Meister Eckhart Divinity School Philosophy & Method

STUDIES AT OUR DIVINITY SCHOOL ARE CARRIED BY THE FOLLOWING THREE ELEMENTS (BELOW). WE BELIEVE THAT “SPOON-FEEDING” STUDENTS AND LECTURING THEM IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO PERSONAL GROWTH AND DOES NOT LEAD TO TRUE SPIRITUAL DISCOVERY AND KNOWLEDGE. ADULT LEARNING IS AN INTERNAL PROCESS THAT TAKES PLACE THROUGH REALIZATION RATHER THAN ROTE MEMORIZATION.

1. DIRECTED STUDY

INDEPENDENT STUDY, OFFERED BY MOST EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, IS SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS DIRECTED STUDY AND IS AN EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY UNDERTAKEN BY MATURE INDIVIDUALS WITH MINIMAL SUPERVISION AND HELP ONLY AS NEEDED. IT HAS THE ADDED ADVANTAGE OF STUDYING AT ONE’S OWN PACE RATHER THAN BY THE PRESSURE OF DEADLINES AND EXAMS.

2. LECTIO DIVINA

DIVINE READING, ORIGINALLY A BENEDICTINE PRACTICE OF SCRIPTURAL READING, IS MEDITATION AND PRAYER INTENDED TO PROMOTE COMMUNION WITH GOD AND TO INCREASE THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE DIVINE. IT DOES NOT TREAT SACRED SCRIPTURES AS TEXTS TO ONLY BE INTELLECTUALLY STUDIED, BUT RATHER AS THE LIVING WORD POINTING TO GOD. LECTIO DIVINA HAS FOUR SEPARATE STEPS: READING, MEDITATION, PRAYER AND CONTEMPLATION. FIRST, THE STUDENT READS THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT OR BOOK. THEN ITS MEANING IS REFLECTED. THIS IS FOLLOWED BY PRAYER AND CONTEMPLATION ON THE SACRED TEXT. THE FOCUS OF LECTIO DIVINA IS NOT A THEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF PASSAGES, SENTENCES OR WORDS BUT VIEWING THEM WITH CHRIST AS THE KEY TO THEIR MEANING.

3. MYSTICAL THEOLOGY

OUR THEOLOGY IS THAT CHRISTIANITY SHOULD BE RESTORED ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE EARLY CHURCH, I.E., A SEARCH FOR PURE AND MORE ANCIENT AND PATRISTIC FORMS ALONG WITH THE WISDOM OF CHRISTIAN MYSTICS THROUGHOUT THE AGES, SUCH AS MEISTER ECKHART (1260-1328).

Meister Eckhart Divinity School Philosophy & Method

STUDIES AT OUR DIVINITY SCHOOL ARE CARRIED BY THE FOLLOWING THREE ELEMENTS (BELOW). WE BELIEVE THAT “SPOON-FEEDING” STUDENTS AND LECTURING THEM IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO PERSONAL GROWTH AND DOES NOT LEAD TO TRUE SPIRITUAL DISCOVERY AND KNOWLEDGE. ADULT LEARNING IS AN INTERNAL PROCESS THAT TAKES PLACE THROUGH REALIZATION RATHER THAN ROTE MEMORIZATION.

1. DIRECTED STUDY

INDEPENDENT STUDY, OFFERED BY MOST EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, IS SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS DIRECTED STUDY AND IS AN EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY UNDERTAKEN BY MATURE INDIVIDUALS WITH MINIMAL SUPERVISION AND HELP ONLY AS NEEDED. IT HAS THE ADDED ADVANTAGE OF STUDYING AT ONE’S OWN PACE RATHER THAN BY THE PRESSURE OF DEADLINES AND EXAMS.

2. LECTIO DIVINA

DIVINE READING, ORIGINALLY A BENEDICTINE PRACTICE OF SCRIPTURAL READING, IS MEDITATION AND PRAYER INTENDED TO PROMOTE COMMUNION WITH GOD AND TO INCREASE THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE DIVINE. IT DOES NOT TREAT SACRED SCRIPTURES AS TEXTS TO ONLY BE INTELLECTUALLY STUDIED, BUT RATHER AS THE LIVING WORD POINTING TO GOD. LECTIO DIVINA HAS FOUR SEPARATE STEPS: READING, MEDITATION, PRAYER AND CONTEMPLATION. FIRST, THE STUDENT READS THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT OR BOOK. THEN ITS MEANING IS REFLECTED. THIS IS FOLLOWED BY PRAYER AND CONTEMPLATION ON THE SACRED TEXT. THE FOCUS OF LECTIO DIVINA IS NOT A THEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF PASSAGES, SENTENCES OR WORDS BUT VIEWING THEM WITH CHRIST AS THE KEY TO THEIR MEANING.