Topical Encyclopedia
Introduction:Paper, as a material for writing, is not directly mentioned in the Bible. However, the concept of writing and recording information is prevalent throughout the Scriptures. The ancient world utilized various materials for writing, including papyrus, parchment, and clay tablets. Understanding the historical context of these materials can provide insight into the biblical text and its transmission.
Historical Context:In biblical times, the primary materials for writing were papyrus and parchment. Papyrus, made from the pith of the papyrus plant, was commonly used in Egypt and the surrounding regions. It was a precursor to modern paper and was used for scrolls and documents. Parchment, made from animal skins, was more durable and became the preferred medium for important texts, including the Scriptures.
Biblical References to Writing Materials:While the Bible does not mention paper explicitly, it does refer to writing and recording God's words. In
Jeremiah 36:2 , God instructs the prophet, "Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah, and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you, in the reign of Josiah, until today." This passage highlights the importance of recording divine revelation.
In
2 Timothy 4:13 , the Apostle Paul requests, "When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments." This indicates the use of scrolls and parchments for preserving important writings, including Scripture.
Symbolism and Significance:The act of writing in the Bible often symbolizes the permanence and authority of God's word. In
Exodus 31:18 , it is written, "When He had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the Testimony, stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God." Here, the inscription on stone signifies the enduring nature of God's commandments.
The use of writing materials also underscores the importance of literacy and the transmission of knowledge.
Deuteronomy 6:9 instructs, "Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates," emphasizing the need to keep God's commandments visible and remembered.
The Role of Scribes:Scribes played a crucial role in the preservation and dissemination of biblical texts. They meticulously copied Scriptures onto scrolls and parchments, ensuring the accuracy and continuity of God's word. Ezra, a notable scribe, is described in
Ezra 7:6 as "a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given."
Conclusion:While paper as we know it today was not used in biblical times, the materials and practices of writing in the ancient world were essential for the recording and preservation of Scripture. The Bible's emphasis on writing highlights the significance of documenting and transmitting God's word across generations.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Paper[WRITING]
Easton's Bible Dictionary
The expression in the Authorized Version (
Isaiah 19:7), "the paper reeds by the brooks," is in the Revised Version more correctly "the meadows by the Nile." The words undoubtedly refer to a grassy place on the banks of the Nile fit for pasturage.
In 2John 1:12 the word is used in its proper sense. The material so referred to was manufactured from the papyrus, and hence its name. The papyrus (Hebrews gome) was a kind of bulrush (q.v.). It is mentioned by Job (8:11) and Isaiah (35:7). It was used for many purposes. This plant (Papyrus Nilotica) is now unknown in Egypt; no trace of it can be found. The unaccountable disappearance of this plant from Egypt was foretold by Isaiah (19:6, 7) as a part of the divine judgment on that land. The most extensive papyrus growths now known are in the marshes at the northern end of the lake of Merom.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) A substance in the form of thin sheets or leaves intended to be written or printed on, or to be used in wrapping. It is made of rags, straw, bark, wood, or other fibrous material, which is first reduced to pulp, then molded, pressed, and dried.
2. (n.) A sheet, leaf, or piece of such substance.
3. (n.) A printed or written instrument; a document, essay, or the like; a writing; as, a paper read before a scientific society.
4. (n.) A printed sheet appearing periodically; a newspaper; a journal; as, a daily paper.
5. (n.) Negotiable evidences of indebtedness; notes; bills of exchange, and the like; as, the bank holds a large amount of his paper.
6. (n.) Decorated hangings or coverings for walls, made of paper. See Paper hangings, below.
7. (n.) A paper containing (usually) a definite quantity; as, a paper of pins, tacks, opium, etc.
8. (n.) A medicinal preparation spread upon paper, intended for external application; as, cantharides paper.
9. (a.) of or pertaining to paper; made of paper; resembling paper; existing only on paper; unsubstantial; as, a paper box; a paper army.
10. (v. t.) To cover with paper; to furnish with paper hangings; as, to paper a room or a house.
11. (v. t.) To fold or enclose in paper.
12. (v. t.) To put on paper; to make a memorandum of.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
PAPERpa'-per.
SeeCRAFTS, II, 13;PAPYRUS; REED; WRITING.
PAPER REEDS
redz: InIsaiah 19:7 the King James Version (the Revised Version (British and American) "meadows").
Greek
5489. chartes -- a sheet ofpaper (made of papyrus strips)... a sheet of
paper (made of papyrus strips). Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: chartes Phonetic Spelling: (khar'-tace) Short Definition: papyrus
...975. biblion -- apaper, book
... apaper, book. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: biblion Phonetic Spelling:
(bib-lee'-on) Short Definition: a papyrus roll Definition: a papyrus roll...
