Dear,

I am interested in how to come to a deeper understanding of the Bible. Is this a process under the guidance of the Holy Spirit only?
I am thinking of different layers of interpretation:
1. literal (as in many evangelical and pentecostal circles)
2. allegorical-Christological
3. tropological-moral
4. anagogical-mystical
Other: esoterical-gnostical, (depth-)psychological (Gr�n, Drewermann...), hermetical...?
An example: when Ruusbroec writes his' 'Vanden gheestelijken tabernakel, one has the impression that he is sometimes very speculative in his' exposition of the text. Is this so or is he really probing a deeper understanding of the meaning of Scripture?

Some reply?
Greetings,
Fred

Hi Fred,

Have you heard of lectio divina?

"The scholastic form divides the process into stages or steps in a hierarchical pattern... allow a phrase or word to arise out of the text and to focus on it. This was called Lectio. The second was the reflective part, pondering upon the words of the sacred text, and was called meditatio "meditation." The spontaneous movement of the will in response to these reflections was called oratio, "affective prayer." And as these reflections and acts of will simplified, one moved from time to time to a state of resting in the presence of God, and that was called contemplatio "contemplation." This way of doing Lectio Divina developed in the Middle Ages at the beginning of the scholastic period..."
http://www.centeringprayer.com/lectio/lectio.htm

That form of scripture reading fits, it seems to me, with the deeper understanding you are seeking.

Welcome Fred.

Your fourfold schema sounds a lot like Origen's different senses of the meaning of Scripture (see this explanation from the Catholic Catechism). They were used in early Christianity to indicate something of a Christian gnosis over-and-against the teachings of gnostics. The idea was that no gnosis could be complete without grasping all four senses.

It sounds like you're already familiar with this approach. We've explored other methods of understanding religious truth here. See this very substantive discussion and also this one. Maybe there's something there that might interest you as well.