Foundations of Faith

FOUNDATIONS OF FAITH IN JESUS
M. M. NINAN
millennium BC. In the first centuries BC and AD, papyrus scrolls gained a rival as a writing
surface in the form of parchment, which was prepared from animal skins
Papyrus Plant
Isaiah scroll of the Dead Sea Scrolls is over 30 feet long.
Parchment is a thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin, often split. Parchment
was developed in Pergamon, from which name it is believed the word "parchment" evolved.
"Parchment is prepared from pelt, i.e., wet, unhaired, and limed skin, simply by drying at
ordinary temperatures under tension, most commonly on a wooden frame known as a stretching
frame". It's most common use was as a material for writing on, for documents, notes, or the
pages of a book, codex or manuscript. It is distinct from leather in that parchment is limed but
not tanned; therefore, it is very reactive to changes in relative humidity and is not waterproof.
Finer-quality parchment is called vellum.
Since all the Gospels are first-century documents, it is most likely that they were all written on
scrolls. In 2 Timothy 4.13 Paul asks Timothy to “bring the scrolls, especially the parchments.”
The word for scrolls is biblia from which we derive our word Bible.
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