College and Research Libraries

The Emergence of the Book Glenn A. Anderson Archaeological discoveries during the past century provide documentary evidence for the ratio of rolls to codices during the first four centuries of our era. This ratio differs markedly from Christian to Jewish and pagan writings, suggesting that our book form may initially have been a Christian strategy to distinguish Christian from other writings and that this format, when its physical advantages became evident, was then adopted by the larger culture. Using this evidence, C. H. Roberts has suggested two historical reconstructions of the first use of the codex form. he role of utility in cultural tary developments of paper and printing change is often assumed to be and their momentous effects on the his primary: why else would a new tory of the book have fed a literature thaf technology be adopted but for has spilled over into the popular level. its increased utility? Scholarship based on Few librarians or scholars are puzzled this assumption tends to confine the deci by references to Gutenberg or moveable sions that precede change within the type. One may infer, therefore, that this boundaries of utility. Such efforts are sup aspect of Western history is part of our ported by, and probably reflect, frequent general knowledge. Similarly, contempo attempts by scholars to locate the stimulus rary usage of computer technology for in for historical initiative in economic or so formation storage and retrieval has also cial necessity. be~n the subject of an expanding This article presents a review of an im literature-much of it at the popular level. portant but obscure historical event-the This literature can claim a kind of squat adoption of the codex or book form. The ter's rights in the consciousness of even victory of the codex over the once presti the most bookish scholar. The equally mo gious roll has been widely regarded as a mentous replacement of the roll by the co triumph of practicality and economic good dex form, however, has only the most sense. Recent archaeological discoveries, marginal place in the general knowledge however, have provided evidence that of those who work with books. Perhaps supports a different understanding of the this is as it should be for a development origin of what we call the book, an under that is almost two thousand years old and standing that does not banish utility com obscured by highly technical descriptions pletely as a factor but stresses the role of and vague, fragmented data. Nonethe other factors in this fundamental change. less, the centrality of the book form within This account of the emergence of our Western civilization lends a natural inter book form also provides a condensed his est to speculations about its origins. torical review for librarians and scholars The adoption of the codex form exhib who may overestimate the obscurity of the ited the following pattern: issues surrounding the adoption of the co dex form and regard them as specialist's "The codex owed its existence to the substitu turf. In comparison to the change to the tion of vellum [parchment] for papyrus as the codex form, the study of the complemen- common writing material for Greek and Latin Glenn A. Anderson is Humanities Reference Librarian, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849. 111 112 College & Research Libraries March 1988 literature; vellum was a tough material capable Luxor (also in Egypt), and along the west of being inscribed on both sides, and the leaves shore of the Dead Sea. Although the Dead could be stitched and bound in a form similar to 1 Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi codices are books of modem times." more famous, the immense papyrus col lection discovered at Oxyrhynchus be Two elements in this description deserve tween 1887 and 1928 is important for its attention: fragments of classical literature, gospels, 1. the inference that the change in writ apocrypha, patristic texts, and commer ing material from papyrus to parchment cial and civil items. led to the change from roll to codex form, The classification and listing of the vari and ous manuscripts has left a concrete record 2. the assumption that the physical of early forms of writing. While these ex shortcomings of the roll led to the over tant records offer only a tiny sampling of throw of papyrus as the scribes' chosen ancient writings, similarities between dis material (see figure 1). coveries suggest that these samples are To claim that the change from papyrus representative. Extant documents indi to parchment caused, or was the same as, cate that papyrus and parchment were the change from the roll to the codex form used interchangeably in rolls and codices. is a misunderstanding. Such a claim does Because parchment rolls and papyrus not take into account the substantial evi books