1	Holy Reading Lectio Divina
2	Implicit in the Idea of Scripture This makes every word in the text important. One of the key ideas behind Scripture is that the text conveys God’s message.
3	Midrash Jewish traditions of close reading began with the early rabbis who sought to find in the Torah and the Prophets practical guidance for Israel Often this interpretation was connected with the translation of the text or its presentation in the synagogue which was early seen as a school.
4	Christian Scriptures The most numerous texts to have survived from antiquity are copies of Christian scriptures. To make the Bible more available, the codex form was used. The text could be written on both sides of the material.
5	Origen I The Early Christian Passion for the Scriptures caused some problems. Despite Paul’s assurance that all Scripture is “useful,” II Tim 3:16, it did do prove so. Some Scriptures seemed to ancient people to be improbable or even immoral.
6	Origen II Divided all reality into the physical and the spiritual. Saw the Bible as having both spiritual and literal meanings. A good Platonist, Origen believed that the two spiritual senses, the moral and the allegorical, were more real than the literal sense.
7	Origen III Much of the later theory and practice of holy reading will go back to Origen, implicitly or explicitly. One of the goals of Holy Reading is to penetrate the Bible’s outer message to get to the heart or kernel of its spiritual truths.
8	Monks The earliest monks followed the Biblical advise to “meditate” on the Bible. The Psalms, which were used in church, became the basis of monastic common life from the earliest days in the desert.
9	Benedict Author of a famous rule that set forth the standard form of monasticism in the west. Believed that the religious life should balance prayer, work, and study Called the monastery a ‘school.’
10	The Provision in the Rule Idleness is the enemy of the soul. And therefore, at fixed times, the brothers ought to be occupied in manual labour; and again, at fixed times, in sacred reading. ... there shall certainly be appointed one or two elders, who shall go round the monastery at the hours in which the brothers are engaged in reading, and see to it that no troublesome brother chance to be found who is open to idleness and trifling, and is not intent on his reading; being not only of no use to himself, but also stirring up others. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/rul-benedict.html
11	Earliest Sacred Reading May have been noisy. Monks, like many others, read primarily aloud. The text was often recited with a view to memory. Few copies which had a high cost. Many Monks knew the Psalter by heart.
12	The Chant Chanting may have helped the monks learn the Bible. A chant is basically a single one line of music in which the length of the notes is determined by the length of the syllables or vowels.
13	Example of Plainsong
14	Silent Reading Evolved slowly. Produced a different type of lectio Forced the process more inside of the person.
15	Guigo II The Ladder of Monastics Used a basically monastic schema for lectio. Reading Meditation Prayer Contemplation
16	Guigo One day I was engaged in physical work with my hands and I began to think about the spiritual tasks that we humans have. While I was thinking, four spritual steps came to mind, namely, reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation. This is the ladder. . .by which we are lifted up from earth into heaven. . . .The lower part is fixed on the earth and its top passes through the clouds to lay bare the secrets of heaven.
17	Reading While much lectio is continuous or connected to the liturgical round, the object is not to get a certain amount done. One should work with a passage long enough to understand it and be able to put it into action. Practitioners often return to the previous days work.
18	Meditation A simple concept To meditate is simply to think about The text should be questioned. For example if the text were John 15:15 “I have called you friends.” One might meditate on what it means to be called ‘friend” by Christ. Free and easy association helps such interpretation.
19	Prayer The meditation becomes the basis of the mental or physical prayer that accompanies the lectio. “Holy One: I give thanks to you that I am your friends and not only your servant. As your friend, I enjoy your companionship and your help. And I wish to help and be with my friend in service to others.
20	Contemplation Difficult word to define. In this context, contemplation means concentration so that the text sinks into the soul. Insight Always a “gift.”
21	Holy Reading And Modern Exegesis Origen’s problem revised. What if the text is one that does not appear to be life enhancing? What if the text is one that moves away from present-day values? Does Scripture still have a spiritual sense?