Scroll

The first Sunday afternoon of this month, I was honored to speak to the large Hispanic ministry (about 1,000) at Shadow Mountain Community Church. The topic was a 500 year-old Hebrew scroll that had been gifted to Southern California Seminary (a ministry of SMCC now celebrating its 70th year), where I teach and from where Pastors Matt and Paul graduated. It was a very special occasion for both the church and the seminary. Since most Christians have never seen an authentic scroll and do not know much about its extensive preparation, I thought I would devote this week’s blog to the subject. I believe you will find the information I have to share with you not only educational but uplifting to your faith as well as enhancing your trust in the Bible. With the exception of a few words I have added and some relevant New Testament information – mainly to tailor some of my comments especially to Barabbas Rd. – the following is taken directly from my presentation. As I spoke, the scroll itself was partially rolled out below me on several long tables. Fully stretched out, the scroll is almost 85 feet long.

On the previous Tuesday (May 31, 2016), our seminary – where Pastor David Jeremiah is the Chancellor and Dr. Gary Coombs the President, and I am the Hebrew and Greek professor – was greatly blessed to receive a most generous, very valuable gift from Ken and Barbara Larsen, longtime benefactors to the body of Christ. The gift was the Torah scroll, which we have here today. Needless to say, we at SCS and SMCC are deeply indebted to the Larsens. Not many seminaries or churches can boast of such a possession. This is a great week in the long life of our ministry here in El Cajon.

A scroll is a manuscript that has been rolled up. The word itself means “roll” in Hebrew (גלל [gah–lahl]). “Scroll” can refer to a book, but more commonly refers in the Bible to parchment, papyrus, or animal skin that has rolled up:

ESV Isaiah 34:4 All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree.

ESV Revelation 6:14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

Some verses for you to consider as we focus our attention on the extraordinary care that has gone into the preservation of the Scripture over the centuries:

NKJ Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

NKJ Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

NAS 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; (it must be remembered inspiration directly only applies to the original manuscripts, not the copies, no matter how exact they may be; the Larsen scroll is, of course, a copy – TAR.)

Every word of Scripture has been “breathed out” by Almighty God – Amen? And yet, we all know most of the world in which we live not only does not believe this but is aggressively doing everything it can to silence God’s Word altogether. As a former pastor and now seminary professor, I personally am grieved at how easily Christians seem to be intimidated by unbelievers. I believe we need to be reminded that the facts are on our side and the burden of proof is on the side of the ungodly opposition.

NKJ Isaiah 55:8-11 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

My purpose here this afternoon is to remind us all that Isaiah’s words – written some 750 years before the birth of our Savior – are still true today. The copies of the original ancient biblical manuscripts in our possession today are reliable. The Bibles we have today are equally reliable. God’s Word is trustworthy! Therefore, we can be confident as we glorify Him in our lives in this time and place in which He has placed us – amen? The study of the composition of ancient scrolls reveals a multitude of facts that strongly support the reliability of our Bibles.

Here are some facts about the Larsen Scroll:

Date: 16th Century.

Provenance (where something originated or was nurtured in its early stages): Czech Republic

Type: Ashkenazi (Eastern European or German Jews) – Compared to Sephardic (African or Middle Eastern)

Skin: Vellum (calf skin – about 50 were used) Length: 83.6’

Letters per line: 33 Lines /column: 42

Total Panels: 46 sections of 3 (or more?) columns instead of the normal

2 Total columns: 200 Corrections: 304-Genesis, 256-Exodus, 230-Leviticus, 354-Numbers, 173- Deuteronomy (1,317-Total)

Total Words in Entire Torah – 79,847

Total Letters in Entire Torah – 304, 805 – All copies of Hebrew scrolls are (ideally) exactly the same.

Ancient Hebrew scrolls were written on various surfaces with a variety of instruments. The history of the composition of manuscripts is a fascinating and extensive subject to study. In order to fully appreciate the trustworthiness of the of the transcription and transmission of the biblical texts, you must know something of the process. Here is an abbreviated list of the surfaces and tools most widely used:

• Clay was not only used in ancient Sumer (southern part of Babylon) as early as about 3500 B.C., but it was used by Jeremiah and Ezekiel:

NKJ Ezekiel 4:1 “You also, son of man, take a clay tablet and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, Jerusalem.

Helpful to our understanding, the NET Bible offers this note: The majority of commentaries and English versions are agreed that “he” is the king. However, since a penknife (Heb “a scribe’s razor”) is used to cut the columns off, it is possible that Jehudi himself did it. However, even if Jehudi himself did it, he was acting on the king’s orders. There is some irony involved here since a scribe’s razor was used to trim the sheets to be sewn together, scrape them in preparation for writing, and to erase errors. What was normally used to prepare the scroll was used to destroy it.

