How the First Copies of the New Testament were written on Papyrus with a Reed Pen.
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- Опубліковано 3 січ 2025
- An introduction to New Testament Manuscripts, today we are exploring how the Apostles and early church fathers wrote their epistles and manuscripts. With Reed Pen and Papyrus David Gillespie does a demonstration of how New Testament Greek was written from the 1st- 3rd Centuries AD. I use all of my text from the Textus Receptus but use the letter forms from the earliest and best examples of MSS.
This has helped me appreciate our Bible and Gods word much more to realize how much work goes in to hand writing a copy of a verse, a line, an entire epistle!
I take Commissions for certain verses or short portions of Gods word. www.pumpkintownprimitives.com
An Excellent Resource for early Papyrology is www.oxfordhand...
Also to see original early Manuscripts see www.csntm.org/M...
Sir, you are my hero! I too read Biblical Greek. I am a 65 years old and a retired man who have lived and worked around the world. My goal in retirement is to pick up this ancient art of calligraphy, so that I can write out the Gospel of Mark on papyrus or vellum and have it bound into a little book. Wonderful, wonderful video!
You can do it brother! I find it very relaxing and rewarding. It also makes me slow down and consider what I am reading and writing. The Lord be glorified!
Damn. You can imagine how long it took them to make a copy. Wasn't like writing today. They were very intricate.
I heard a statement once that was to this effect “something done quickly will fade quickly but something that takes a long time to create should last a long time” I use that philosophy as well with my stone carving. The manuscripts they wrote in this manner many are still around today!
This is amazing brother, what a great hobby!
Thank you so much! The Lord be praised
Wow... I just came across your video. You really know your subject, and you are using your art skills to serve your faith. Your finished project looks like the real thing! You are doing fine work here!
Thanks brother!
Man, this is crazy stuff! I love it. So fascinating!
Thanks brother! Good to hear from you!
Fascinating video. I'm getting old and have poor vision, along with arthritic, neuropathic hands, so its' difficult to do the kind of writing and drawing I once did, but I still dabble. I love every form of writing/drawing instrument. I really can't do anything well enough to be paid for it now, or feel I can't, but I still do my best to write and sketch a bit each day. I stumbled on your video while looking for a source that still make papyrus.
I've made a number of things to satisfy my love of writing, from ink to goatskin parchment, to feather quills, and even metal dip pen and fountain pen nibs. But never papyrus. Because of my vision and hands, I most often use fountain pens now, but as I said, I still dabble. Papyrus seemed a good place for a dabbler, and it's the area where I know the least. I knew goatskin parchment could still be found, but I didn't know papyrus was not only available, and also pretty cheap.
The carbon ink the Greeks used wasn't waterproof. The ink China used, what we call "India" or "Indian" ink, was waterproof. When it's possible to test the ink on ancient documents, this is the easiest way to tell one from the other, although there is no mistaking high quality Chinese ink. The best of it is as beautiful today as when it was first put on paper.
Anyway, wonderful video, and I'm looking forward to watching thers you have made. Thank you for the pleasure.
This was the most encouraging note I have received, thank you! In this modern world of ours it is a breath of fresh air to me to step back and enjoy something simple but effective such as this. And that the Lord used this method to ensure His word would be providentially preserved that to me is the most satisfying! Thank you for your pick me up today!
That was really great, thanks for sharing it!
Thanks Ms Peggy so much!
May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most incomprehensible and unutterable Name of God be always praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.
Amen!
Mr. Gillespie, Thank you again for your video! Please, can you post others? Respectfully yours, Brother Dan
Thank you, I will Lords willing
This is fantastic to see. I too am a scribe that works with Greek uncials on papyrus. I also do Hebrew of various styles and Egyptian hieratic. I have made a James codex. I have a question for you: What ink are you using? It appears to be far more diluted than the one I'm using. And how to you keep the pen from vomiting ink on the papyrus, or causing streaks in the papyrus fibers?
I am just using Higgins eternal black ink. Tried to make carbon ink from soot and gum Arabic with mixed results. This stuff is pure black. As to your second question just practice!
What is your ink made from? How does it compare to ink used on original first century manuscripts?
From what i have read thus far, the word John uses for ink is "melanos" which means ink and Black more specifically. The ink of those days would have likely been carbon or soot mixed with gum arabic and very gummy. I have not had a chance to try and make my own yet, this is another mixture of mine made from sugar cane extract, and at times just plain higgins eternal. I have tried a black watercolor as well but didnt work as good with the reed pen. Good question! I may post more videos like this if folks are interested.
Hi there, this is fascinating. I've been very interested in the early manuscripts. I would love to see if it's possible to obtain or make requests of a copy of any of these replicas.
Douglas , sure what do you have in mind?
Sir, thank you for replying to my first email thanking you for your video. Please, just one more question - I won't become a groupie! The question is, "Can you recommend two or three suppliers of the writing instrument, ink, and papyrus or vellum? Many thanks again. God bless you, Dan
I whittle my own kalamos from River cane. I use Higgins eternal black ink, but tried to make my own with carbon soot and gum Arabic with mixed results
I use calligraphy and Papyrus paper to create short poetry scrolls from my upcoming poetry anthology and it comes out beautifully. I also burn the edges to give it the illusion of being aged. But, I feel defeated with the final result because after all of my hard work, the papyrus curls up .sigh.....
