Scripture, Prayer and Formation in Evelyn Underhill: Abba (1934) and the Fruits of the Spirit (1936)

This article examines the theological function of Scripture in Evelyn Underhill’s Abba (1934) and The Fruits of the Spirit (1936). Through close attention to her use of biblical texts, I argue that Scripture shapes Underhill’s accounts of prayer, sanctification, divine–human agency and formation. It identifies three patterns: dense interrelation of biblical texts; the reordering of agency towards divine initiative and christological participation; and a scriptural form of address that holds divine transcendence and nearness together. Together, these patterns show how Underhill’s mature writings on prayer and formation remained deeply scriptural without a formal hermeneutical theory.