DOCSLIB.ORG

1.1. Ancient Books

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
1.1. Ancient Books 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..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Some Observations on the Nature of Papyrus Bonding
    ]. Ethnobiol. 11(2):193-202 Winter 1991 SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE NATURE OF PAPYRUS BONDING PETER E. SCORA Moreno Valley, CA 92360 and RAINER W. SCORA Department of Botany and Plant Sciences University of California Riverside, CA 92521 ABSTRACT.-Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus, Cyperaceae) was a multi-use plant in ancient Egypt. Its main use, however, was for the production of laminated leaves which served as writing material in the Mediterranean world for almost 5000 years. Being a royal monopoly, the manufacturing process was kept secret. PI~us Secundus, who first described this process, is unclear as to the adhesive forces bonding the individual papyrus strips together. Various authors of the past century advanced their own interpretation on bonding. The present authors believe that the natural juices of the papyrus strip are sufficient to bond the individual strips into a sheet, and that any additional paste used was for the sole purpose of pasting the individual dried papyrus sheets into a scroll. RESUMEN.-EI papiro (Cyperus papyrus, Cyperaceae) fue una planta de uso multiple en el antiguo Egipto. Su uso principal era la produccion de hojas lami­ nadas que sirvieron como material de escritura en el mundo meditarraneo durante casi 5000 anos. Siendo un monopolio real, el proceso de manufactura se mantema en secreto. Plinius Secundus, quien describio este proceso por primera vez, no deja claro que fuerzas adhesivas mantenlan unidas las tiras individuales de papiro. Diversos autores del siglo pasado propusieron sus propias interpretaciones respecto a la adhesion. Consideramos que los jugos naturales de las tiras de papiro son suficientes para adherir las tiras individuales y formar una hoja, y que cual­ quier pegamento adicional se usa unicamente para unir las hojas secas individuales para formar un rollo.
    [Show full text]
  • Be a Scribe Papyrus Lansing
    Name ____________________________________________ Date __________ Class _______ Period ____ Quaestio: ________________________________________________________________________________ The Invention of Writing Directions: Examine the infographic and the text and answer the questions belowINFOGRAPHIC. INFOGRAPHIC Around 8000 B.C., Sumerians began using differently shaped clay tokens to represent various items of exchange, such as sheep, bread, or oil. To record economic transactions, they placed the tokens inside clay envelopes often 1 The Sumerians sometimes pressed shaped like balls. Around 3500 B.C., Sumerians began to press the tokens into Around tokens8000 B.C., into Sumerians the surface began of a clayusing enve- differently shapedclay tabletsclay tokens to make to signs. They also started marking the clay using a sharp representlope various before items placing of exchange, them within such it, as sheep, bread, or oil. To record perhaps to indicate its contents. tool called a stylus. Around 3200 B.C., they created a true writing system that economic transactions, they placed the tokens inside clay includedenvelopes symbols often that represented words or syllables. 1 The Sumerians sometimes pressed shaped like balls. Around 3500 B.C., Sumerians began to press the tokens into tokens into the surface of a clay enve- clay tablets to make signs. They also started marking the clay using a sharp lope before placing them within it, perhaps to indicate its contents. tool called a stylus. Around 3200 B.C., they created a true writing system that included symbols that represented words or syllables. Cuneiform Symbol Meaning Mountain Orchard Fish Cuneiform A scribe listed quantities of various 2 SOURCE: Stephen Bertman, Handbook to Life in Symbol commodities on this clay tablet using Ancient Mesopotamia both token impressions and a stylus.
