Knowing Your Bible Lesson 1.1. The Making of Ancient Books Introduction

• Bible study often brings up fundamental questions of validity: − How do we know the Bible is from God? − How do we know it hasn’t been altered by men? − How do we know there are not parts of the Bible missing? Introduction

• Such questions are complicated by: − Variations between ancient manuscripts (mss) − Misunderstandings on Biblical collection and organization − A number of ancient books not included in the Bible − The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls − A plethora of modern translations Introduction

How the Bible has come down to us is a story of adventure and devotion. It is a story of toil and faith by those who, sometimes at great cost, passed down from generation to generation the message of salvation. The Bible did not just happen nor has it been preserved through the years by mere chance. Living in a day when books are written and printed by the thousands, we are apt to overlook the fascinating drama that lies behind our Bible. (Lightfoot, ch.1) Early Writing Early Writing

• Writing was common in Near East by 3000 BC

• Some Egyptian Hieroglyphs are even older

• The first alphabet was developed about 1700 BC

• Five or more alphabets existed in Moses’ day

• Bottom line: there’s no reason to believe the Bible existed orally longer than it had to Early Writing

• Ancient people used a number of different writing materials: − Stone − Leather − Metal − Papyrus − Wooden Tablets − Ink − Clay Tablets − Scrolls and Codices − Ostraca Leather

• Egyptians used by 2500 BC

• Also called vellum or parchment (pergamene)

• Required by the Talmud for OT text (2Ti 4:13)

• The Isaiah Scroll is black ink on leather Papyrus

• Our root for words like paper, biblia and chart.

• Egyptians used by 3000 BC (Isa 18:2; Job 9:26)

• Plant was cut into strips, pressed into sheets, and then glued together

• Made for a strong, smooth surface

• Ink could be erased and the papyrus reused

• “Civilization depends on the use of papyrus” (Pliny). Papyrus • The Greek text of the Gospel of Matthew; Egypt, 4th cent. AD

• Hebrew Text of Amos; Iraq, ~AD 1000 Ink

• Black was most common and made from carbon mixed with a natural gum

• Red ink was used for headings

• Scriptorium inkwell from Qumran; pre-AD 68 Scrolls and Codices

• Papyrus/vellum strips were used to make scrolls

• ~20 sheets were glued to form 32-35-ft rolls

• Writing could be on one/both sides (Eze 2:10)

• Seals were used to prevent tampering (Rev 5:1)

• By the 1st cent. AD people stitched papyrus together to create a book or codex Scrolls and Codices • Codex of the Greek New Testament, open to Mark 1; AD 1300

• “Christians were the first to make extensive use of the codex,” making it a truly “Christian innovation” (Lightfoot ch. 2). Early Writing

• Ancient people used a number of different writing materials: − Stone − Leather − Metal − Papyrus − Wooden Tablets − Ink − Clay Tablets − Scrolls and Codices − Ostraca Biblical Scribes Biblical Scribes

• Moses is the first writer in the Bible (Exo 17:14)

• Joshua wrote as well (Jos 24:26)

• Later writers did the same (1Sa 10:25; Jer 36:2)

• The NT pattern is similar (1Th 5:27; Col 4:16)

• Biblical scribal traditions continued for 3000 years until printing was invented Biblical Scribes

• The Role of the Scribes − Recorder (Est 3:12; Jer 36:4, 32) − Record keeper (1Ch 24:6; 2Ki 12:10; 25:19) − Legal scholars (Ezra 7:6, 10-11; Mat 2:4; 17:10) − Advisers to the kings (2Ki 18:18, 37) − To lead in scholarship and counsel (Mat 23:1-3) Biblical Scribes

• The Rearing of the Scribes − Born into it (1Ch 2:55)? − Learned to read, write and speak regional languages − “Big brothers” assisted younger students with lessons − Copied works of literature and bilingual dictionaries − Learned math, weights and measures, budgeting and business management − Learned how to prepare contracts for adoptions, sales, marriages, wage agreements, etc. Conclusion

• Writing was widely used in the ancient world

• Materials balanced permanence and portability

• Vellum is the most important OT material

• NT texts were written on papyrus then vellum

• Scribes were also common in the ancient world

• They were charged with faithful copying and interpretation Works Cited

The Biblical World in Pictures. Ed. Hershel Shanks. Washington: Biblical Archaeology Society, 2003. Accordance.

Lightfoot, Neil R. How We Got the Bible. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003.

NIV Archaeological Study Bible. Ed. Walter C. Kaiser Jr. & Duane Garrett. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. Print.

Wikipedia. Web. Jan. 10, 2007.