Yes, I realize that modern readers expect an article on modern technology in our digital
world; however, in last month’s article, I strongly hinted that lately I have been delving into the technology of the age before computers. Now, I hope that you are not thinking that I am talking about eight track and cassette tapes or vinyl records. No, I wish to go back in history, past Windows Office and e-readers to a time before the printed Bible in our church pews. This journey in time takes us back to the 1st century and then advancing up to the invention of the printing press in the 15 th century. So, the question that I asked myself, as I started a handwritten copy of my Bible, was, “How did we get the printed copy of the Bible in our pews in 2024?” Well, the answer is simple. They came from handwritten copies going back to the 1 st century. I was experiencing how it was done as I write it out with my dip pen, bottled ink, and paper, yet I have the advantage of having my supplies come from the shelves of my local stationery store, but that was not the case in the past.
In the past, it was quite a laborious task to produce a book or codex. If we examine a
medieval monastery we find that book production was set up with a division of labour that
would make Henry Ford smile! First, a person(s) would have to raise sheep and goats in
order to produce the source of skin for making parchment. After the skin was available, it
would be soaked in a lime solution to remove the hair. Eventually, the skin would be stretched and allowed to dry. A person with a special crescent-shaped knife would then scrape the skin to reduce it to the desired thickness. Blemishes could be repaired by sewing, and after the skin is deemed fit, a rubbing with a stone or pounce would prepare the surface to accept the ink. Now you have parchment. A person would then cut it into prescribed sizes to produce a piece that when folded in half would result in four available pages to write upon. Next, a person would have to rule the pages into columns and lines with a sharp knife-like instrument or lead-drawn lines to guide the scribe.
Perhaps you think that we are now ready to write, but hold on! The scribe needs to have a
pen and ink. The pen was a quill made usually from a goose feather and sharpened with a
penknife to allow the ink to flow in a manageable manner. Of course, we also need to have
ink. It was made from oak galls, a canker of oak tress made by a wasp and boiled down.
Moreover, we also need carbon, soot, and a gum-like thickener. So now are we ready to
copy? No, not yet! The monks in the scriptorium would have to have a special desk made that would allow them to write at the correct angle while seated for long periods, thus a carpenter would be needed. Okay, now we can write, and it was a long task to write out a Bible. Many monks or scribes worked on the copying of separate books given out daily by the chief librarian. While writing, the monks might leave a large space at the upper left corner of the page to be illustrated by an artist later.
After the copies are made and proofread for accuracy by the librarian, the pages are
gathered in quires, that is, a number of sheets of folded parchment, as I mentioned earlier,
that looks like a folder. All the required quires would be put in order, and a person would put holes along the edge of the left side to allow for sewing them all together. Finally, a cover is provided, usually from split pieces of wood and sewn onto the copies. This cover could be later carved or covered in leather. Finally, we now have a codex.
Perhaps we can better appreciate that the Bible would take an extremely long time to
produce. So next time you reach for that printed copy of the Bible in the pew, or read it from the one at the pulpit, just remember how we were able to have a copy of it, and how much we owe to those persons, who so faithfully laboured to pass it on from generation to generation until you have it in your hand now.
Rev Martin Dawson, retired Cornwall PEI