anselm of Canterbury, and Bernard of Clairvaux, Pierced by Love encourages Christians to join the church's rich heritage of transformative reading.
For Christians throughout the centuries, the answer has been lectio divina—“divine reading.” In Pierced by Love: Divine Reading with the Christian Tradition, Hans Boersma invites Christians to retrieve this ancient and meditative way of reading the Bible. Lectio divina is a sacramental reading. It aims to take us more deeply into the life of God. Through practicing the four movements of lectio divina—attentive reading, extended meditation, prayerful reflection, and silent resting—we have a structured and simple way to focus on Christ, listen to the Spirit, and rest in God's love. We no longer simply read the words of Scripture; instead, we read the face of God in the eternal Word.
Drawing insights from our forefathers, such as Augustine, Anselm of Canterbury, and Bernard of Clairvaux, Pierced by Love encourages Christians to join the church's rich heritage of transformative reading.
280 pages, Hardcover
Published February 1, 2023
18 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
Hans Boersma
31 books95 followersI serve in the Saint Benedict Servants of Christ Chair in Ascetical Theology at Nashotah House in Wisconsin—a community of formation marked by the fullness of Anglican faith and practice, Benedictine spirituality, and classical Christian thought and teaching. (If you’re interested in studying at Nashotah House, contact me: hboersma@nashotah.edu). I am a Priest in the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA).
Before coming to Nashotah House in 2019, I taught for fourteen years at Regent College in Vancouver, BC and for six years at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC. I also served several years as a pastor in a Reformed church. I grew up in the Netherlands and have been in Canada since 1983.
My interests range across a variety of areas: patristic theology, twentieth-century Catholic thought, and spiritual interpretation of Scripture. In each of these areas, I am driven by a desire to retrieve the ‘sacramental ontology’ of the pre-modern tradition. So, much of my work looks to the past in hopes of recovering a sacramental mindset. I suppose this makes me a ressourcement (retrieval) theologian of sorts. Retrieval of the Great Tradition’s sacramental ontology has been at the heart of almost all my publications over the past twenty years or so.
Before coming to Nashotah House in 2019, I taught for fourteen years at Regent College in Vancouver, BC and for six years at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC. I also served several years as a pastor in a Reformed church. I grew up in the Netherlands and have been in Canada since 1983.
My interests range across a variety of areas: patristic theology, twentieth-century Catholic thought, and spiritual interpretation of Scripture. In each of these areas, I am driven by a desire to retrieve the ‘sacramental ontology’ of the pre-modern tradition. So, much of my work looks to the past in hopes of recovering a sacramental mindset. I suppose this makes me a ressourcement (retrieval) theologian of sorts. Retrieval of the Great Tradition’s sacramental ontology has been at the heart of almost all my publications over the past twenty years or so.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 14, 2023
An excellent introduction to the practice of lectio divina, born out of Hans Boersma's deep reading of Holy Scripture and the Christian tradition. He draws from the insights of patristic and medieval writers such as Augustine of Hippo, Gregory the Great, Aelred of Rievaulx, and Bonaventure. Though Boersma critiques modern (especially Protestant) forms of biblical reading and interpretation which privilege historical criticism over "spiritual interpretation," he does insist that lectio divina is a "seriously dangerous" approach to Bible reading for it both chastises our hearts, cutting us to the quick by revealing our sinful nature while also leading us to the joy, glory, and love that we see in the face of Jesus who we encounter through the written Word.
I may have given this book 4/5 but the book's design, THE DESIGN is absolutely exquisite - 100/5!
I may have given this book 4/5 but the book's design, THE DESIGN is absolutely exquisite - 100/5!
February 2, 2024
Everything about this book was beautiful. The concepts and the aesthetic of the physical book.
Boersma does well to draw upon church fathers and monks in different ages to lay out to process of lectio divina (divine reading). He goes to show that the reading of scripture is more spiritual than one might think and shows that you can press into that spirituality through reading (lectio), prayer (oratio), meditation (meditatio), and contemplation (contemplatio). These 4 steps, he equates to rungs on a ladder that one climbs when they encounter the words of Scripture. The last step of contemplation is less like meditation and more experiential, sought out by silence and experiencing the love of God.The aim of this reading is God himself and experiencing His love.
I found this book very helpful and very thought provoking. I am not endorsing everything in this book because I really have no idea what to do with all the allegory he picks out from the church fathers and monastic scholars. However, this lectio divina takes more seriously the Words of God and therefore takes you closer to the Word (Christ) of God.