    [Show full text]
  • Storage and Handling of Manuscripts
    International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print): 2319 – 7714 www.ijhssi.org ||Volume 6 Issue 2||February. 2017 || PP.30-32 Storage and Handling of Manuscripts Dr. Sarita Bhattacharjee Librarian, Women’s College, Silchar, Assam, India ABSTRACT: Manuscript is handwritten old document. This paper highlights the types of manuscripts that are usually found in India and also the different initiatives adopted for cataloguing the Indian manuscripts. It focuses on the guidelines for storing and also handling of the manuscripts. Keywords: Manuscript, Cataloguing of Manuscripts, National Mission for Manuscripts, India, Storage, Handling I. INTRODUCTION Manuscript means old document which is written by hand. The word „Manuscript‟ is derived from the Latin phrase „manu scriptum‟ means „written by hand‟. The Antiquities Art Treasures Act 1972 defines manuscript „as a record of scientific, historical, literary or aesthetic value and which has been in existence for not less than 75 years.‟ A manuscript is a handwritten composition on paper, cloth, metal, bark of tree, palm leaf or any other material. In India manuscripts are written in various languages and scripts. The major manuscripts are found in Sanskrit language. The Sanskrit collection of Sarasvai Mahal is the largest manuscripts of India which contain the major works of Sanskrit literature beginning with the Vedas. These manuscripts were written in palm leaf and papers. II. MANUSCRIPTS IN INDIA In the ancient times the earlier method of transferring knowledge to new generation was oral i.e. through schools called gurukulas. But it was quite difficult on the part of the learners to remember all the teachings of their Gurus.
    [Show full text]
  • Reused Paper Bags – Papyrus Papermaking
    materials for the arts Reused Paper Bags – Papyrus Papermaking 6th grade Unit: the Early River Valley Civilizations Essential Question: To what degree does geography determine culture? Instructional Outcome: Students will understand how the geography of the Nile River Valley influenced their papermaking and writing process by analyzing secondary sources and participating in a papermaking activity. (2 Days) Materials: Informational trade books on Egyptian geography, papyrus papermaking, hieroglyphs, & scribes. Ex: Eyewitness: Ancient Egypt. Glue, water, mixing bowl, markers, paper bags or butcher paper. http://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-•‐shows/what-•‐the-•‐ancients-•‐knew/videos/what-•‐the-•‐ancients-•‐knew-•‐i-•‐shorts-•‐ papyrus/ & http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-•‐collection-•‐online/search?ft=*&deptids=10&rpp=30&pg=2 CCLS: 6.3c Mesopotamia, Yellow River valley, Indus River valley, and Nile River valley complex societies and civilizations adapted to and modified their environment to meet the needs of their population. RI.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. RI.6.2 Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments. W.6.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry where appropriate. Academic and Content Vocabulary: Hieroglyphic, Scribe, Phonogram, Ideogram, Cartouche, Printmaking, surplus, and Papyrus. Do now/hook: Students listen to an Egyptian song and read the lyrics on the screen. “When the [Nile] arises earth rejoices and all men are glad….
    [Show full text]
  • Revealing Metallic Ink in Herculaneum Papyri
    Revealing metallic ink in Herculaneum papyri Emmanuel Bruna,b, Marine Cottec,d, Jonathan Wrightc, Marie Ruatc, Pieter Tacke, Laszlo Vinczee, Claudio Ferreroc, Daniel Delattref,g, and Vito Mocellah,1 aInserm U1216, F-38000 Grenoble, France; bUniversité Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut des Neurosciences, F-38000 Grenoble, France; cThe European Synchrotron, 38043 Grenoble, Cedex, France; dLaboratoire d’Archéologie Moléculaire et Structurale, CNRS-Université Pierre et Marie Curie, UMR 8220, 75005 Paris, France; eDepartment of Analytical Chemistry, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; fCNRS-Institut de Recherche et d’Histoire des Textes, 75016 Paris, France; gCentro Internazionale per lo Studio dei Papiri Ercolanesi, 80131 Napoli, Italy; and hConsiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi (CNR-IMM), Unità di Napoli, 80131 Napoli, Italy Edited by Richard Janko, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, and accepted by the Editorial Board February 18, 2016 (received for review October 8, 2015) Writing on paper is essential to civilization, as Pliny the Elder remarks more adherent, ink was required. Thereafter, metallic inks in his Natural History, when he describes the various types of papyri, became the standard for parchments in late antiquity and for the method of manufacturing them, and all that concerns writing most of the Middle Ages (4, 7). materials in the mid-first century AD. For this reason, a rigorous In this work, we study the chemical composition of papyrus scientific study of writing is of fundamental importance for the fragments carbonized by Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 AD historical understanding of ancient societies. We show that metallic and found in the Villa dei Papiri at Herculaneum between 1752 ink was used several centuries earlier than previously thought.
