Austin Bible Church
Materials Used:
Skins for Old Testament. Papyrus rolls for the original Septuagint. Papyrus rolls until the 1st century A.D. Papyrus Codices in the 2nd - 4th centuries A.D. Vellum and parchment in the 4th-8th centuries. Paper from flax in the 8th or 9th to 12th or 13th century. Paper from linen rags in the 14th century. Vellum, with paper until the 15th century. Vellum was displaced with paper after the 15th century.
Size and Form of Letters:
Uncials, (all capitals) were used up to the 10th century. Minuscules, (small letters) were used thereafter.
Punctuation:
Words were written with no spaces between. Words were written with a space to indicate a “pause.” Words written with a space between in which was a dot. Then in succession came commas, colons, question marks, etc. About the 7th or 8th century, accents and breathing marks were added.
Text Divisions:
By the 4th century, the Gospels were divided into long and short sections. By 458 AD, the Epistles of Paul were divided into sections for public reading. In 590 AD, the Acts and general Epistles were similarly divided. In the 7th century, Lectionaries were made. A Lectionary is a service book or volume containing selections from parts of the New Testament to be read throughout the year in church services. There are about 1565 Lectionaries known at the present.
Dating of the Manuscripts:
Determined by material used, size and form of letters, punctuation, text divisions, spelling, color of the ink, and color of the parchment.
Monarchianism Heresy violated the doctrine of the trinity.
The Easter Controversy centered around the whole question of the date of Easter.
The Monophysite Controversy centered on the single doctrine of the two natures of Christ.
The Monothelite Controversy centered on the single doctrine of the wills of Christ.