Handout #8
From the Literal to the Spiritual Meaning
Lectio Divina and Ignatian method
A. The Literal Meaning of a biblical text:
1. In his 1943 encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu, Pope Pius XII clarified that
the “literal” meaning of a biblical text is what the author intended to
communicate within the cultural context of his writing.
2. It is the task of Biblical scholarship and the Historical Critical Method
that biblical scholars use, to help contemporary readers understand that
literal meaning – in other words, biblical scholarship is intended to help
the readers understand what the original authors were trying to say to
the audiences of their time.
B. The more than literary sense
1. While the literal sense is important to know, this is not what “inspires”
most contemporary readers, who no longer live in the world of ancient
Israel, or in the early Christian community.
2. Throughout Christian history, spiritual writers have developed
methods for reading the Bible in a more than literal sense
3. In early Christianity, and through the Middle Ages, other “senses”
were identified which were not intended by the original author, but
which later readers found in the text
a. Allegorical / Spiritual: the most common “reading” of the bible
is the spiritual sense; it is based on the fact that language often
allows multiple readings; thus, a reader may view himself as
“sinner” and thus take the message of story of the Pharisee and
Publican to heart, even though he is neither a Pharisee or a
Publican.
b. Tropological / Ethical: a less common reading is to find a moral
or ethical message in a biblical passage which may not be what the
original author intended, but which speaks to the situation of the
reader. For example, when St. Antony heard the words to go sell
all that one has and give it to poor and come follow, he heard the
words as a moral imperative addressed to him and acted
accordingly.
c. Anagogical / Eschatological: another interpretive tool is to hear
the message of a passage as referring to the end time and having
specific application to the hearer. Thus, one might hear of the
prophetic warnings addressed to Israel by the prophet Jeremiah,
and hear in them a warning for his/her life that was not intended
by the original author, but which resonates as clearly now as it did
then.
4. It is important to note with such readings that they can legitimately be
applied to the life of the individual, but no further. This can be called
private revelation, and the Church has always admitted the fact that the
word of God can speak a powerful and transforming message to an
individual. However, the moment the individual believes that he/she is
being called to proclaim that message to the larger community, it moves
into the realm of public revelation and then the Church determines
whether such a message is indeed for all, or rather just for the individual.
C. Methods for reading the biblical text
1. Lectio Divina: a time honored monastic practice for reading the
scriptures is lectio divina. It involves several steps
a. It is a regular and constant practice of 30-45 minutes daily
b. It involves a prayerful reading of a biblical book, with no real
intention to “learn” it or “finish” it
c. Rather, the book becomes the means for God to communicate
with the individual
d. In the state of very slow and prayerful reading, the individual
pauses over words or phrases that strike him/her for whatever
reason, and allows understanding to emerge about why that
particular word or phrase is so striking. Could it be that that word
is especially necessary for the person’s growth in faith? Is there
some meaning in that given word that requires further reflection?
e. Once the person has exhausted the given word or phrase,
reading commences as before, at a slow and prayerful pace.
f. When the time limit is reached, no matter where the individual
is, lectio is finished for the day
g. It may conclude with a word of thanks to the Holy Spirit, and
the person is encouraged to continue to reflect upon a significant
word or phrase throughout the day for further insight
2. Ignatian method: the great founder of the Jesuit order, St. Ignatius of
Loyola was famous for encouraging the reader of the Bible to enter into
the biblical text and become one of the characters.
This method is especially appropriate for scenes from the Gospels, but
also possible with other biblical narratives.
1. Begin: consider how God looks upon you and loves you; become
aware of being in God’s presence; stand for a moment, bow if you
wish, then be seated comfortably for your time of prayer
2. Preparatory Prayer: offer to God all your will and actions, especially
in this time of prayer; ask God for a specific grace that you need
and desire right now (peace, consolation, hope, etc.).
3. Contemplate the Biblical Story that you have selected:
o Read the text slowly and carefully; recall what it is about;
then let it come alive for you!
o Place yourself inside the story, using your imagination;
become one of the characters in the scene.
o Participate in the dynamics of the scene, dialoguing &
interacting with Jesus and other characters.
o Observe what is going on around you in the scene: What do
you see, hear, feel, smell, taste, touch?
o Dialogue with the other characters: What do they say or ask
you? What do you say or ask them in reply?
o Notice what is going on inside you as you pray: joy, sorrow,
peace, confusion, love, anger, etc.
o If you get distracted or your mind wanders, gently return to
the biblical text and re-enter the scene.
4. Colloquy: enter into a short personal conversation with Jesus (or
God the Father, or the Holy Spirit); speak heart-to-heart, as if
conversing with a close friend.
5. Closing Prayer: conclude by praying the Our Father, Hail Mary, or
another familiar/favorite prayer; you might stand, kneel, bow, raise
your hands, or adopt another posture to mark the end of your
prayer.
