Was it just word of mouth or were things written down on paper?
Answers (3)
A pen was whittled from a goose feather. That's why we sometimes call it a quill. Ink was mixed from various potions and you had to crush the solid parts in water to make it flow properly. A writing desk was a special piece of furniture equipped with bowls, crusher, containers of chemicals, and a pen knife.
The ink used by copyist in writing was a mixture of soot and gum made in a cake form and mixed in water for use. The pen consisted of a reed, the tip, when softened with water, resembled a brush. Writing was done on leather and papyrus in scrolls or rolls; later in codex form on sheets which, if bound, often had a wooden cover.
The scribe’s pen was a length of hard reed. It was cut diagonally across one end and finely slit through the point. A scribe could resharpen the point with a pumice stone. The reed resembled and functioned much like a modern fountain pen that has a metal nib.
Most ink, or “black,” was a mixture of soot or lampblack and a rubbery gum, which served as an adhesive. This ink was sold dry and had to be mixed with water to the right consistency before being used. When applied, such ink simply dried on the surface of the papyrus or parchment and did not penetrate it.
Bible writers may have been thinking of when they spoke of names being wiped out of, or canceled from, God’s book of remembrance.—Exodus 32:32 preserving the scrolls so we can have God's down in writing.
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