II. The Bible is an ancient book, but it is not the oldest book in
the world.
A. Writing was well-established in many
countries long before the beginning of the Hebrew nation. The earliest examples of writing
come from ancient Egypt and date from 4,000-5,000 B.C. King Sargon I of Babylonia left
inscriptions which date from 2850 B.C. We have letters from the governors of cities in
Palestine which date from 1500 B.C.
B. For years skeptics insisted that Moses could
not have been the author of the first five books of the Bible because writing was not
established at his time in history (about 1500 B.C.) but we now know that writing predates
Moses by many centuries.
III. Ancient people of Palestine and neighboring countries used
many different materials for writing.
A. Stone is the earliest material on which writing has been
found. The earliest inscriptions in Egypt, Babylon, and Palestine are all found in durable
stone. This agrees with the Bible account because the earliest writing material mentioned
is stone. See Ex. 31:18; Ex. 94:1, 28; and Deut. 27:2-3); Josh.
8:30-32.
B. Clay was another common writing material used in Assyria
and Babylonia. Entire libraries of clay tablets have been unearthed from these areas. See Ezek. 4:1 where the prophet is commanded to sketch a plan of
Jerusalem on a tile.
C. Evidence of wooden tablets also exists.
D. Leather or animal skins was the common writing material
for hundreds of years. Evidence suggests that portions of the Old Testament were regularly
copied on animal skins. The skin of a sheep or goat was soaked in lime to remove the hair;
then shaved, washed, dried, and stretched. The finest kind, made from the skin of calves
and kids, was called vellum. The leather was rolled into scrolls. See
2 Tim. 4:1-3).
E. Papyrus rolls made from the pith of the stem of the
papyrus plant was the most important writing material of the ancient world. The average
roll was about 30 ft. long and 9-10 inches high. By the first and second century A.D., the
roll gave way to the coda or books of payprus sheets. Prepared reeds dipped in dyes could
be used as pens. See 3 Jn. 13.
