The “Nouvelle Théologie” emerged from a profound rediscovery of the Scriptures and the Church Fathers. This wasn’t the first time in history that the Church had re-engaged with these foundational texts. Similar periods of intense focus occurred in the Middle Ages, in Spain during the sixteenth century, in France in the seventeenth, and again in the last century. Each time, scholars sought accuracy, precision, and a return to the original source of the word, much like Origen, who meticulously studied biblical texts.
In the last century, this pursuit of accuracy led to the adoption of what was termed the “scientific method”, a rigorous approach that contrasted with, and sometimes opposed, unsubstantiated claims or imposed truths lacking verification. It’s worth recalling that the prevalent Neo-Thomistic or Neo-Scholastic method, in force prior to Vatican II, typically began “from above” – from revealed truths – and then traced their consequences in our lives. Consequently, the embrace of the “scientific method” appeared to be a radical shift, with material proof, historical evidence, and the development of doctrines becoming the new criteria and the truth to be sought. The burgeoning understanding of history and time played a significant role in elevating this “scientific method” to a highly esteemed, almost sacrosanct, framework. Respect for historical facts, chronology, and developmental processes became an unquestionable standard. A prime example is the publication of Sources Chrétiennes, a series of Church Fathers’ texts initiated well before Vatican II. This endeavour clearly demonstrated a desire to seek out the best manuscripts, study them meticulously, and interpret words within their original context. The same rigorous approach was applied to the Scriptures.
While the rediscovery of the Church Fathers and Scripture wasn’t unprecedented, the last two centuries saw an enormous development in the tools and means for achieving greater precision. This led to the perception that the quality of contemporary research and manuscript studies surpassed those of earlier periods. Indeed, nineteenth-century translations of the Church Fathers are often now considered less accurate, prompting the common remark, “The ‘scientific method’ wasn’t used back then!” This highlights the significant, albeit unconscious, pressure exerted by the development of human sciences in the last century to produce “scientific” work. The label “scientific” became synonymous with truth, quality, and reliability, implicitly casting other forms of research as unreliable. This unconsciously cast a shadow over faith or any given truth of faith: it had to be first proven scientifically, or rely on sufficient evidence and proof from manuscripts.
This same spirit motivated the search for original manuscripts when studying the lives of saints. For instance, the original manuscripts of St Terese of the Child Jesus were published in 1956. Saint Teresa of Ávila saw editions of copies of manuscripts of some of her works, such as The Way of Perfection (1964-5) and The Interior Castle (1961), published.
The Precision of Exegesis
Exegesis is perhaps one of the fields where this scientific rigour and precision shine most brightly. The meticulous study of biblical manuscripts, the desire to consult the most ancient texts, the ambition to understand the redactional history of the Gospels – determining which author depended on which, and seeking the original forms of the Gospels or collections of the Lord’s sayings – all these pursuits were very much in vogue and unchallenged. The desire to find the most accurate source, a reliable foundation, remains unassailable. This quest for the source, the origin, and ancient times was undertaken with an almost religious precision and dedication. Science, in this sense, was paramount; faith had to submit to its methods.
Who, after all, can challenge science? It is often perceived as synonymous with truth. Consequently, the scientific methods of research were instinctively embraced as the method to adopt and obey. Faith, it was believed, first needed to ascertain the material facts upon which it relied – a seemingly undeniable premise.
However, the great theologians who pioneered this new wave of rediscovery – figures like Henri de Lubac, Yves Congar, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Joseph Ratzinger, and Jean Daniélou – operated with an intrinsic “faith instinct”. Though deeply rooted in a solid Christian background, culture, and worldview, they instinctively felt compelled to respect these scientific premises, knowing their work would otherwise lack seriousness and validity. Yet, simultaneously, each relied on their faith instinct, maintaining a kind of “hovering faith attention” over the texts they were studying, rediscovering, and sharing. Their spiritual intuition, their faith, was actively at work. They offered immense contributions and studies across various theological subjects.
A Shifting Landscape
Subsequent generations, often from less solidly Christian backgrounds and cultures, sometimes relied exclusively on the works of these giants. Crucially, these new generations did not necessarily reflect on the intuitive method the pioneers had employed. As the “scientific method” continued its dominance, an unconscious shift occurred: it became the sole method to be used, and it was implicitly assumed that theological and exegetical methods should be scientific. The instinctive, almost unconscious, approach used by the “Nouvelle Théologie” and “History of Salvation” theologians remained largely unexplored.
Thus, history, manuscripts, human sciences, and the established methods of quoting and presenting research became the primary, almost exclusive, criteria. The “faith instinct,” as we might call it for now, was even less pronounced than that of the “Nouvelle Théologie” Fathers. The newer generations, emerging from a fragmented, post-Christian world, did not necessarily possess the same inherent faith instinct.
While the gains and achievements of the “Nouvelle Théologie” Fathers were preserved and, in a way, crystallised, they had not explored everything; more work remained.