I know how you feel. I stack large books on mine and it does flatten a bit.
Great job! Thanks!
Thank you brother!
What did they use for ink please?
Carbon soot with gum Arabic.
This video is absolutely powerful! There is no doubt at all with the Greece translation that this is the material they used to write the new testament scriptures. Where could I buy a reed pen? They are hard to find.
Thank you kindly! The Lord be praised. I can make you one. Email me at david@pumpkintownprimitives.com
how did they rule the original copies? I assume they used something other than pencil, I don't think graphite was too common back in the day!
Good question. On the earliest copies I don’t see evidence that they were ruled at all. This was very early in my own practice and now I don’t rule at all!
Back then paper/papyrus was pricy, so they write small, they use all the space and they take their time writing it.
Well said indeed!
how did you learn to write the Greek letters?
Good question. I studied original examples
How about the ink ?
Melanos, still working on the recipe. This one isn’t as easy!
@@pumpkintown tks & congrats
Congratulations, your video is amazing, i sarching a video that explaing how writing tje Holy New Testament. Blesings
Thank you kindly! I have another one also
Nicely written! You talk about the word καλαμος, 'reed [pen]'. You may or may not know that in Arabic a قلم, _qalam,_ is a reed and a reed pen, and is a direct loan-word from the Greek word. _Qalam_ is used to mean 'pen' in the Qur'an (e.g. 96:3-5 _"Recite! and your Lord is generous who taught with the_ qalam, _taught man what he knew not!)"._ That recitation (traditionally part of the very first part of the Qur'an revealed to the Prophet) would have been written in the start of the seventh century, at a time when men were still writing administrative documents in Greek on papyrus in Egypt and the Levant. I studied Arabic calligraphy and my _qalam_ is just like your καλαμος! Similarly, your word in 2 John 1:12, χαρτης, 'papyrus', was borrowed into Arabic as قرطاس, _qirtas,_ which also appears in the Qur'an. Of course it just means 'paper' now.
One question, though. Isn't your writing a little larger than the writing on most papyri? Or am I thinking of later papyri?
This is all most helpful! I was aware of parts of this and not so much others. And yes I think the lettering is a little larger than most originals. I have seen some this size though. My other papyrus video shows an earlier lettering and is a proper size. Thanks for the constructive comment! It is a breath of fresh air on this subject
@@pumpkintown Ooh! Another video! I'll check it out at once!
They were actually written on scrolls like the Jewish Greek fragments found among the Dead Sea scrolls or the Egyptian Nag Hamadi Greek scrolls. Codeces were probably a later Byzantine era innovation.
According to the Oxford Handbook of Papyrology Codices we’re already in use by the end of the first century when John likely wrote Revelation. The book roll before codices were mostly parchment as mentioned by Paul in 2 Tim 4:13. But John in 2 John 1:12 says what he uses to write on χάρτης or paper, which would have been papyrus. It is possible I suppose he could have been speaking of a papyrus book roll, but it is also possible it was on a codex. “ As early as the second century…75 percent of 37 Christian works were codices” Oxford Handbook of Papyrology” pg 24.
At any rate it is obvious to me John the apostle was speaking about writing on papyrus. P52 and P15 have both been paleographically dated to the first century both papyrus codices. Good discussion! Now you have me wanting to also work on a papyrus book roll, that would be more challenging. I praise the Lord for His inspired Word He has given us. I also am thankful for Christ my Savior! What think ye of Christ ?
@@pumpkintown Really fascinating thank you!
@@pumpkintown I figured codices were just a scribal innovation later during Church history.
@@pumpkintown " What think ye of Christ."
I think not, for I know. I have seen him with my own eyes, risen with great power, glory and might. Reigning in heaven for two thousand years and counting, on earth he shall reign for a thousand more. On earth as it is in heaven.
He's the Messiah of Israel for the Jews, the King of kings over the Gentiles, Almighty God and Creator of all. Whether they like him or not, on the Day of Judgment the knees of all creation will bow before the Logos in his highest, seated upon David's throne, even the unrighteous will bow, even if two of the holy angels must grab them, the first by one arm, the second by the opposite arm, to bring them before the throne and break their kneecaps they WILL bow. Even Satan himself must bow, as we see in Job. Truthfully there is NO ONE greater than the God of Israel.
I can bear testimony to the power and grace of God by experience. I bear testimony to his undying love and mercy and to his fiery wrath, both of which are perfect and just.
As the seraphim's eternal song "Holy Holy is YHWH, Holy Holy is He!"
@@pumpkintown I also hope you don't mind but I used one of your videos, the Gospel oil lamp one, as a cover for a worship music segment on my edit about the Valley of the Dry Bones prophecy (Ezekiel 37) about the pieces of the Body of Christ joining together, it's from a ministry I follow called Revelations of Jesus Christ ministries. YT blocked it for some reason but I uploaded it on my Facebook, the link is in the description of this one which hasn't gotten taken down by the Beast System Algorithm (yet): ua-cam.com/video/lrMiiGevbhY/v-deo.html
Do you know how to read and speak Koine Greek?
A little but not very proficiently