How much Scripture have you memorized? How much do you think is even possible for you to remember?
One of the reasons why I love reading church history is that it can help shock me out of my modern American assumptions.
For example, I recently came across some advice that Jerome (c. 342-420 AD) gave to a mother who wrote to him asking how she should educate her daughter.
That alone was surprising. Here’s a literate 4th-century Christian mom who is concerned about her daughter’s education. I thought ancient people were illiterate and girls didn’t get much of an education. Obviously, I have more to learn about what 4th-5th century life was like!
Jerome was an early Bible scholar famous for translating the Scriptures into Latin, which became the translation of the entire Western church. Here’s what he recommended the daughter “learn,” and by learn, he means memorize:
“Let her begin by learning the Psalter, and then let her gather rules of life out of the Proverbs of Solomon. From the Preacher let her gain the habit of despising the world and its vanities. Let her follow the example set in Job of virtue and of patience. Then let her pass on to the Gospels never to be laid aside when once they have been taken in hand. Let her also drink in with a willing heart the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles. As soon as she has enriched the storehouse of her mind with these treasures, let her commit to memory the Prophets, the Heptateuch [ed. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua and Judges], the books of Kings and of Chronicles, the rolls also of Ezra and Esther. When she has done all these she may safely read the Song of Songs but not before: for, were she to read it at the beginning, she would fail to perceive that, though it is written in fleshly words, it is a marriage song of a spiritual bridal. And not understanding this she would suffer hurt from it. Let her avoid all apocryphal writings, and if she is led to read such not by the truth of the doctrines which they contain but out of respect for the miracles contained in them; let her understand that they are not really written by those to whom they are ascribed, that many faulty elements have been introduced into them, and that it requires infinite discretion to look for gold in the midst of dirt” (Jerome, Letter 107.12).
Think of it—memorizing the Psalms, Proverbs, and Gospels would be an enormous undertaking in itself. But then add the first seven books of the Bible? And the Prophets?
Is that even possible?
Jerome expected that it was. And it was possible for a 4th-century Christian girl to boot!
Along similar lines, I came across an early Christian history written by Paladius of Galatia (c. 363–420s AD). One of the biographies he includes is of a man named Ammonius who was known to have memorized all of Scripture:
“He had committed to memory the Old and New Testaments, and he knew by heart 6,000,000 verses of the highly reputable writings of Origen, Didymus, Pierius, and Stephen, so the fathers of the desert testify” (Palladius, The Lausiac History, 11.4).
He memorized the whole Bible?
I’m assuming Ammonius was born with a unique gift for memorization, and Palladius recorded how much he had memorized because it was so unusual. But given how much Jerome expected the daughter to learn, maybe it wasn’t that unusual.
Here’s a third example, this one from the Muslim world. If someone memorizes the whole Qur’an, they get the title of hafiz. Christians don’t have a unique title for people who memorize the Bible, maybe because we don’t expect anyone to do it. Let’s change that attitude!
All Free Grace people have memorized at least one verse, i.e., John 3:16. Well, here’s another “3:16” verse to memorize:
Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts (Colossians 3:16).
If you want the word to dwell in you, start by memorizing Scripture!
Send your questions or comments to shawn@freegrace.in.
Read his latest book, The Five Points of Free Grace for free, buy it from us, or from Amazon.