The Missing Dimension in Theology Today
Today, with all the “Nouvelle Théologie” Fathers no longer with us, and with the majority of theological reflection and studies employing the “scientific method,” we often remain unaware that this method, in its pure form, is not fully adapted to the object of theological study. It’s akin to using pure exegesis to understand the Scriptures: something crucial is missing in between. We might call this missing element “biblical theology” or “spiritual meditation,” but we often fail to recognise that our predecessors used a more holistic approach.
The primary object of theology is the Living Word of God, Jesus, the Risen Lord. When we read sacred texts, or any theological study or book, we are ultimately seeking the Word of God. Our faith instinct is meant to seek the Living Word. If we use purely exegetical methods, a “scientific method,” to approach the Word, we must be conscious that this method alone is insufficient for its object. The letter is essential; it must be scientifically ascertained so we can rely on it. However, merely engaging with the body of the text, the letter, is not enough to uncover the soul, the spirit, and the divinity within! The goal of our theological work is to encounter the Living Word of God who speaks to us, who offers us a Word. Our faith instinct –while studying theology– is meant to reach Him and be reached by Him, by His words, by the Word He utters to us!
Therefore, while we cannot dismiss the letter and the necessary accuracy in its use, we also need a faith-driven approach to engage with it and, through it, to find the Living Word of God who desires to speak to us, to enlighten our minds and our entire beings. The method we employ must be adapted to the object of our study. This is about a sacred encounter. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). The Holy Spirit elevates our hearts and minds, directing them to the Living Utterance of the Word of God, and then the encounter occurs.
This encounter with the Living Utterances will engender theology, step by step. Utterance after utterance, we learn the new language of the Living Word of God, guided by the Holy Spirit. He takes each utterance and allows it to penetrate deeply within us, reaching the very junction between our spirit and our soul. “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” — Hebrews 4:12 (NRSV) Each utterance changes and transforms us.
Lectio Divina: The Heart of Encounter
The primary locus of this encounter with these Utterances is the Scriptures, especially when they are studied, prayed over, and when we are elevated to a spiritual or divine listening or reception of the Utterance. The “Nouvelle Théologie” Fathers made a profound contribution when they declared that the Scriptures, or more precisely, the Word of God, must be at the centre of the Church and at the heart of theology, serving as its animating soul – for the Latin word anima (soul) gives us the English word “animate.” Theology, without the living soul of the Word of God and His utterances, remains a lifeless body.
Experiencing the transformative power of the Utterances of the Living Word day by day truly makes us theologians. This process of being transformed by them, this reception and transformation by the utterances, is called Lectio Divina.
Lectio Divina has seen a renewed discovery among the People of God in recent times. Following the publication of the new Lectionary in December 1969, which significantly increased the abundance of Scripture readings, and with the clear directive from Vatican II to place the Word of God not only at the centre of the Liturgy but also at the heart of personal prayer, many have embraced a new practice of Lectio Divina. This practice is often based on the daily readings, extending the grace of the liturgy of the word into everyday life. As mentioned in Dei Verbum, the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (paragraphs 94, 66, 67, 2651, 2038, 2518), the personal utterances of the Living Word of God began to be experienced by the faithful and nourish their faith. For a deeper understanding of the process by which a word from Jesus descends within us and transforms us, one might consult Jean Khoury’s Lectio Divina at the School of Mary, which elucidates the full process of this descent in its second part.
The Three Graces of Transformation
Saint Teresa of Ávila speaks of three graces God bestows upon us: “It is one grace for the Lord to grant the favour, another to understand what that favour is and what grace it consists in, and yet another to know how to speak of it and make it understood.” (Una merced es dar el Señor la merced, y otra es entender qué merced es y qué gracia, otra es saber decimal y dar a entender cómo es. – Autobiography, Chapter 17, paragraph 5; see also 12,6; 16,2; 23,11; 30,4). She likely derived this teaching either from Francisco de Osuna’s Third Abecedary (III,2) or through a Dominican priest who quoted Saint Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae (II-IIae q. 45 a 5, resp.).
Understanding these three graces is fundamental. The common tendency is to view the first grace as sanctifying grace, which transforms us and conforms us to Christ, with the other two being gratis datae – graces freely given (unrelated to sanctification) for the good of the Church’s growth and ministry (what we might today call “charisms”). However, a careful examination of the process of the incarnation of a Word given by the Lord to us in Lectio Divina reveals that these three graces are, in fact, interconnected steps in the unfolding of the grace of the incarnation of an Utterance of the Lord within us.
1- First, we listen to the Lord, to His Word, and put it into practice. This is the first grace: receiving the grace itself, the Word itself.
2- When we then put the received Word into practice, we gain a new experience of this Word, and it takes on a completely new meaning for us because of that experience. For example, it is one thing to know that we must forgive our brothers and sisters. It is quite another to hear Jesus directly and personally asking us to forgive a specific person, feeling the challenge, the apparent impossibility, the struggle, the prayer, and the humble plea for the grace to change our hearts and grant the forgiveness He desires us to extend to our brother or sister. After this entire process, we possess a completely different, new, and personal experience and understanding of that Gospel word: “forgive.” This is the second grace! As we can see, it is a development or a natural unfolding of the grace of putting the Word into practice.