This book had a lot of big words and biblical presuppositions that not everyone may be aware of therefore it could be easy to get lost and discouraged right off the bat and miss the meaning. I did not fully comprehend everything and got a little lost on some of the practicality.
Boersma does well to draw upon church fathers and monks in different ages to lay out to process of lectio divina (divine reading). He goes to show that the reading of scripture is more spiritual than one might think and shows that you can press into that spirituality through reading (lectio), prayer (oratio), meditation (meditatio), and contemplation (contemplatio). These 4 steps, he equates to rungs on a ladder that one climbs when they encounter the words of Scripture. The last step of contemplation is less like meditation and more experiential, sought out by silence and experiencing the love of God.The aim of this reading is God himself and experiencing His love.
I found this book very helpful and very thought provoking. I am not endorsing everything in this book because I really have no idea what to do with all the allegory he picks out from the church fathers and monastic scholars. However, this lectio divina takes more seriously the Words of God and therefore takes you closer to the Word (Christ) of God.
This book had a lot of big words and biblical presuppositions that not everyone may be aware of therefore it could be easy to get lost and discouraged right off the bat and miss the meaning. I did not fully comprehend everything and got a little lost on some of the practicality.
March 29, 2024
Solid work, and an enjoyable read. For whatever reason, I struggle a lot to follow and keep up with Boersma the whole time. Not a disaster by any means and I was helped by bits and pieces throughout. The baseline call to reflect and meditate on God's Word with a heart open for the moving of the Spirit and multiple divine meanings was great. Loved all the medieval artwork and descriptions included. I just had a hard time staying Boersma several times. The more I discuss this with others the more I am convinced the struggle is primarily my fault, so don't take my experience as anything prescriptive.
April 11, 2025
Never a bad thing to spend time with Boersma and his monastic mentors. And it’s filled with rich reflections on Scripture and the process of being engaged by the living Word. I’ve especially loved his florilegia on compunction.
The writing feels under-developed here, though. A bunch of “here are some really cool things, vaguely related,” without really synthesizing and presently beautifully.
Still worth a slow read! And may it direct us to the Fount itself!
The writing feels under-developed here, though. A bunch of “here are some really cool things, vaguely related,” without really synthesizing and presently beautifully.
Still worth a slow read! And may it direct us to the Fount itself!
August 18, 2024
This book is very good. It is not aimed at practical steps towards reading, but is an arugment about the **aim** of reading Scripture. And it does this very well, suggesting that reading Scripture is central to the Christian life. The aim is an encounter with God through the words on the page. But as the title suggests, this encounter is one marked by being pierced, cut, and wounded by Scripture for the sake of life. This is dangerous and hard work, but we must silence ourselves before the Word of Christ revealed to us. Being pierced by love is a central way we participate in the cruciformity of God's redemptive work. This means reading also has a moral quality to it. Lectio Divina takes time (days, months, perhaps years) of faithful plowing in order to culminate in those blissful and transformative moments of the Spirit. But if we refuse to, along the way, heed God's words in our active life, the very ability to read well may be hindered since only the pure in heart attain clear sight of God.
I was also encouraged that Boersma clearly rejects subjectivity as a legitimate mode of Lectio Divina, which is very important for figural readers to take seriously as a criticism. I will say though that Boersma seemed to reduce good reading to following the church before us, but that requires some sense of who the church is and who it is we are following then. So work is needed here before the danger is avoided completely.
If lectio divina is analogous to eating in the tradition by and large, spiritual readers of the text need to have a theology of teeth. If teeth do not grow and set right in the mouth, we remain babes, unable to move to the meat Boersma wants us to find. I am hopeful Vanhoozer's work coming in October may do something just like that. And, if so, then such a work paired with Boersma will do a Christian a great service!
"Noise and pride do not have the final say -- not over Christ, not over our lives, and not over our world. In fact, noise and pride have no say at all: they are fake, counterfeit, simulacra, poor imitations of the Word of God. Lacking truth, goodness, beauty -- even being itself -- noise and pride are powerless. Silence and humility have revealed themselves in Christ as the true face of being. And so, we dare let this mind be in us, which was also in Christ Jesus. We dare confess, "If we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall live also together with Christ" (Rom. 6:8).
Lectio divina is dangerous. It predisposes us to the silence and humility that marked the life of Christ. We'd better be prepared, then, because the silence of the fourth step of lectio may serve as a prelude to the silence of death. Still, we are summoned tp embrace fearlessly the path to contemplation. For if Saint Paul is to be believed, the silence of death marks the beginning of the silence of eternal contemplation."
