codices or scrolls in 4th century CE

From: Brian E. Wilson (brian@twonh.demon.co.uk)
Date: Mon Feb 02 1998 - 12:06:32 EST


>Brian Wilson wrote (SNIP):
>
>Codices, rather than scrolls, were in use by the 4th
>century CE.
>
>Carl Conrad replied (SNIP)
>
>While the codex was certainly in use by the 4th century CE, my
>understanding is that there are plenty of papyri from that late a date
>still from other places, such as Oxyrhyncus, where papyri have been
>found.

Carl,
      According to C. H. Roberts and T. C. Skeat in **The Birth of the
Codex** (London,1983), page 37, during the 4th century CE 72% of Greek
literary texts were written on codices, rising to 90% for the end of the
4th and the beginning of the 5th century, and virtually all Christian
texts were on codices too. The scroll, or roll, was well and truly on
its way out by the fourth century CE, it would seem.

Harry Y. Gamble endorses this in his "Books and Readers in the Early
Church" (London and New Haven, 1995) page 49, also page 268 note 32.

Best wishes,
BRIAN WILSON



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