Church History

From Scrolls to Codices: How the Bible Took Physical Form

A historical study of how Scripture moved through scrolls, codices, manuscripts, and public reading communities before the age of printed Bibles. Sign in to read the complete member article.

The physical form of Scripture shaped how communities read, preserved, circulated, and received the biblical writings across generations. 1. The early Christian preference for the codex is historically significant for how texts were collected and read. Larry Hurtado, The Earliest Christian Artifacts. David Trobisch, The First Edition of the New Testament. Bruce M. Metzger and Bart D. Ehrman, The Text of the New Testament.