To speak about the
books of the Bible is misleading on more than one account. Historically,
the Hebrew Bible is a collection of scrolls, and scrolls cannot be simply
equated with books. The difference between the two is not merely a matter of
form; it affects the mode of writing, editorial strategies, and the way in
which readers use the text.1
The ancient world was
a world without books. Reading and writing were restricted to a
professional elite; the majority of the population was nonliterate. If we are
to understand the making of the Hebrew Bible, we must familiarize ourselves
with the scribal culture that produced it. They practiced their craft in a time
in which there was neither a trade in books nor a reading public of any
substance. Scribes wrote for scribes.2
Reading was an oral
activity. In order for the message to reach its destination, however, the
written text needed a voice. Texts were for the ears, rather than the eyes. Written
documents were read aloud, either to an audience or to oneself. Silent reading
was highly unusual. Even the student who read in solitude “muttered” his
text.3
This scroll of
the Torah shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate/utter
in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is
written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will
have good success.4
Students of the
Bible first listened to their teachers speak the words of the scrolls. The teachers
would then teach the students the meanings of the texts they read and ask their
students questions. Students were
encouraged to ask their own questions. But the key skill all students learned
to develop was memory. Very few students owned scrolls, so they memorized texts
taught by their teachers. When called upon to discuss those texts they first
had to quote the portion they were discussing from memory. Recalling words of different scrolls in discussions was a very
different experience than flipping pages of one book.
The next time
you read your Bible, try speaking the words loud enough for your ears to hear
them.
If a Bible verse pops into your head, speak it so your ears will be able to
hear. This will change the way your brain processes those words. Of course, before
you memorize any words, do your best to discover what those ancient words meant
to the scribes that wrote them. Get ready
to experience your Bible in new and powerful ways!
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SOURCES
1 Scribal
Culture and the Making of the Hebrew Bible by Karel Van Der Toorn © 2007 Harvard University Press, Cambridge,
Massachusetts; p. 23.
2 Scribal Culture and the Making of
the Hebrew Bible; pp. 1-2.
3 Scribal Culture and the Making of
the Hebrew Bible; p. 12.
4 Joshua 1:8
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