Scripture as Real Presence

Hans Boersma's study emerges from contemporary debates over biblical interpretation, particularly the perceived divide between historical-critical scholarship and spiritual reading of Scripture. Writing as an Anglican theologian concerned with recovering pre-modern approaches to biblical interpretation, Boersma argues that the early church fathers possessed a unified understanding of Scripture as a sacramental reality that modern interpreters have largely abandoned.

Boersma contends that patristic exegesis operated from a "sacramental ontology" in which Scripture itself functions as a means of encountering Christ's real presence. The church fathers, he argues, did not separate literal and spiritual meanings but understood the biblical text as a unified reality capable of mediating divine presence to readers. Through detailed examination of figures like Origen, Augustine, and John Chrysostom, Boersma demonstrates how early Christian interpreters practiced what he terms "sacramental exegesis" — reading Scripture as both historical testimony and ongoing spiritual encounter. He traces how this approach was grounded in a Platonic understanding of reality that saw earthly realities as participating in heavenly truths, allowing the fathers to move freely between literal and allegorical readings without sacrificing either historical particularity or spiritual significance.

The work has influenced contemporary discussions about theological interpretation of Scripture and the relationship between historical and spiritual reading methods. Boersma's argument challenges both fundamentalist literalism and purely historical approaches by proposing a third way that takes seriously both the text's historical context and its ongoing capacity to mediate divine presence. Who should read this: scholars and students interested in patristic biblical interpretation, theological hermeneutics, and the relationship between historical-critical and spiritual approaches to Scripture. Those seeking purely devotional reading guides or basic introductions to biblical interpretation should look elsewhere.