Bible 101

Lesson 1: Where do the Scriptures we know as “The Bible” come from ?

Writing Materials

The books of the Bible were not written in the manuscript form we are familiar with today, i.e. the specifically typed, double-spaced, AP style conforming way of writing. Instead, the original writings are found on a variety of materials in a variety of languages and styles of writing. (1)

The materials, on which the original manuscripts were written, include papyrus, vellum/parchment, and clay tablets. (2)

Papyrus was one of the most commonly used ancient writing materials. Its source is a reed plant, named papyrus, found mostly in the shallow lakes of the Nile delta. To prepare the papyrus reeds for use, they were harvested, split open and cut into narrow strips. Two layers were then pressed together and dried to create a thin writing surface. Given the fact that papyrus is a naturally occurring plant material, there are not very many original fragments of writings left on papyrus.

Vellum/Parchment were writing surfaces produced by using animal materials, in this case the skin of an animal. After an animal was killed, it was skinned, and the skin would then be scraped to remove any adhering tissue. Parchment was made mostly of antelope, sheep and goatskins. Vellum, using a similar process, refers to the leather manuscripts made from calfskin.

Clay Tablets were, as the name implies, fashioned from clay, and once dried, were engraved with a sharp nail or similar instrument, and then allowed to dry fully.

The OT writings’ original language was Hebrew. It is noteworthy that the Jewish Old Testament mirrors the English OT, except for the fact that the books are arranged differently, and the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles are not divided, nor are the books of the 12 minor prophets considered separate books, but one book. The books of the New Testament were written in Greek.

These manuscripts were put together in the form of scrolls: long pieces of leather, containing multiple numbers of pages of writing in rows, separated in columns. These scrolls could be rolled up and transported/stored. Sometimes, a long piece of either leather or papyrus was folded up to resemble a format reminiscent of a book. This particular format is now referred to as a codex. (3)

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