I was also encouraged that Boersma clearly rejects subjectivity as a legitimate mode of Lectio Divina, which is very important for figural readers to take seriously as a criticism. I will say though that Boersma seemed to reduce good reading to following the church before us, but that requires some sense of who the church is and who it is we are following then. So work is needed here before the danger is avoided completely.
If lectio divina is analogous to eating in the tradition by and large, spiritual readers of the text need to have a theology of teeth. If teeth do not grow and set right in the mouth, we remain babes, unable to move to the meat Boersma wants us to find. I am hopeful Vanhoozer's work coming in October may do something just like that. And, if so, then such a work paired with Boersma will do a Christian a great service!
"Noise and pride do not have the final say -- not over Christ, not over our lives, and not over our world. In fact, noise and pride have no say at all: they are fake, counterfeit, simulacra, poor imitations of the Word of God. Lacking truth, goodness, beauty -- even being itself -- noise and pride are powerless. Silence and humility have revealed themselves in Christ as the true face of being. And so, we dare let this mind be in us, which was also in Christ Jesus. We dare confess, "If we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall live also together with Christ" (Rom. 6:8).
Lectio divina is dangerous. It predisposes us to the silence and humility that marked the life of Christ. We'd better be prepared, then, because the silence of the fourth step of lectio may serve as a prelude to the silence of death. Still, we are summoned tp embrace fearlessly the path to contemplation. For if Saint Paul is to be believed, the silence of death marks the beginning of the silence of eternal contemplation."
November 6, 2024
Boersma provides a theological and historical conversation on the practice of lectio divina. He walked through each stage of lectio divina and showed that through engaging with the Scriptures in this way, you are confronted with God’s face and are ultimately pierced by his love. Lots to chew on here and it has brought my devotional time much more life.
August 3, 2023
In this book, Hans Boersma argues that the goal of reading Christian Scripture is to take us more deeply into the life of God. In the practice of lectio divina (divine reading), we turn from visible to hidden things and encounter God. By reading the Bible carefully, repetitively, meditatively, and prayerfully, we dig into the words of the text to find there the treasure of Christ himself. According to Boersma, Scripture is a sacrament, making present the reality or the truth of the love of God and calling us beyond our reading, meditation, and prayer to the contemplation of God.
“Contemplation allows us to clearly see the divine reality that always already shimmers within creation. It is because we ourselves are transfigured in the process of lectio divina - from glory to glory (see 2 Cor 3:18) - that we can see the transfigured Lord in all his glory and that we recognize the divinity of the Word. In contemplation we no longer simply read the words of Scripture; instead, we read the face of God in the eternal Word. In contemplation, it is no longer the human Jesus whose piercing pains our hearts; instead, the Spirit raptures us into Love Itself, the love with which the Father eternally begets his Son. In short, when lectio divina transfixes us, it also transfigures us.” (31)
As a tour of patristic and medieval encounters with Scripture, I really enjoyed this book and may return to it again on occasion. Individual chapters develop rich themes, like the relationship of temporality and reading or the comparison of reading to eating. Throughout I think Boersma’s understanding of the metaphysics of Scripture will be helpful to keep in mind as I continue to read and consider theological interpretation of Scripture and reformed epistemology. While I’m still unsure about adopting some of the language Boersma uses to describe sacramentality, I’m deeply encouraged by his account of the ways we experience the transforming love of God through the biblical text.
“Contemplation allows us to clearly see the divine reality that always already shimmers within creation. It is because we ourselves are transfigured in the process of lectio divina - from glory to glory (see 2 Cor 3:18) - that we can see the transfigured Lord in all his glory and that we recognize the divinity of the Word. In contemplation we no longer simply read the words of Scripture; instead, we read the face of God in the eternal Word. In contemplation, it is no longer the human Jesus whose piercing pains our hearts; instead, the Spirit raptures us into Love Itself, the love with which the Father eternally begets his Son. In short, when lectio divina transfixes us, it also transfigures us.” (31)
As a tour of patristic and medieval encounters with Scripture, I really enjoyed this book and may return to it again on occasion. Individual chapters develop rich themes, like the relationship of temporality and reading or the comparison of reading to eating. Throughout I think Boersma’s understanding of the metaphysics of Scripture will be helpful to keep in mind as I continue to read and consider theological interpretation of Scripture and reformed epistemology. While I’m still unsure about adopting some of the language Boersma uses to describe sacramentality, I’m deeply encouraged by his account of the ways we experience the transforming love of God through the biblical text.
