Book
Forms
It is probable that most, if not all, of
the original New Testament documents were written in scroll (or roll) form. The
length of the writing determined the size of the scroll, usually no more than twenty
sheets pasted together, about a foot (30 cm) high and seldom exceeding
thirty-five feet (10.5 m) in length. Extant papyrus scrolls of the Egyptian Book of the Dead are more than 100 feet
(30 m) long, but they were meant to be buried in a tomb, not read. The Gospel
of Luke and the Book of Acts would have each filled a papyrus scroll of
thirty-one or thirty-two feet (9.5 m) in length, thus having to be issued in
two volumes instead of one. The English word “volume” comes from the Latin volumen, meaning “something rolled up” (cp.
biblion in Luke 4:17, 20; John 20:30;
Rev. 6:14). The text was written in many columns (each two or three inches [5-7½
cm] wide), so that the unused part of the scroll could be neatly rolled up on
the left- and right-hand sides.
It is possible that some of the New Testament
documents, particularly those originating in major industrialized centers like
Rome, were composed in codex form. A codex was shaped much like a modern book,
consisting of several leaves or pages bound together. This form came into
widespread use near the end of the 1st century AD.1 It was a more
convenient form than the scroll, especially for reading and for text reference,
and also for writing on both sides (reducing the cost of production). The codex
allowed multiple volumes (e.g. all four Gospels or all the Pauline epistles) to
be collected into a single book. Very early on Christians adopted and
popularized the codex format in preference to the scroll. Of the approximately
172 extant biblical manuscripts or fragments transcribed prior to AD 400 or not
long thereafter, all but fourteen were produced in codex form.
Handwriting
Uncial or Majuscule script consists of
unconnected capital letters (sometimes called “book-hand”). The word “uncial”
is derived from the Latin uncia,
meaning “a 12th part,” or perhaps uncialis,
meaning “inch-high.” It has been suggested that the term came to be applied to writings
that occupied about one-twelfth of an ordinary line of text. This term has a
precise meaning in Latin writing but only a derived and less precise meaning in
Greek (see B. M. Metzger and B. D. Ehrman, The
Text of the NT 17; J. H. Greenlee, Introduction
to NT Textual Criticism 17).
In the earlier centuries practically no
accents, breathing or punctuation marks or adornments were used, with no
division between words – a style known as scriptio
continua. While scriptio continua
admittedly had the potential of causing ambiguity in the text, this was less
likely in the Greek language with, among other things, its structure of word
endings. Greek words typically end in vowels (or diphthongs) or in one of only
three consonants (nu, rho, sigma), and ancient texts were read aloud and copied
syllable by syllable rather than letter by letter. Moreover, the original
apostolic documents were personally delivered and publicly read by someone well
acquainted with the message (cf. Acts 15:22-32; Eph. 6:21-22; Phil. 2:19-25;
Col. 4:7-9). In English, the expression GODISNOWHERE could be read as either,
“God is now here” or “God is nowhere.” However, in Greek, the expression ΟΘΕΟΣΠΑΡΕΣΤΙΝΝΥΝ can only mean, “God is now here,” with no
ambiguity. New Testament manuscripts earlier than the 10th century were written
in uncial letters.
Minuscule is descriptive of smaller
(lower-case) letters. Cursive writing, wherein letters were connected and could
be written rapidly, was used for non-literary documents (e.g. personal notes,
receipts, lists, etc.). Although the terms “cursive” and “minuscule” are
sometimes used interchangeably, “cursive” applies to the less formal style of
non-literary documents, while “minuscule” refers to a neater form used for
literary texts (such as New Testament manuscripts). In the early 9th century AD
cursive was modified and formalized into the minuscule style that was suitable
for literature; by the end of the 10th century it had replaced uncial for
literary purposes. About nine-tenths of the extant Greek New Testament manuscripts
are written in the minuscule style.
Amanuenses
It was a common practice during the
Hellenistic age for skilled writers (amanuenses) to be employed for writing
just about any document, from literary works and legal records to business
transcripts and personal letters. In particular Paul seems to have followed the
customary practice of his contemporaries by employing the aid of secretarial
expertise (Rom. 16:22) and then writing his own subscription (1 Cor. 16:21;
Gal. 6:11; Col. 4:18; 2 Thess. 3:17; Philem. 19), although Paul was not the
only biblical writer who utilized secretarial assistance (cf. Jer. 36:1-4; 1
Pet. 5:12; Acts 15:22-23).2
Conclusion
Beyond the oral transmission of divine revelation, biblical documents
serve as an extension of prophetic and apostolic teaching. More than paper and
ink and human instrumentality, these writings communicate God’s will for
mankind. “For
the word of God is living and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division
of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
--Kevin L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 See C. H.
Roberts and T. C. Skeat, Birth of the
Codex 54-61. In Epigram 1.2 of the Roman poet Martial (d. 102), dated
84-86, reference is made to writings in the codex form (see C. P. Thiede and M.
D’Ancona, The Jesus Papyrus 103-105);
cf. D. C. Parker, NT Manuscripts
13-21.
2 This convention is clearly
demonstrated in the papyri (cf. E. G. Turner, Greek Papyri: An Introduction 82-83). See also R. N. Longenecker,
“Ancient Amanuenses,” in New Dimensions
in NT Study 282-87; E. R. Richards, The
Secretary in the Letters of Paul; G. J. Bahr, “Paul and Letter Writing in
the Fi[rst] Century” 465-477; “The Subscriptions in the Pauline Letters” 27-41;
J. Murphy-O’Connor, Paul the
Letter-Writer 8-16; M. P. Prior, Paul
the Letter-Writer.
Related Posts: Production of a NT Document Part 1, Divine Revelation and Inspiration of the Scriptures
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