remained in use for centuries after dence provided by extant manuscripts the adoption of the codex form, there is no from the first four centuries of our era: reason to attribute that adoption to the these manuscripts are prizes from the material used in the roll or codex.2 stream of archaeological discoveries made The second portion of the explanation in the last one hundred years. Since 1897, quoted above implies that parchment has large manuscript collections have been a toughness, durability, and versatility, discovered at Oxyrhynchus (south of because both sides can be written on. This Cairo in Egypt), Antinoe (only one hun made papyrus second rate. In fact, extant dred miles. from Oxyrhynchus), north of papyruses are sometimes inscribed on. ~ ~ .,._- ~ .........,_ .,..,._ .....-- - ---__...,. ~ .,..,._. -- tv-- ,.,._ .,...,.._ ~ v--- \{ .,..,._ -....,..,.- ~ --~ .,......._- I 1(\ ~- - Similarities between the early codex and the roll are considerable. The s.ame narrow columns of text were used in the codex-as many as four columns appeared on a single page. FIGURE 1 Roll and Codex The Emergence of the Book 113 both sides, as the existence of a technical term-opisthograph-for a roll written on 11 both sides indicates. The popular vision of • • • among Greek literary manu papyrus as a thin, fragile material, dried to scripts, the codex form gained a dom brittleness, is a misconception. Papyrus is inant position between the fourth sturdy, durable, and flexible. 3 and fifth centuries, almost three hun The existence of storage facilities for dred years after the first use of the co rolls in papyrus libraries and the use of dex form.'' papyrus for many forms of writing long af ter parchment was widely available illus trate that papyrus was regarded as satis- · factory for archival purposes. Other cent of the extant manuscripts are codi factors, e.g., ease of use, ease in marking ces, one's place, safety of storage, and cost, • in the second century, only two percent have also been cited as reasons for adopt of the extant manuscripts are codices, ing the codex. However, they describe ad • in the third century, seventeen percent vantages that are imaginary, inaccurate, are codices, and or inadequately demonstrated. Another • by the beginning of the fifth century, factor, the prestige of the roll, is impos ninety percent of the extant manu sible to weigh. Yet the formidable power scripts are codices. 4 of prestige and habit that the roll enjoyed This pattern indicates that among Greek among scribes ensured for the codex a literary manuscripts, the codex form long-time status as poor cousin. The ex gained a dominant position between the tant documents present a pattern in which fourth and fifth centuries, almost three the roll was used for most writings while hundred years after the first use of th.e co the codex was only occasionally used. dex form (see table 1). The Greek literary manuscripts that Christian biblical manuscripts from the have survived from the first four centuries first four centuries present a remarkably of our era provide a chart of the number of 'different pattern from that of the Greek lit rolls produced as compared to codices. erary manuscripts. Among 172 extant Assuming that these manuscripts repre papyrus and parchment Christian biblical sent the usual proportion between rolls texts written before A.D. 400, 158 are codi and codices, the following pattern of use ces and only 14 are rolls. 5 Of the 14 rolls, emerges: several have a biblical text written on the • in the first century, less than one per- other side of an already used roll so that TABLE 1 ROLLS AND CODICES AMONG GREEK LITERARY MANUSCRIPTS Century Rolls Codices Percenta~e of Codices 1 353 3 Less than 1% * (252) (1) 2 1132 24 2% (857) (4) 3 607 126 17% (406) (93) 4 66 158 70% (36) (99) 5 14 122 90% ~eginning of centu!Y} {11} {88} • To nearest 1/2% . Note: These data are presented using a statistical method offered by Will' .A.-l:Y_illis in "A Census of the Literary Papyri from Egypt," Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies, 9:205-41 (1968). illiS 1v1 es manuscripts that have been suggested as spanning two cen turies equally between the centuries in question. Parenthetical figures indicate manuscripts that have been firmly dated. 114 College & Research Libraries March 1988 the roll format seems determined by the the roll was secure, further magnifies this available material. 6 Several others are difference between Greek literary and probably of Jewish origin, and only one Christian biblical manuscripts (see figures roll, a text of Isaiah, has a Christian biblical 2 and 3). text on a roll when the codex form could Parallels between the emergence of the presumably have been used as easily. codex form and the spread of Christianity Taken as a body, Christian biblical writ have been often noted.

Load more