Was Zwingli the first to preach lectio continua? On January 1, 1519, Zwingli preached from Matthew 1:1, beginning the Reformation in Switzerland.* Thereafter he continued to preach linearly through Matthew. This manner of preaching (or reading) Scripture is known in Latin as lectio continua, and from what I know it seems to be the dominant approach to preaching in Protestant Christianity. It is also sometimes known as systematic expository preaching.

The Wikipedia article on lectio continua mentions that as a practice of reading it has early church precedence. I'm wondering, though, whether there was also the precedence of preaching in this manner? In other words, was Zwingli going back to something that had previously been done, or was it something new to him?
Erskine Theological Seminary professor Hughes Oliphant Old says no. In volume 7 of his history of preaching, The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, he lists Chrysostom, Augustine, and Origen as having done it previously. He also implies that many others had probably done so given the ubiquity and appropriateness of expository preaching in general, going back to the apostles. The discussion can be found on page 172.