June 6, 2023
This 5 star rating shouldn’t be interpreted as an absolute endorsement. I found a handful of sections objectionable. Still, the parts that were good (most of the book) were unbearably good (“unbearably good” is a compliment befitting to this book, given its emphasis on the cruciform nature of being “pierced to the heart”). In short, vintage Boersma.
I also love the layout and the design. Lexham did something really interesting with this book. No footnotes OR endnotes (so, no little numbers in the text for you to look up references). The citations were given in the back, but not numerically indicated in the body. The net result is that it becomes a little tedious to look follow up with sources once you’re finished, but the actual reading experience is way better: you’re not distracted by stopping to say, “where was that published? I’ll have to follow up with that.” Instead, the citations are simply used to carry you along in one unbroken reflection.
I also love the layout and the design. Lexham did something really interesting with this book. No footnotes OR endnotes (so, no little numbers in the text for you to look up references). The citations were given in the back, but not numerically indicated in the body. The net result is that it becomes a little tedious to look follow up with sources once you’re finished, but the actual reading experience is way better: you’re not distracted by stopping to say, “where was that published? I’ll have to follow up with that.” Instead, the citations are simply used to carry you along in one unbroken reflection.
August 18, 2023
A pretty helpful introduction to the practice of lectio divina. The medieval color art pictures that describe various stages of spirituality are an added bonus. 😁
March 23, 2025
A really great book. From Lexham’s beautiful aesthetic, to Boersma’s insightful reflections on Scripture.
October 29, 2023
A wonderful guide to reading scripture. Tolle lege!
May 12, 2023
This was genuinely a great book— worthwhile. Boersma’s fleshing out Lectio Divina was the best I’ve read. He tears down the straw man arguments against the practice being subjective and emotionally driven. Using patristic and medieval sources Boersma masterfully teaches us how to read the Bible like a Christian.
June 16, 2023
This is the best book I’ve ever read on the topic of lectio divina. It has shifted the way I think about and read Scripture in profound ways that have enabled deep encounters with the living Word. May we never grow weary of contemplating his eternal majesty.
March 19, 2024
[Skipped to his Eight Theses after Chapter 1]
Sadly disappointed by the quality of writing and scholarship again, though this book seems admittedly to be written in a deliberately informal style for lay Christians looking to deepen their Scripture reading experience.
I’m critical of the way his love for sacramentality (which I share) makes him sometimes inaccurately read the concept into a lot of the primary texts he cites. Also some portions read like an incoherent hodge-podge of his favourite concepts and themes, rather than a focused argument / reflection.
That said, I benefitted from his emphasis on the purpose of Scripture and Lectio Divina as the contemplation of God, a foretaste of the beatific vision in the age to come. That understanding of the spiritual telos of Scripture as a canon for Christians’ spiritual formation is certainly lost in much modern scholarship. As Boersma reminds us:
“The words of the divine scripture cannot be mastered; they want to master us. God’s purpose with them — that which sets them apart as holy or divine — is that they would change or transfigure us. Divine things aim to divinise” (209).
Sadly disappointed by the quality of writing and scholarship again, though this book seems admittedly to be written in a deliberately informal style for lay Christians looking to deepen their Scripture reading experience.
I’m critical of the way his love for sacramentality (which I share) makes him sometimes inaccurately read the concept into a lot of the primary texts he cites. Also some portions read like an incoherent hodge-podge of his favourite concepts and themes, rather than a focused argument / reflection.
That said, I benefitted from his emphasis on the purpose of Scripture and Lectio Divina as the contemplation of God, a foretaste of the beatific vision in the age to come. That understanding of the spiritual telos of Scripture as a canon for Christians’ spiritual formation is certainly lost in much modern scholarship. As Boersma reminds us:
“The words of the divine scripture cannot be mastered; they want to master us. God’s purpose with them — that which sets them apart as holy or divine — is that they would change or transfigure us. Divine things aim to divinise” (209).
April 25, 2023
Boersma does a great job in this book, as he does with much of his writing. The concept of lectio divina has been lost in modern tradition. The result, as noted by Boersma, is a fear of spiritual heights (spiritual Acrophobia). I think, partially, the uber reformed, anti-emotive camp is to blame. “Genre, word and context study only, no theological interpretation here” can receive the pointed finger.
But a divine text from a divine author necessitates a spiritual reading, one that goes beyond the grammar of the word.
All things considered Boersma’s anglicanism shows in his particulars regarding angels and saints. This, however, does not take away from the book in the slightest. It is a helpful resource if one wants a thorough, historically grounded perspective regarding spiritual interpretation. Full of helpful images and charts this book can be read by nearly anyone.