Afterward, briefly review what you experienced during this time of
prayer (maybe journal about what happened), and look forward to your
next prayerful encounter with God (when? where? which biblical text will
you use?).1
D. How to proceed with study of the Bible and/or praying with the Bible
1. It is important to make a distinction between the two
a. Study of the Biblical Text is an academic discipline and like any
discipline, it requires the use of tools and the application of certain
methods
b. Praying with the Bible is a method for deepening ones faith,
hearing the voice of God in ones life, and coming to better
understand oneself in the flow of believers (Jewish and Christian)
throughout the centuries; while it can involve the use of some
methods, it does not require “study” of the biblical text, in order
to be effective and beneficial
2. Study of the Biblical Text
a. The academic study of the biblical text has the goal of helping
the student understand the biblical text as a product of human
ingenuity, creativity and history
b. The primary focus in the study of the text is to understand how
and why the text developed in its original historical context (also
called diachronic study) and to understand how it interacted with
the readers of its time and can interact with readers in the modern
period (also called synchronic study)
c. There are many tools that are used to pursue the academic
study of the Bible: Critical editions of the Biblical Text; Bible
Dictionaries; Lexicons; Bible Atlases; Concordances; Introductory
books into the Biblical books, the testaments, or the entire Bible;
one volume and multi-volume commentaries on the Biblical Books;
thematic studies on Biblical books, topics, issues, etc.; Histories of
ancient societies; Anthologies of Ancient Literature; and
Archeological studies
1
The website of Fr. Felix Just, SJ provides a wealth of methods for using the
scriptures to deepen a life of prayer: (www.catholic-resources.org/Bible/PrayerMethods.htm) accessed on
d. While it is easiest to take a course in order to begin ones
academic study of the Bible, there are some on-line courses that
are also available and they will be listed in the resources section
e. A simple method for Bible study could be the following
i. Get a good study edition of the Bible (see the list of
resources for possible choices); even better, get two
different editions so that you can compare the translations
ii. Begin your study by reading an easier book: a narrative
such as the Book of Exodus or the Book of Ruth or the
Gospel of Mark; a collection of prayer/poetry, such as the
Psalms; a letter such as Paul’s letter to the Philippians
iii. Read the introduction provided in your study Bible, so
that you are fairly familiar with the historical background of
your book, who wrote it (if we know), why they wrote it, to
whom they wrote it, when they wrote it, etc.
iv. Become familiar with the general outline of the book –
how is it divided up?
v. Giving yourself a 30-45 minute daily study period, begin to
read the text, looking at the bottom for any notes that help
to explain the text. If you run into something that puzzles
you, check a Bible dictionary, or look in a good commentary
for an explanation. Toward the end of your study session,
you may wish to go back over the entire section, now with
the knowledge that you did not have before
vi. A person of faith may wish to conclude their study
session with the question: if this is what the story meant to
its original audience, what does it say to me?
vii. When you have completed your study of the book, you
choose another book and repeat the process
3. Praying with the Bible
a. The goal of praying with the Bible is to infuse ones prayer with
the book that is at the heart of our liturgy and which tells the story
of salvation
b. Prayer with the Bible does not require an academic study of the
Bible, although some basic knowledge of the Bible does help one
pray more effectively
c. There are many different methods for prayer with the Bible:
Lectio Divina, Biblical meditation, Ignatian method, Centering
Prayer, Taizé prayer, etc.
d. The idea behind any method is to move from the biblical text
into the life of the believer – in other words, it is not about
accumulating knowledge about the Bible, but rather such prayer
allows the Bible to become the medium through which God speaks
to the believer
e. A possible method might look like this:
i. Identify a rather regular time and place when you will pray
with the Bible – usually a 30 minute stretch in a silent
situation (you cannot do this with the radio or TV running,
and you should turn off your phone as well)
ii. Choose a biblical book that will serve as your book for a
period of time
iii. Read the introduction to the book so that you have a
general idea of what the book is about – but do not read it to
acquire knowledge, as much as to create a general sense of
what situation gave rise to the book
iv. At the beginning of your 30 minutes, say a brief prayer to
the Holy Spirit, asking God to speak to you through the word
v. Read the words of your text slowly and deliberately,
lingering over any word or phrase that catches your eye; you
may wish to write it down, and then sit with it for a while,
asking God why it is that word that is so important for you to
notice
vi. Once you have exhausted a word or phrase, go back to
your reading, allowing the text to make sense, but not going
so far as to study the text for the strategy of its composition;
if you encounter another word or phrase, repeat the process
above
vii. After 25 minutes of such “reading,” put a marker at the
spot where you finished, and turn again to the Holy Spirit,
asking the Spirit to speak to your heart, and thanking the
Spirit for the ways in which you have heard God’s word
viii. If a given word or phrase intrigues you and sticks with
you, then take it with you throughout the day