    [Show full text]
  • Learning Objective: to Find out About the First Writing Systems
    Early Civilisations Learning Objective: To find out about the first writing systems. NEXT www.planbee.com How do we find out about the past? BACK NEXT www.planbee.com Before people invented ways of writing to record stories, facts and information, we had to rely on archaeological evidence to help us find out what life was like. The period before writing was used is called prehistory. These archaeologists are excavating a site in Egypt Archaeologists are historians who find out about the past by looking at what people have left behind. They do this by digging up objects from the ground and by looking at changes made to the ground, like the remains of buildings or city walls. BACK NEXT www.planbee.com We can find out a lot through archaeological evidence, such as where people lived, the kind of houses and buildings they built, the food they ate, the animals they kept and the objects they made but there are lots of things archaeology alone can’t tell us about the time before writing was invented. What kind of things can’t we find out about the past just from archaeological evidence? BACK NEXT www.planbee.com Did you think of these ideas? People’s names What laws people had People’s opinions to live by The stories people told What people looked like The gods people How society was worshipped organised BACK NEXT www.planbee.com The very first writing system in the world was invented by the Sumerians around 3300 BC. The first writing used pictures as words but over the next 200 years, these pictures became wedge-shaped symbols.
    [Show full text]
  • Legibility Enhancement of Papyri Using Color Processing and Visual
    Personalizing image enhancement for critical visual tasks: improved legibility of papyri using color processing and visual illusions Vlad Atanasiu 1, 2 and Isabelle Marthot-Santaniello 1 University of Basel 1 and University of Fribourg 2, Switzerland, [email protected], [email protected] Abstract Purpose: This article develops theoretical, algorithmic, perceptual, and interaction aspects of script legibility enhancement in the visible light spectrum for the purpose of scholarly editing of papyri texts. — Methods: Novel legibility enhancement algorithms based on color processing and visual illusions are compared to classic methods in a user experience experiment. — Results: (1) The proposed methods outperformed the comparison methods. (2) Users exhibited a broad behavioral spec- trum, under the influence of factors such as personality and social conditioning, tasks and application domains, expertise level and image quality, and affordances of software, hardware, and interfaces. No single enhancement method satisfied all factor configurations. Therefore, it is suggested to offer users a broad choice of methods to facilitate personalization, contextualization, and complementarity. (3) A distinction is made between casual and critical vision on the basis of signal ambiguity and error consequences. The criteria of a paradigm for enhancing images for critical applications comprise: in- terpreting images skeptically; approaching enhancement as a system problem; considering all image structures as potential information; and making
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Writing
    Ancient Writing As early civilizations developed, societies became more complicated. Record keeping and communication demanded something beyond symbols and pictures to represent the spoken word. This resource explores the early writing systems of four ancient civilizations: Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and Mesoamerica. You'll also learn about the Rosetta Stone, the 19th-century discovery that gave scholars the key that unlocked the language of ancient Egypt. Grade Level: Grades 3-5 Collection: Ancient Art, East Asian Art, Egyptian Art, Pre-Columbian Art Culture/Region: America, China, Egypt Subject Area: History and Social Science, Science, Visual Arts Activity Type: Art in Depth HOW ANCIENT WRITING BEGAN… AND ENDED As early civilizations developed, societies became more complicated. Record keeping and communication demanded something beyond symbols and pictures to represent the spoken word. This gallery explores the early writing systems of four ancient civilizations: Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and Mesoamerica. Here you’ll also learn about the Rosetta Stone, the 19th-century discovery that gave scholars the key that unlocked the language of ancient Egypt. Why were writing systems developed? Communication – Sounds and speech needed to be visually represented. Correspondence – There was a desire to send notes, letters, and instructions. Recording – Bookkeeping tasks became important for counting crops, paying workers’ rations, and collecting taxes. Preservation – Personal stories, rituals, religious texts, hymns, literature, and history all needed to be recorded. Why did some writing systems disappear? Change – Corresponding cultures died out or were absorbed by others. Innovation – Newer, simpler systems replaced older systems. Conquest – Invaders or new rulers imposed their own writing systems. New Beginnings – New ways of writing developed with new belief systems.