It may not make its way into a course resource in a seminary class but offers great insight that any seminarian and theologian should consider.
But a divine text from a divine author necessitates a spiritual reading, one that goes beyond the grammar of the word.
All things considered Boersma’s anglicanism shows in his particulars regarding angels and saints. This, however, does not take away from the book in the slightest. It is a helpful resource if one wants a thorough, historically grounded perspective regarding spiritual interpretation. Full of helpful images and charts this book can be read by nearly anyone.
It may not make its way into a course resource in a seminary class but offers great insight that any seminarian and theologian should consider.
November 17, 2023
A look at what it means to see the Bible as a means of grace- a way in which we can come to contemplate God and be pierced by his love for us as we dwell in the word of God.
I can't say I agree with everything in this book, but I really appreciate the focus on encountering God through the text rather than reading scripture as an end in itself. Early in the book Boersma cites Augustine who taught that the scriptures are not going to exist eternally and therefore we look through the scriptures at God as we read them. There's much for busy, pragmatic, western Christians here with plenty of historical excurses to the often neglected pre-reformation era. With that being said, I felt that the author could have promoted a clearer model of what lectio divina (divine reading) can look like today.
I can't say I agree with everything in this book, but I really appreciate the focus on encountering God through the text rather than reading scripture as an end in itself. Early in the book Boersma cites Augustine who taught that the scriptures are not going to exist eternally and therefore we look through the scriptures at God as we read them. There's much for busy, pragmatic, western Christians here with plenty of historical excurses to the often neglected pre-reformation era. With that being said, I felt that the author could have promoted a clearer model of what lectio divina (divine reading) can look like today.
May 28, 2023
Finished this little gem after looking up all references and Biblical citations
It has been by far such a sweet and great spiritual reading it
Dr Hans Boersma takes you into the world of the Church Fathers and Medieval Masters. He shows that the scripture is ultimately a liturgical tool. He takes how we don't rear scripture to alone to find authority, but to find Christ. The message of the God of Israel fulfilled into Christ. How solitude, quietness and prayer are the centers of our lives.
This is a book that has and should be re-read yearly!
It has been by far such a sweet and great spiritual reading it
Dr Hans Boersma takes you into the world of the Church Fathers and Medieval Masters. He shows that the scripture is ultimately a liturgical tool. He takes how we don't rear scripture to alone to find authority, but to find Christ. The message of the God of Israel fulfilled into Christ. How solitude, quietness and prayer are the centers of our lives.
This is a book that has and should be re-read yearly!
August 12, 2023
Fr. Boersma leads us on quite the journey - a humble guide into the weight and grace of divine reading and the sheer gift of the practice. I'm leaving this text, with curiosity and fortitude in the pilgrimage of learning to "live with oneself" in exile - while desiring the wounding love, the inflame of the soul, of our archer's piercing.
January 12, 2024
Pierced by Love is the perfect devotional
work for someone desiring to immerse themselves in the tradition of Lectio Divinia. Boersma’s approach while being comprehensive isn’t overly academic. The most gripping section entailed assessing how Christian’s have historically understood memory.
work for someone desiring to immerse themselves in the tradition of Lectio Divinia. Boersma’s approach while being comprehensive isn’t overly academic. The most gripping section entailed assessing how Christian’s have historically understood memory.
May 29, 2025
Boersma is an excellent teacher and writer in this short book on scripture. It gives insights from patristic and medieval thinkers so that readers may read scripture more deeply with a search for God as the ultimate aim.
September 27, 2023
Great book! Sometimes, books on spirituality or spiritual practices are weird. Not this book! Pierced by Love is biblically grounded and full of wisdom.
January 11, 2024
One of the best books I've read on Biblical spirituality.
May 20, 2024
I think Lectio Divina might be the move
October 14, 2024
A transformative book! Oh, how desperately evangelicals need to rediscover the ideas presented in this book.
January 17, 2025
This is both an in-depth introduction to Lectio Divina and a survey of medieval spiritual classics. I really enjoyed this book.
November 2, 2024
If you have not read Boersma before, this is where to start. Is it good? Yes. Is it well researched and deep in the early history church spirituality? Absolutely. Is it weird at times? Yep. If you are a little familiar with the idea of lectio divina, then this will not be as much of a stretch for you. But this is also a book that the majority of Evangelicals need to read at some point in their life. There is a depth to the Word of God that I feel many Evangelicals do miss ought of fear of over-interpreting the Bible. This is a legitimate fear, but one that needs to be backed down to see a greater depth and beauty of the Word. This is an introduction to the long and interesting road of aesthetical theology.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews