Abstract / Description of output
There are features that distinguish most early Christian manuscripts of literary texts from pagan high-quality literary manuscripts of the time, e.g., the Christian preference for the codex (esp. for texts functioning as scripture), greater use of punctuation and spacing to mark off sense-units, wider spacing between lines, these and other features apparently intended to facilitate the reading of these Christian texts. Taking a cue from an article by William Johnson in which he proposed that the more severe appearance of pagan literary manuscripts reflects the elite social circles in which they were read, I propose that the features of early Christian manuscripts also reflect the social characteristics of the Christian circles in which they were read. In sum, I propose that earliest Christian manuscripts are artifacts reflecting the more diverse social makeup of early Christian circles and the aim of enfranchising a wider spectrum of readers.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Early Text of the New Testament |
| Editors | Charles E Hill, Michael J Kruger |
| Place of Publication | Oxford |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Pages | 49-62 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-0-19-956636-5 |
| Publication status | Published - 2012 |