AKC 4: The Physical Production of the Bible

AKC 4: The Physical Production of the Bible

Mount Sinai Exodus

Law of Moses originally written on stone Exodus 31: 18, finger of God Law code of Hammurabi (1810-1750 BC) written on stone (diorite), Akkadian, made c. 1700 BC, found in Susa, Iran (Louvre Museum)

Old Testament/ Hebrew Bible Tablets of stone placed in ark of the covenant (aron ha-brit), Exod. 25: 16; 1 Kings 8: 9

Tablets of stone Tablet of stone with part of epic of Gilgamesh, cuneiform script, British Museum c.2000 BC

Old Testament/Hebrew Bible: from stone to scrolls Josiah found scroll of the law in temple 2 Kings 22; 2 Chron. 34 sepher..megillah Scrolls made of leather/parchment or papyrus, large or small

Torah ark in synagogue Scribes copied scrolls over centuries e.g. Masoretes (7 th -11 th centuries). Masorah = tradition. They created standard text of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament

The Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensi a the Masoretic text

Is this all?..don t forget the Apocrypha Modern term for hidden books not brought out for general reading. Library concept. Ta biblia ( the books ). Apocrypha existed only in Greek by the time the list (canon) of books was closed. 1 and 2 Maccabees Tobit Judith Wisdom of Solomon (Sirach) Enoch 1-4 Jubilees

P.Rylands 458 Septuagint (LXX) Greek translation of Hebrew Bible: Ptolemy II (283-46 BC) Story in the Letter of Aristeas, 70 translators. Main Scripture for Greek-speaking Jewish communities. P. Rylands 458 oldest Greek fragments of Deut. 2 nd cent. BC (found 1917)

Palaeography The study of ancient writing

From Scrolls to Books Codex Codices: created fixed collection and order Codex Vaticanus 4 th cent.

What is included in the Old Testament? LXX (so Vaticanus) has Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, 1 and 2 Maccabees and other books not found in Masoretic tradition. Latin Vulgate (by Jerome, 4 th cent.) and modern Catholic Bibles include these books. Some churches (Greek/Slavonic) also include 3 Macc., Ps. 151, and other ancient literature. Letter of Jude (NT) uses Assumption of Moses, 1 Enoch, cf. 2 Tim. 3: 16-17 Protestants/Jews only Hebrew originals.

Hebrew originals Parts of Hebrew originals of apocryphal texts now found among Dead Sea Scrolls and in Cairo Genizah so what now?

Many other Biblical manuscripts among Dead Sea Scrolls, e.g. Isaiah Scroll 1QIs a 351-295 or 230-53 BC

Many manuscripts Not just one manuscript of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Oldest Hebrew manuscripts of Hebrew Bible now are Dead Sea Scrolls. What to do when there are different versions? LXX versions, different editions in Hebrew, e.g. Jeremiah. 9 Psalms in DSS not in Hebrew Bible but 4 in LXX (Ps. 151 a and b, 154, 155).

Illuminated Manuscripts of Old Testament Cotton Genesis (5 th cent), Alexandria, burnt in fire, fragments survive, British Library Abraham meets angels Gen. 18

Vienna Genesis, 6 th century illuminated manuscript of Greek Bible, probably made in Syria. Blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh, Gen. 48: 20

New Testament collection Letters written to churches: e.g. Paul/scribe Gospels preserve oral traditions of life and death of Jesus, and his sayings (Mark, Matthew, Luke, John but also Thomas, Peter, Mary etc) Different churches copy and collect together useful writings. Clement of Rome had Paul s first letter to the Corinthians, c. 95 CE.

Books of New Testament originally written on papyrus codices or individual sheets Surviving papyri from 2 nd cent. onwards p46, Chester Beatty papyrus. Discovered by Frederick Kenyon, near Fayum, Egypt, 1936. Paul s letters. 2 nd - 3 rd cent.

New Testament papyri John Rylands papyrus p52 (Manchester) Part of Gospel of John, 2 nd cent. Written on both sides of paper

p.66 Bodmer papyrus, written around the year 200

Uncials: no gaps, no punctuation! BLESSEDAREYOUWHOAREPOORFORYO URSISTHEKINGDOMOFGODBLESSEDAR EYOUWHOAREHUNGRYFORYOUWILLBE FILLEDBLESSEDAREYOUWHOWEEPNOW FORYOUWILLLAUGHBLESSEDAREYOUW HENPEOPLEHATEYOUANDWHENTHEYEX CLUDEYOUANDDEFAMEYOUONACCOUN TOFTHESONOFMANREJOICEINTHATDAY

Sinaiticus 4 th century St. Catherine s Monastery, Sinai, now in British Library. Whole Bible, OT and NT - complete New Testament First studied by Tischendorf in 19 th century, and brought to Russia

Novum Testamentum Graece Nestle Aland

Many manuscripts Scribes copy and also change texts. No two manuscripts the same.

Textus receptus Received text worked out by scholars, with many caveats, and graded into different degrees of probability. Textual criticism. Different modern translations reflecting different choices in terms of meanings and readings. E.g. New English Bible, New Revised Standard Version, King James Bible

Different New Testament collections Standard collection today (canon) has 27 books Early church had many more apocryphal New Testament also, e.g. Sinaiticus also has Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas.

Illuminated Gospels Garima gospels (Ethiopia), C14 dated to 330-650 in 2010

Illuminated Gospels Rabbula Gospels dated 586, Florence