    [Show full text]
  • Papyrus Document System 7
    Product Information: Papyrus Document System 7 Papyrus Document System 7 Concept Outline Papyrus Document System Based on the Papyrus Platform Concept, Existing Application ISIS Papyrus has developed the most Papyrus Designer Suite powerful application development tools Database Query 100% perfect WYSIWYG and infrastructure enabling central instal- design for Business Users and Data file ® lation, administration and maintenance debugging, testing & performance profiling for IT professionals for all corporate document applications. AFP/PDF viewing Document Web applications Formatting Papyrus WebPortal Papyrus Software provides significant Engine benefits to your organization’s customer Papyrus WebRepository service, marketing, and operations de- Documents, text, data structures, fonts, bundling controls, forms, graphics, user partments, without limiting your docu- authorization and process definitions ment creativity and flexibility. From the designer workstation, to the PC client, to Data Interface External Storage the powerful processing, workflow and AFPDS/PDF/ output management features, Papyrus Document Description HTML delivers an integrated software solution Bundling Description Bundling, Distribution, and manages the complete document Mail Optimizing, lifecycle. Archiving Resources AFP Compatible Print Services & Printer fonts and forms are converted and Multi-Channel Output Papyrus is capable of producing mil- loaded to the printer only at time of print lions of document pages per day on mainframe, Unix or Windows, as well Back Office IPDS, PCL, as interactive editing of personalized Image Email Fax Post Processing PS, IJPDS business documents on the customer representative’s workstation or through the Web. It supports all code page sys- tems, including Unicode, Arabic and He- brew right-to-left formatting and DBCS Cross Industry Solution (double byte character set) Japanese, The Papyrus Document System is used Chinese and Korean fonts.
    [Show full text]
  • The Writing Surface Papyrus and Its Materials 1. Can the Writing Material Papyrus Tell Us Where It Was Produced? 2
    The Writing Surface Papyrus and its Materials 1. Can the writing material papyrus tell us where it was produced? 2. Material study of the inks Ira Rabin - Myriam Krutzsch in Proceedings of the 28th Congress of Papyrology Barcelona 1-6 August 2016 Edited by Alberto Nodar & Sofía Torallas Tovar Coedited by María Jesús Albarrán Martínez, Raquel Martín Hernández, Irene Pajón Leyra, José-Domingo Rodríguez Martín & Marco Antonio Santamaría Scripta Orientalia 3 Barcelona, 2019 Coordinación y edición: Alberto Nodar – Sofía Torallas Tovar Coedición: María Jesús Albarrán Martínez, Raquel Martín Hernández, Irene Pajón Leyra, José Domingo Rodríguez Martín, Marco Antonio Santamaría Diseño de cubierta: Sergio Carro Martín Primera edición, junio 2019 © los editores y los autores 2019 La propiedad de esta edición es de Publicacions de l’Abadia de Montserrat Ausiàs Marc 92-98 – 08013 Barcelona ISBN 978-84-9191-079-4 (Pamsa) ISBN 978-84-88042-89-7 (UPF) Edición digital http://hdl.handle.net/10230/41902 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword i Program of the congress vi Photograph of participants xxi PART I: Papyrology: methods and instruments 1 Archives for the History of Papyrology ANDREA JÖRDENS, Die Papyrologie in einer Welt der Umbrüche 3-14 ROBERTA MAZZA, Papyrology and Ethics 15-27 PETER ARZT-GRABNER, How to Abbreviate a Papyrological Volume? Principles, 28-55 Inconsistencies, and Solutions PAOLA BOFFULA, Memorie dal sottosuolo di Tebtynis a ... Roma e a Venezia! 56-67 ELISABETH R. O’CONNELL, Greek and Coptic manuscripts from First Millennium 68-80 CE Egypt (still) in the British Museum NATASCIA PELLÉ, Lettere di B. P. Grenfell e A. S.
