Where Did You Get the Idea?

I have had a few folks ask me this question lately: where did you get the idea to write out the Bible by hand? The idea first struck me while I was listening to a recorded Bible study of Genesis and taking notes. As I copied specific verses of scripture into my notebook, my mind wandered, as it often does, to how many people had copied those ancient verses. In the case of Genesis, Moses originally wrote it, but the story had been painstakingly copied again and again, passed down through all of history, to find me in 2018.

I was using a King James Version of the Holy Bible to study that day, and decided to look up when it was created (1611 by the way). I read about how the scholars were seeking to create a better translation than any they had at that time, and so they went back and used the ‘original’ Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts.

Of course these were not the ‘originals’, as in the first writings of those scriptures by their respective authors, but copies of those texts handed down through the generations in those ‘original’ languages.

In ancient times, making manual copies of holy writings was crucial not only for passing knowledge down to later generations but, in the case of early Christianity, for helping to spread the gospel.

Even the best kept writings will need replaced over time. Clay tablets can break, papyrus will crumble, and even the ink used can fade or flake off of a writing surface over time. We know Moses wrote Genesis, but no one has his original writings. They have probably long since turned back into dust. But thanks to the dedicated efforts of the scribes of long ago, I’m able to study the word of God today.

But I digress. I didn’t finish that particular chapter of Bible study that day (Google is a terrible, wonderful thing). I wandered online through history for a bit and ended up in the medieval era, learning how illuminated manuscripts became the sought after scriptural copies for churches and royalty. After allowing my mind to wander down this rabbit hole, I was awed by the dedication showed by those who would undertake such an endeavor. My 21st century attention span could barely finish a chapter of Bible study, much less create an entire copy of the scriptures… it seemed crazy… or was it? I stewed over this for several days and after about a week, I decided to rededicate myself to a ‘new’ Bible study, and copy the scriptures as I studied them. Is it crazy?… a little bit, but I’m ok with that.