Hand-copying the Bible

Below I've embedded a CNN video story about a congregation that, for the Lenten season leading up to Easter, was collectively hand-copying the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. That is, each person in the community took a section of scripture and copied it down onto a piece of paper, and they collected the handwritten sections and compiled them into a common binder and had copies available for people on Easter.

Though some might ask what the point is of such an activity, I see the potential for great spiritual growth in such an endeavor. As one diligently copies scripture verbatim (regardless of the translation), 1) one's intention and attention is set toward God; 2) one must attend to a closer reading of the particular scriptural section than normal, which will illumine more and different meanings of the text; and 3) one is participating in a social spiritual activity that serves to more intimately connect and link the community as they engage in such a practice together.

The possibilities for individual and communal spiritual transformation in transcribing scripture in a church group are numerous. I wouldn't hesitate to talk about it as a unique form of meditation or contemplation. In fact, it is really very similar to the traditional Christian practice of lectio divina (divine reading) where the individual or community methodically and contemplatively reads a passage of scripture, seeking spiritual illumination and encounter with God. However, in scriptural transcription one is using yet another facet of one's being (writing) to read the texts. Since the high middle ages in Europe, Christian monks have copied and re-copied the Bible not only as a means of preserving the biblical literature over the generations but also as an effective spiritual discipline fostering personal growth and development.

I also see handwriting as a special kind of language-use. In today's world we tend to utilize word processing programs on computers to inscribe and preserve our thoughts, expressions, and communications. However, writing things by hand has always served to help me better learn and understand information - I'm not exactly sure why, but it might have something to do with personality and character coming out in handwriting style. There's something intimate and artistic about communicating language via handwriting as opposed to typewriting or word processing. Because of this, I can certainly see the spiritual potential in such an practice. I plan on doing this as a regular activity myself and I hope others will join me. Let's do textual transcription for transformation!