Βίβλος or, βιβλίον was the term most widely used by the Greeks for book or volume. The usual derivation is from βύβλος the Egyptian papyrus. Comp. Lat. liber "the inner bark of a tree," also " book." Pliny (Nat. Hist. xiii. 11) says that the pith of the papyrus plant was cut in slices and laid in rows, over which other rows were laid crosswise, and the whole was massed by pressure. The name for the blank papyrus sheets was χάρτης (charta) paper. See on 2 John 1:12. Timothy is here requested to bring some papyrus documents which are distinguished from the vellum manuscripts.
Parchments (μεμβράνας)
N.T.o. Manuscripts written on parchment or vellum. Strictly speaking, vellum was made from the skins of young calves and the common parchment from those of sheep, goats, or antelopes. It was a more durable material than papyrus and more expensive. The Latin name was membrana, and also pergamena or pergamina, from Pergamum in Mysia where it was extensively manufactured, and from which it was introduced into Greece. As to the character and contents of these documents which Timothy is requested to bring, we are of course entirely ignorant."
Access to literature, and scribes, and things like that are part of the recent arguments (for example from Robyn Walsh) that the NT authors were from the elite. This is not something I have looked into extensively, but I do find myself skeptical, we have evidence of non-elite village scribes (the likely produces of Q), so I'm not sure why the existence of parchments and the such would rule out non-elite authors. If a house church did have, for example, a Q collection, a version of Mark, (early Church fathers talk about the memoirs of the Apostles being read at churches) or perhaps something from Isaiah, Deuteronomy or the psalms, it may have very well been copied (from a traveling overseer or a synagogue) by a non-elite scribe on behalf of the community.
BTW, the fact that almost ALL our literary evidence comes from the elite is not surprising to anyone who thinks about it for two seconds, and has nothing to say about whether or not there was (however limited) non-elite literary production.
Roman, here is a review of the Walsh book: https://www.academia.edu/114312052/Review_of_Robyn_Faith_Walsh_The_Origins_of_Early_Christian_Literature_Contextualizing_the_New_Testament_within_Greco_Roman_Literary_Culture_Cambridge_Cambridge_University_Press_2021_
Brent Nongbri also wrote a review of the book. Appreciate your thoughts.
6 comments:
Vincent's Word Studies:
"The books (βιβλία)
Βίβλος or, βιβλίον was the term most widely used by the Greeks for book or volume. The usual derivation is from βύβλος the Egyptian papyrus. Comp. Lat. liber "the inner bark of a tree," also " book." Pliny (Nat. Hist. xiii. 11) says that the pith of the papyrus plant was cut in slices and laid in rows, over which other rows were laid crosswise, and the whole was massed by pressure. The name for the blank papyrus sheets was χάρτης (charta) paper. See on 2 John 1:12. Timothy is here requested to bring some papyrus documents which are distinguished from the vellum manuscripts.
Parchments (μεμβράνας)
N.T.o. Manuscripts written on parchment or vellum. Strictly speaking, vellum was made from the skins of young calves and the common parchment from those of sheep, goats, or antelopes. It was a more durable material than papyrus and more expensive. The Latin name was membrana, and also pergamena or pergamina, from Pergamum in Mysia where it was extensively manufactured, and from which it was introduced into Greece. As to the character and contents of these documents which Timothy is requested to bring, we are of course entirely ignorant."
Access to literature, and scribes, and things like that are part of the recent arguments (for example from Robyn Walsh) that the NT authors were from the elite. This is not something I have looked into extensively, but I do find myself skeptical, we have evidence of non-elite village scribes (the likely produces of Q), so I'm not sure why the existence of parchments and the such would rule out non-elite authors. If a house church did have, for example, a Q collection, a version of Mark, (early Church fathers talk about the memoirs of the Apostles being read at churches) or perhaps something from Isaiah, Deuteronomy or the psalms, it may have very well been copied (from a traveling overseer or a synagogue) by a non-elite scribe on behalf of the community.
BTW, the fact that almost ALL our literary evidence comes from the elite is not surprising to anyone who thinks about it for two seconds, and has nothing to say about whether or not there was (however limited) non-elite literary production.
https://youtu.be/TC9p6LmrYBo?si=XGKWy8VVvgsN6IR5
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex%23:~:text%3DAs%2520early%2520as%2520the%2520early,scrolls%2520(see%2520Herculaneum%2520papyri).&ved=2ahUKEwjZqPbF9vyJAxW0QEEAHe24KjIQFnoECBsQBQ&usg=AOvVaw3LFatFwE87Jnuo3Kn86Ftw
Thanks, Terence. Good stuff and I appreciate the last thing that Vincent wrote in those comments.
Roman, here is a review of the Walsh book: https://www.academia.edu/114312052/Review_of_Robyn_Faith_Walsh_The_Origins_of_Early_Christian_Literature_Contextualizing_the_New_Testament_within_Greco_Roman_Literary_Culture_Cambridge_Cambridge_University_Press_2021_
Brent Nongbri also wrote a review of the book. Appreciate your thoughts.
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