NKJ Ezekiel 4:1 “You also, son of man, take a clay tablet (“brick” – NAS, ESV) and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, Jerusalem. (Ancient Near Eastern bricks were 10 to 24 inches long and 6 to 13 1/2 inches wide.)

• Stone was used in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Palestine, as is evidenced by the Code of Hammurabi, the Rosetta Stone, and the Moabite

NAS Exodus 24:12 Now the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction.” (But, it should be clarified, stone was not used for actual biblical texts.)

• Papyrus was used in ancient Byblos (seaport in Phoenicia) and Egypt (c. 3100 B.C.) It was made by pressing and gluing two layers of split and pounded papyrus reeds together in order to form a sheet. A series of papyrus sheets were joined together to form a

NKJ Revelation 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll (“book” – NAS) written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.

The apostle John used papyrus for his epistles:

NAS 2 John 1:12 Having many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that your joy may be made full.

• Vellum {the material of the Larsen Scroll} is the term often referred to as parchment made from calf skin (or other animal skin, such as deer skin), as opposed to that from other animals. Vellum is laboriously prepared to be written upon and to produce single pages, scrolls, codices or books. Vellum is generally smooth and durable, although there are great variations depending on the time and care in preparation and the quality of the skin. The manufacture involves the cleaning, bleaching, stretching on a frame (a “herse”), and scraping of the skin with a crescent shaped knife (a “lunarium” or “lunellum”). To create tension, scraping is alternated with wetting and drying. A final finish may be achieved by abrading the surface with pumice, and treating with a preparation of lime or chalk to make it accept writing with specially prepared ink (always black). Vellum was not known prior to c. 200 B.C., but was used thereafter until the late Middle Ages, until paper was introduced into Europe from China via Arab traders. Vellum lasted longer than papyrus and was tougher, but the edges sometimes became torn and tattered. Much of

the Bible has been written on vellum.

Here’s what a vellum scroll looks like:

• Leather was also used at times:

NAS Jeremiah 36:23 And it came about, when Jehudi had read three or four columns, the king cut it with a scribe’s knife and threw it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier.

• Parchments are clearly mentioned in Paul’s request to Timothy:

NAS 2 Timothy 4:13 When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books (βιβλία [Bib-lee-ah] the Greek word from which we get our English “Bible;” translated “scrolls” by the NET and NIV Bibles), especially the parchments (μεμβράνας [mem-brah- vahs])

• Metal was also used as one of the diverse surfaces for biblical writing:

NKJ Exodus 28:36 “You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet: HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

The Hebrew word ציץ

(tsits) seems to mean “a shining thing” and so here a plate of metal. It originally meant “flower,” but they could not write on a flower. So it must have the sense of something worn openly, visible, and shining. The Rabbinic tradition says it was two fingers wide and stretched from ear to ear, but this is an attempt to give details that the Law does not give.

HALOT (Koehler-Baumgartner), the leading Hebrew lexicon in the world today describes the word as a rosette medallion or flowery ornament that adorned the headdress of the high priest.

• Wood, i.e., a wooden writing board was also used to hold some kind of a waxed writing surface:

NKJ Isaiah 8:1 Moreover the LORD said to me, “Take a large scroll, and write on it with a man’s pen concerning Maher-ShalalHash-Baz (“swift is the booty…”).

• Precious stones:

NAS Exodus 28:9 “And you shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel,

• Potsherd/Ostraca (a piece of pottery):

ESV Job 2:8 And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.

NET Psalm 22:15 The roof of my mouth is as dry as a piece of pottery; my tongue sticks to my gums. You set me in the dust of death.

There are biblical verses that specifically refer to the actual writing on pottery, but many such finds have been discovered over the years. Biblical ostraca are of different sizes and shapes. Luke 22:40-71 is the largest extant group of biblical ostraca, running over 10 pieces, 2-9 verses per piece.

Atheists and other critics of the Bible in attempting to denigrate the uniqueness of biblical Scripture commonly say that the Bible is not unique, that all ancient cultures exercised the same care over their sacred writings. While this is true to a point, it is unfairly incomplete and therefore inaccurate. I challenge any thinking person to study the subject and decide for him or herself if the biblical Scripture is not the most credible of all ancient finds. No other culture in the history of the world can match the Bible in its degree of preservation and accuracy of ancient texts. Of all component parts to this equation, arguably the most significant must be the Hebrew scribes.

NAS 2 Chronicles 34:13 They were also over the burden bearers, and supervised all the workmen from job to job; and some of the Levites were scribes and officials and gatekeepers.

The following two paragraphs are from an excellent Jewish internet site: Jewish Virtual Library. It is my hope that as you read them you not only are informed but greatly impressed by the unparalleled professionalism and dedication to which they allude, facts that can only be seen to verify the claims for the authenticity and reliability of the biblical Scriptures:

The Sopherim were the Jewish scholars and custodians of the O.T. text between the fifth and the third centuries B.C. whose responsibility it was to standardize and preserve it.

