Scripture Meditation: Basil the Great on Reading Scripture with Others

Basil the Great (d. 379) emphasized communal Scripture study alongside personal meditation. In his monastic Rules, he instructed: "After the completion of the psalm, the reading of the Scriptures should follow. Then each should contribute what he has understood." Basil believed that the Holy Spirit speaks through the community's collective engagement with the text.

Basil also warned against overly individualistic reading: "Each person's understanding of Scripture is limited by their experience. What one reader misses, another may see. Therefore we need one another to read Scripture rightly." The monastic practice of shared reading and discussion corrected the blind spots of private interpretation.

Practical application: Start or join a Bible study group where the practice is simple: read a passage together, sit in silence for a few minutes, then share what each person noticed. Resist the urge to teach or correct -- simply listen to how the same text speaks differently to each reader. Basil teaches that communal Scripture reading is not a luxury but a necessity.