Back to Christian History & BiographySubscribe to ChristianHistory.net
Member Login:    


My Account | About Us | Join now | Forgot password?

 

CH Blog | This Week in Christian History | Ask the Expert | CH Store
 

Related Channels
Christianity Today magazine
Books & Culture





Christian History Home > Issue 43 > The Look and Feel of the First Bibles


The Look and Feel of the First Bibles
H. G. G. Herklots was a professor of exegetical theology at St. John's College in Canada and a rector in Flaxton, Manchester, in England. He wrote How Our Bible Came to Us (Oxford/A&C Black), from which this article is adapted. | posted 7/01/1994 12:00AM

A large volume of the kind ordered by Constantine is called a codex. The word is used to describe a manuscript that in shape and appearance is like a modern book—though very much larger than most. (A leaf of the Codex Sinaiticus measures 15 inches in height by 13 1/2 in breadth.) In the early fourth century, the codex form finally won the victory over the earlier roll, and vellum won its victory over the earlier papyrus (made from the pith of a Nile valley reed, much more like modern paper).

Vellum—or parchment—is made from the skin of sheep or goats. (Both animals sometimes make their contribution to one volume.) Vaticanus is made from particularly fine parchment, said to have been prepared from antelope skins.

Though both sides of a sheet of vellum are written upon, the outer “hair side,” by reason of its roughness, presents greater difficulty to the scribe than the smoother “flesh side.” A method of book construction was evolved so that pages opened flesh-side to flesh-side and hair-side ...

To view this item, you must be a member of ChristianHistory.net.


If you ARE a member
of ChristianHistory.net…


Please login:

E-mail:  
Password:  


 
If you are NOT a member
of ChristianHistory.net…

Please click here to see our membership options. As a member, you will be able to have access to all of the content on ChristianHistory.net.




Browse More ChristianHistory.net
Home  |  Browse by Topic  |  Browse by Period  |  The Past in the Present  |  Books & Resources

FREE E-Newsletter
Sign up for the ChristianHistory.net e-mail newsletter. Discover more about your Christian heritage with this weekly e-newsletter that features key people, topics, and events from the history of Christianity.
 
   RSS Feed   RSS Help






















ChristianityToday.com
Home CT Mag Church/Ministry Bible/Life Communities Entertainment Schools/Jobs Shopping Free! Help
Books & Culture
Christianity Today
ChristianityTodayLibrary.com
Christian History Back Issues
Church Law & Tax Report
Leadership Journal
Men of Integrity
Your Church
Church Finance Today
BuildingChurchLeaders.com
ChristianBibleStudies.com
Christian College Guide
Christian History
Christian Music Today
Christianity Today Movies
ChurchLawToday.com
Church Products & Services
ChurchSafety.com
ChurchSiteCreator.com
Kyria.com
PreachingToday.com
PreachingTodaySermons.com
ReducingtheRisk.com
Seminary/Grad School Guide
Christianity Today International
www.ChristianityToday.com
Copyright © 2009 Christianity Today International
Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Advertise with Us | Job Openings