There is compelling evidence that, in antiquity, reading was understood only as an auricular event—
meaning it was performed aloud rather than silently. A striking example of this comes from Acts
8:30: “So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’” Here, Philip encounters the Ethiopian eunuch, who is traveling alone yet audibly reading from Isaiah. Again, in the ancient world, reading aloud was de rigueur, the norm, even when one was by oneself.
Further evidence comes as Augustine reflects on the peculiar reading habit of his mentor, St.
Ambrose, Bishop of Milan. Augustine, who often visited Ambrose for guidance, found the bishop’s
practice noteworthy enough to record in Book 6, Chapter 3 of St. Augustine’s Confessions: “When
he read, his eyes scanned the page and his heart sought out the meaning, but his voice was silent and his tongue was still, for he never read aloud.” Why would Augustine find this noteworthy? Because silent reading was still rare in 398 AD.
The idea that words could be processed internally, without any outward sound or move-
ment—something we take for granted today—was, in Augustine’s time, a novel development. Tradi-
tionally, reading was a communal or performative act, often done in pedagogical or liturgical settings like schools or synagogues, where Jesus, and later, the traveling Apostles and messengers of the
church read aloud (cf. Rev. 2-3). The transition to silent reading marked not just a change in literacy practices but also a deeper shift in how people engaged with texts and grappled with their own inte-
rior lives.
This evolution had profound theological implications as well, so basic and fundamental that
we are scarcely capable of even recognizing them today—like the old observation about fish being unaware of the water they swim in. Silent reading encouraged greater personal reflection and introspection, personal engagement, profoundly shaping the development of individual spirituality in the Christian tradition. It’s no wonder Augustine is often regarded as being both the last ancient and first
modern man.
Silent reading also allowed for more private engagement with Scripture, and a growing em-
phasis on personal Bible study as the printing press made texts available and affordable. And yet, the tradition of reading Scripture aloud remains essential. John’s words in Revelation 1:3 remind us:
“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear...”
Maranatha,
Jordy
