the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Book (2)
Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament
or BOOK.—The word ‘book,’ representing two Greek words, βίβλος and βιβλίον (with dim. βιβλαρίδιαν, Revelation 10:2; Revelation 10:9 f.), is of fairly frequent occurrence in the NT, although it is found only nine times in the Gospels. Very probably a book in the form familiar to us did not exist in NT times. The book of Scripture was a roll, as we may gather from such a text as Revelation 5:1, ‘A book written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.’ The Scriptures used in the synagogues up to the fall of Jerusalem were probably leather rolls, or at least rolls of skins tanned in some way; but papyrus rolls were in very general use. Parchment was in use also, as we see from 2 Timothy 4:13, but probably also in the roll and not the codex form. The distinction between the books (τὰ βιβλία) and the parchments (τὰς μεμβράνας) in the passage just referred to was, in all probability, simply one relating to the material used and not to the form of the manuscript, although it is not absolutely certain at what date parchments began to be folded instead of rolled.
The word ‘book’ is not always used in a strictly technical sense. In Matthew 1:1 ‘The book of the generation of Jesus Christ’ means simply the record of, or writing about, the genealogy of Jesus. There is no reason to think that St. Matthew meant it to be understood that the genealogy formed a little roll by itself. Again in such expressions as ‘the book of life’ (although that expression does not occur in the Gospels), it is evident that the writer is speaking figuratively. Our Lord said to His Apostles (Luke 10:20), ‘Rejoice because your names are written in heaven’; and in the OT (Exodus 32:32) there is express mention of a book which God had written: ‘If not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.’ The connexion of the expression ‘book of life’ with the words of our Lord to His Apostles, and with the daring yet splendid utterance of Moses, is obvious enough. To say that names are in ‘the book of life’ and ‘the Lamb’s book of life,’ is to say that those bearing these names are accepted and accounted as members of the heavenly kingdom here and hereafter.
The word ‘book’ is used in its technical sense of an actual roll or volume in Mark 12:26, Luke 3:4; Luke 4:17; Luke 4:20; Luke 20:42, and John 20:30. It is noteworthy that in Mark 12:26 the writings of Moses are called not ‘the books,’ but simply ‘the book.’
The books mentioned in Acts 19:19 as having been brought by their possessors and burned, were probably, many of them at least, simply amulets, spells, grammata Ephesia, little strips of parchment with words professedly of magical value written on them.
Literature.—Comm. on the NT; art. ‘Writing’ in Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible and in the Encyc. Biblica; Schürer, HJP [Note: JP History of the Jewish People.] , Index, s.vv. ‘Books,’ ‘Scriptures’; Sanday, Inspiration, 157, 297; Kenyon, Handbook to Textual Criticism of NT, ch. ii.
Geo. C. Watt.
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Hastings, James. Entry for 'Book (2)'. Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdn/b/book-2.html. 1906-1918.