3- Then, having put this word – “forgive this person” – into practice, we can ponder this experience and may feel called to bear witness to this grace, even sharing it with others. Indeed, Jesus asks us to be witnesses not only in deeds but also in words. So, by pondering this grace, we continue to receive its benefits, including divine assistance to articulate it. This is the third grace, and as we can see, it is entirely linked with the first and second, representing a blossoming or further unfolding of them.
The Language of God and the True Theologian
Isn’t this daily encounter with the Word of God a process of learning God’s language – the language of the Word of God, of Jesus? A language we find physically or materially in the Gospel, but which now becomes a living language that the Living Word of God teaches us every day. Day after day, we pray: “Give us this day our daily bread” of your Word, teach us, today, the daily new word of your Eternal Language. In doing so, we become theologians in the deepest sense of the word.
Not only that, but day after day, as we are transformed by Jesus’ Word, He not only grows within us, but He lives and acts in and through us. Indeed, He begins to utter His words within us and with us. Is it not He who prays to the Father for all who receive our words, just as He prayed: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message…” (John 17:20)
Did not Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite refer to the human authors of the Scriptures as “theologians”? Is not Scripture itself called “Theology”? And is not Saint John called “The Theologian” due to the profound depth of his writings, as if he were the archetype of the theologian? Is not Jesus Himself the Theologian of the Father, perpetually turned towards the Father, revealing Him, and uttering words precisely as the Father speaks to Him (John 1:17-18)?
Lectio Divina: The Method in Theology
Now, the method in Theology becomes clear. It is a method the “Nouvelle Théologie” Fathers used instinctively, but one that, thanks to their insights, has been practised more fervently and in an entirely new way since Vatican II, specifically in the form we call Lectio Divina. Indeed, the missing link, the profound richness absent from theological method, is simply a true and supernatural practice of Lectio Divina. Not merely any Lectio Divina, nor just spiritual meditation, but a genuine encounter with the Word of God. It is a method where, daily, we experience how “the letter kills” – how relying solely on the text and our own analysis, at best, yields good ideas, but fails to bring us into contact with the Living Word of God who speaks to us in a unique and personal way every day of our lives, just as we pray: “Give us this day our daily bread” of your Word. It is a method where, daily, we experience how ‘the Spirit gives life’ (2 Corinthians 3:6), helping us to encounter, listen to, and allow Jesus’ Word to enter us through the text and bring about our transformation.
Today, theology has an incredible opportunity to flourish, enriched as we are by this new experience of Lectio Divina (since December 1969), and to develop in a unique, widespread manner unprecedented before. The Nouvelle Théologie fathers certainly relied on their faith instinct. Today, we’re presented with the opportunity for a direct encounter with the Word Himself, who serves as our inner guide and helps to cultivate a more robust spiritual instinct. This allows us to recognise and discern Him in anything we read or study. This saves a great deal of time and effort. As these eminent theologians recommended a ‘theology on one’s knees’ – that is, the study of theology undertaken in prayer and adoration – we should truly affirm that a Lectio Divina-led theology is the core-method.
The Church Fathers, had this method at the core of their lives. Lectio Divina was their implicit method, and its fruits are evident in their commentaries on the Scriptures and in their homilies. The Scriptures were the very heart of their lives. Lectio Divina is, in truth, the method in theology: it allows us to be in direct and unique contact with the Living Word of God, rather than merely engaging in a reflection on our faith or a simple compilation of texts. Lectio Divina is a daily process of learning God’s language, through which, word after word, we are transformed, enlightened, and become true witnesses.
It is by carefully analysing the process of the Word of God descending within us that we will be able to foster a living theology. By allowing the Holy Spirit to be our inner guide, incarnating the Word within us, a new Word each day, we begin to understand theology, the Gospel, and the Lord’s message, making sense of it and allowing it to permeate our daily lives. Reflection can only truly be led by the Holy Spirit, having first experienced this daily encounter. It is through Lectio Divina that the Living Word of God can genuinely lead our lives, illuminate them, and transform them. Jesus guides this process from beginning to end. It is crucial to learn it properly, so as not to interfere with the process through our merely human means. It is important to understand how the Spirit uses the letter and then makes it alive. It is important to grasp that the scientific method is important, but it serves only as the foundation upon which the Holy Spirit will work and speak.
Lectio Divina, as a way of encountering the Living Word of God who transforms our lives, is the hidden part of the “Nouvelle Théologie” Fathers’ methodological iceberg. Yet today, paradoxically, by having this method properly articulated and implemented, we can even go further than them. They discovered the fruits of the Church Fathers; we, standing on their shoulders, have the opportunity to benefit from the fruits of their work and practise the method they were trying to intuit and unearth with such difficulty. Today, we have the tools to read the Scriptures, and we are ready for the Holy Spirit to listen to His Word.
Read also
– Lectio Divina & Theology (text and video)
– The Central Method of Integral Theology: Lectio Divina. (Video)