ENDURANCE/SELF-DENIAL
Although we do not possess the original manuscripts of the New Testament, we do have over 99.9% of the original text, and this is because of the faithful work of manuscript copyists over the centuries. Yet, the copying of the New Testament was a long and arduous process. Though it seems strange to us today, in antiquity, it was not customary to sit at a table or a desk while writing. Rather, it was customary for scribes to stand (while making brief notes] or to sit on a stool or bench (or even on the ground], holding their scroll on their knees. Something of the drudgery of copying manuscripts can be gleaned from the notes which they often placed at the close of their books. The following are some examples: “He who does not know how to write supposes it to be no labour; but though only three fingers write, the whole body labours . . . “Writing bows one’s back, thrusts the…
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