    [Show full text]
  • Now You See Me… a History of Erasing
    Now You See Me, Now You Don’t A History of Erasing or as long as there has been writing there have been errors and the need to erase them. Logically, the erasure of writing can be done in one of three ways: namely the removal of the writing from the page, the hiding of the Fwords on the page, and lastly the covering of the words on the page. The first writing implements and surfaces were made for mistakes, as the wet clay used in tablets could simply be smoothed over and new letters formed with the stylus. It is likely that the complexity of the glyphs used in the first written languages seen in Egypt and Sumer (now in southern Iraq) resulted in many mistakes being made as each glyph would be formed individually. It is estimated that Sumerian cuneiform had approximately 1000 different glyphs in its infancy with its instruction being the main focus of lessons in the very first schools that began in Sumer. Cuneiform script The Sumerians established tablet houses that were located in the courtyard of the city temple and its pupils were boys from the wealthiest families. These educational establishments were so named because of the clay tablets upon which lessons were carefully copied from one half to the other by pupils. The learning and recitation of these texts was the primary focus of the school day and upon completion of their education, pupils were employed as scribes. Editing on Papyrus The transition from clay tablets to papyrus is significant not only in terms of its transportability, but also its cost and availability, both of which had implications for the writer’s ability to make and correct errors.
    [Show full text]
  • Ink from Ancient Egyptian Papyri Contains Copper 10 November 2017
    Ink from ancient Egyptian papyri contains copper 10 November 2017 fourth and fifth centuries AD. But in a new University of Copenhagen study, analyses of 2,000-year-old papyri fragments with X-ray microscopy show that black ink used by Egyptian scribes also contained copper - an element previously not identified in ancient ink. In a study published today in Scientific Reports, a cross-disciplinary team of researchers show that Egyptians used carbon inks that contained copper, which has not been identified in ancient ink before. Although the analysed papyri fragments were written over a period of 300 years and from different geographical regions, the results did not vary significantly: The papyri fragments were investigated with advanced synchrotron radiation based X-ray microscopy equipment at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble as part of the cross-disciplinary CoNext project, and the particles found in the inks indicate that they were by- products of the extraction of copper from sulphurous ores. "The composition of the copper-containing carbon inks showed no significant differences that could be related to time periods or geographical locations, which suggests that the ancient Egyptians used the same technology for ink production throughout Egypt from roughly 200 BC to 100 AD," says Egyptologist and first author of the study Thomas Christiansen from the University of Copenhagen. No unique ink signature Fragment from the Tebtunis temple library in the The studied papyri fragments all form part of larger Papyrus Carlsberg Collection. Credit: University of manuscripts belonging to the Papyrus Carlsberg Copenhagen Collection at the University of Copenhagen, more specifically from two primary sources: the private papers of an Egyptian soldier named Horus, who was stationed at a military camp in Pathyris, and Until recently, it was assumed that the ink used for from the Tebtunis temple library, which is the only writing was primarily carbon-based at least until the surviving large-scale institutional library from 1 / 2 ancient Egypt.
    [Show full text]