Strong's Hebrew
6169. arah -- bare place... Word Origin from arah Definition bare place NASB Word Usage bulrushes (1).
paper reed. Feminine from arah; a naked (ie Level) plot --
paper reed.
...Library
RatingPaper: Apographe
... RATINGPAPER: Apographe. Metrodoroi epimeleteI para Apunchios Inarotios
hellenomemphites ^sic Apographomai kata to ektethen prostagma...
And when thePaper was Finished and Read Through...
... Part II."Christ's Descent into Hell. Latin. Second Version. Chapter 11
(27). And when thepaper was finished and read through?...
Fraudulent Practices Pursued by Pelagius in his Report of the...
... proceedings of pelagius, Chapter 57 [XXXII.]"Fraudulent Practices Pursued by Pelagius
in His Report of the Proceedings in Palestine, in thePaper Wherein He...
But Perhaps You Will Say to Me: "Why do You Fill YourPaper with...
... 19. But perhaps you will say to me: "Why do you fill yourpaper with this
superfluous matter? Does even my friend say that it is...
Salvation Army Publications
... Illustrated. Cloth, Gilt Edges, 2s.6d.; Cloth, 1s.6d.;Paper, 1s. The General's
Letters.... Half Calf, 5s.; Cloth, 2s.;Paper, 1s. The Training of Children....
To the Rev. J. Jowett
... AND DEAR SIR,"Being at length able to communicate some positive information respecting
the price of thepaper, which we are in need of, I lose no time in...
To the Rev. J. Jowett
... consulted me. If the work be printed on as thinpaper as that of the original,
it can only be printed on one side. Now supposing...
Chapter seventeen
... The next day she went down to the News office to see Edward Norman and arrange the
details of her part in the establishment of thepaper on its new foundation....
The Formation of the CIM
... I wrote a little pamphlet, calling it "OccasionalPaper, No.... It was February
6th, 1866, when I sent my manuscript of "OccasionalPaper, No....
A New Method for Bible Classes
... Studies In Early Church History. 12 mo,paper, 25 cts. net; cloth, 50 cts. net.... His
Faith and His Service. 12 mo,paper, 25 cts. net; cloth, 50 cts. net....
Thesaurus
Paper (5 Occurrences)... The expression in the Authorized Version (Isaiah 19:7), "the
paper reeds by the
brooks," is in the Revised Version more correctly "the meadows by the Nile
...Paper-reeds (1 Occurrence)
Paper-reeds.Paper,Paper-reeds. Papers . Multi-Version Concordance
Paper-reeds (1 Occurrence). Isaiah 19:7 Thepaper...
Papyrus (4 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) The writingpaper of the ancient Egyptians made from a tall rushlike plant
(Cyperus Papyrus) of the Sedge family, formerly growing in Egypt, and now...
Pad (1 Occurrence)
... (n.) A kind of cushion for writing upon, or for blotting; esp., one formed of many
flat sheets of writingpaper, or layers of blottingpaper; a block ofpaper....
Blot (23 Occurrences)
... 6. (vt) To dry, as writing, with blottingpaper. 7. (vi) To take a blot; as, this
paper blots easily. 8. (n.) A spot or stain, as of ink onpaper; a blur....
Stamp (25 Occurrences)
... 6. (vi) To cut out, bend, or indent, aspaper, sheet metal, etc., into various forms,
by a blow or suddenly applied pressure with a stamp or die, etc.; to mint...
Roll (57 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) To wrap round on itself; to form into a spherical or cylindrical body by
causing to turn over and over; as, to roll a sheet ofpaper; to roll parchment...
Crown (94 Occurrences)
... 22. (n.) A size of writingpaper. See underPaper. 23.... 24. (n.) An ornaments or
decoration representing a crown; as, thepaper is stamped with a crown. 25....
Copy (18 Occurrences)
... more copy. 6. (n.) A writingpaper of a particular size. Same as Bastard.
See underPaper. 7. (n.) Copyhold; tenure; lease. 8. (n...
Crafts (2 Occurrences)
... Metal-Working (Mining) 11. Oil-Making 12. Painting 13.Paper-Making 14.
Perfume-Making 15. Plastering 16. Spinning and Weaving 17. Tanning 18. Tent-Making...
Resources
What is the proper way to dispose of a ruined Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is reductionism? | GotQuestions.orgWhen the Bible is translated into English, how do the translators decide what punctuation to use? | GotQuestions.orgPaper: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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