They were followed by the Zugoth (“pairs” of textual scholars) in the second and first centuries B.C. The third group was the Tannaim (“repeaters” or “teachers”), whose work extended to A.D. 200.The work of the Tannaim can be found in the Midrash (“textual interpretation”), Tosefta (“addition”), and Talmud (“instruction”), which latter is divided into Mishnah (“repetitions”), and Gemera (“the matter to be learned”). The Talmud gradually was written between A.D. 100 and 500.

The Masoretes (c. 500-1,000 A.D.) were scribes who codified and wrote down the oral criticisms and remarks on the Hebrew text. The Torah texts that we read today are believed by some to be the same as those given to Moses and the people of Israel by God. It is believed by scholars that the word of God and history of the Jewish people was imprinted on the minds of the Israelites at Mount Sinai. Over the years as tradition was orally passed on and eventually written down, many disparities of the Torah emerged as countless scribes wrote numerous scrolls. After being exiled from Israel, and as the Jewish Diaspora grew more widespread across the World, many Jews understood the importance of creating a single text of the Torah. This uniformity would enable the consistency of the Jewish faith outside the land of Israel. Specific scholars and scribes were chosen for this task, these men were called Masoretes. Masoretes derives its name from the word “masorah” meaning “tradition;” their ultimate goal was to uphold the traditions of the Jewish people. The first “official” Bible text that is still used today was the Great Rabbinic Bible, published in 1524-1525 by Daniel Bomberg (a Christian in Venice).

The subject of tanners should also be included in this discussion of figures and factors contributing to our trust in the Bible.

NAS Acts 9:43 And it came about that he (Peter) stayed many days in Joppa with a certain tanner, Simon.

From the NET Bible notes:

Peter’s living in the home of Simon the tanner was significant. Tanners were considered to be ceremonially unclean because they were constantly in contact with the skins of dead animals (Lev. 11:40). Their ingredients stunk! The tanner converted hides and skins into leather by soaking them in lime and the leaves and juices of certain plants. Tanners lived outside the towns because of the foul smells produced from their vats. The tabernacle coverings were made from the skins of rams and goats (or perhaps sea cows). The leather was red in color either because of dye or as a result of the tanning process (Ex 25:5; 26:14; 35:7, 23; 36:19; 39:34).

While the focus of this occasion is obviously the Hebrew Scripture, the following comparison of ancient manuscripts featuring the New Testament is surely highly relevant:

	Ancient MSS Comparisons

Author	Date Written	Earliest Copy	Time Between	No. of Copies
Plato	c. 375 B.C.	A.D. 900	1,275 yrs.	7
Aristotle	c. 350 B.C.	A.D.1,100	1,450 yrs.	49
Caesar	c. 50 B.C.	A.D. 900	950 yrs.	10
Homer	c. 900 B.C.	B.C. 400	500 yrs.	643
New Testament	A.D. 50-100	A.D. 125	Less than 100 yrs.	5800+
The internal accuracy of the N.T. texts is about 99.5% pure. Only Homer of all the ancient MSS ever written is comparable at 95%. In addition to all the N.T. texts, there are over 19,000 copies in Syriac, Latin, Coptic, and Aramaic languages. The total supporting MSS base is over 24,000.

A Christian must be forgiven for asking the unbelieving world, “What more evidence do you need to seriously look into the Bible?”

In conclusion, these persuasive words, taken mainly from various respected sources, about the Hebrew manuscripts. The original manuscripts and early copies of the Old Testament disappeared over time, because of wars, (especially the destruction of the First and Second Temples), and other intentional destructions. As a result, the lapse of time between the original manuscripts and their surviving copies is much longer than in the case of the New Testament manuscripts. The oldest manuscripts were written in a form of scroll, the medieval manuscripts usually were written in a form of codex. The late manuscripts written after the 9th century use the Masoretic Text. The important manuscripts are associated with Aaron ben Asher (especially Codex Leningradensis). Ben Asher was a Jewish scribe (10th cent.) who refined the Tiberian system of vowels. The first list of the Old Testament manuscripts in Hebrew, made by Benjamin Kennicott (1776–1780) and published by Oxford, listed 615 manuscripts from libraries in England and on the Continent. Giovanni de Rossi (1784–1788) published a list of 731 manuscripts. The main manuscript discoveries in modern times are those of the Cairo Geniza (c. 1890) and the Dead Sea Scrolls (1947). In the old synagogue in Cairo were discovered 260,000 Hebrew manuscripts, 10,000 of which are biblical manuscripts. There are more than 200 biblical manuscripts among the Dead Sea Scrolls, some of them were written in the Paleo-Hebrew alphabet. They were written before the year 70 A.D.

Both Testaments are reliable. The Bible from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 is trustworthy.

Much more I could say…

We thank God for the Larsen Scroll! We thank God for His inspired and inerrant Word!

– Professor Thomas A. Rohm