ix. Repeat the process the next day
f. Each method has its own strategy, so it is important to become
familiar with the different methods to see what would best work
for you
Recommended resources for beginning your study of the Bible and
praying with the Bible
I. Short and basic Introductions
Binz, Stephen J. Introduction to the Bible: A Catholic Guide to Studying
Scripture (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2007)
Binz, Stephen J. Threshold to God’s Word: A User Friendly Guide to
Scripture Study (New London, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 2014)
Cunningham, Phillip J. Exploring Scripture: How the Bible came to be
(Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1992)
Witherup, Ronald D. The Bible Companion: A Handbook for Beginners
(New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1998)
Threshold Bible Study Series by Stephen Binz
(http://store.pastoralplanning.com/thbist1.html) is a thematic Scripture
study program designed for both personal study and group discussion. It
currently consists of 25 titles
Little Rock Scripture Study
(http://www.littlerockscripture.org/en/introduction.html) is a Scripture
Study program that is a partnership between the Catholic Diocese of
Little Rock Arkansas and the Liturgical Press
II. Advanced Introductions to the Bible and its Testaments
Harris, Stephen L. Understanding the Bible, 8th edition (Boston, MA:
McGraw-Hill, 2010) – Earlier editions (such as the 6th and 7th) which are
MUCH less expensive are equally fine
Coogan, Michael D. The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary
Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures, 3rd edition (New York: Oxford
University Press, 2014) – The first two editions, which are much less
expensive, are equally fine
Ehrman, Bart D. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the
Early Christian Writings, 4th edition (New York: Oxford University Press,
2008) – Earlier editions (much less expensive) are equally fine; while
some of Ehrman’s other writings are quite controversial, this is a basic
historical introduction that reflects the views of most mainline scholars
and may, for the most part, be trusted as accurate and non-biased
II.a Visual resources
Levine, Amy-Jill, “The Old Testament” from The Great Courses produced
by the Teaching Company. Consisting of twenty-four 30-minute lectures,
this series appears both as a DVD and/or a CD, and provides an
outstanding look at the Old Testament through the teaching of an
eminent U.S. Jewish Scholar
Johnson, Luke Timothy, “Jesus and the Gospels” from The Great Courses
produced by the Teaching Company. Consisting of thirty-six 30-minute
lectures, this series appears as a DVD and/or a CD, and provides an indepth look into the person of Jesus as he appears in the New Testament
tradition
Eban, Abba, Heritage: Civilization and the Jews (WNET New York –
produced by Thirteen) this PBS series is available for on-line viewing at
(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/heritage/). Of particular interest are the first
two segments which cover the period of both the Old and New
Testaments
From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians, produced by Frontline, this
PBS production is also available for on-line viewing at
(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/), but it may
also be purchased as a separate DVD. In its six hours, it covers the
biblical period that created the New Testament, and presents the
opinions of many biblical scholars about how those texts came into
existence and why
III. Bible Versions
1. Catholic Study Bible – 2nd edition (New American Bible), edited by
Donald Senior and John J. Collins, it was published by Oxford University
Press in 2011, and is available in paperback for $23.19 at Amazon
2. HarperCollins Study Bible – Student Edition (New Revised Standard
Version), edited by Harold W. Attridge and produced by the Society of
Biblical Literature, it appeared in 2006 and is available in paperback for
$28.37 at Amazon
3. The New Jerusalem Bible, edited by Henry Wansbrough and published
by Image in 1985, it is available in Hardcover for $37.77 and in paperback
for $22.24
4. The Jewish Study Bible – 4th edition, edited by Adele Berlin and
published by Oxford University Press in 2003 provides a uniquely Jewish
translation of the Old Testament text, and is accompanied by excellent
notes and perspectives from Jewish scholars. It is available for $16.50
5. The Jewish Annotated New Testament, which uses the NRSV
translation, was edited by Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler and was
published by Oxford University Press 2011, provides Jewish insights into
the New Testament text and its traditions. It is available for $22.95
6. The Complete Parallel Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical
Books was released in hardcover in 1993 by Oxford University Press. It
contains parallel versions of four bible translations: New Revised
Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, and New
Jerusalem Bible. It is available in hardcover for $56.08
7. Synopsis of the Four Gospels, Revised Standard Version is published
by the American Bible Society and was revised in 2010. It is available in
hardcover for $30.43
IV. Miscellaneous
Brown, Raymond E. Responses to 101 Questions on the Bible (Mahwah,
NJ: Paulist Press, 1990)
Fitzmyer, Joseph A. A Christological Catechism: New Testament
Answers (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1993)
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, edited by R.E. Brown, J.A.
Fitzmyer, and R.E. Murphy (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990)
New Collegeville Bible Commentary: Old Testament Series
New Collegeville Bible Commentary: New Testament Series
(http://www.litpress.org/Products/CategoryCenter.aspx?categoryId=SNCBC) Both series are available through Liturgical Press, Collegeville MN