ORIGINAL RESEARCH

 

'I am writing this with my own hand...': Writing in New Testament times

 

 

Pieter J.J. Botha

Department of New Testament and Early Christian Studies, University of South Africa, South Africa

Correspondence

 

 

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ABSTRACT

When the New Testament and early Christian writings are considered as situated, culturally mediated and historically functional events, the pitfall of a binary contrast between literacy and orality should be avoided. Focus should be on the physical and experiential aspects of ancient writing. Discussions of posture, education, cost and the amount of time involved in physical writing in Greco-Roman times are concluded by an analysis of the disposition of subservience that surrounded writing.

Keywords: writing; New Testament; literacy; orality; authorship

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Full text available only in PDF format.

 

 

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Correspondence:
Pieter Botha
Department of New Testament and Early Christian Studies
UNISA
PO Box 392
Pretoria, Gauteng, 0003
South Africa
E-mail: bothapjj@unisa.ac.za

Received: 03 Aug. 2009
Accepted: 30 Sept. 2009
Published: 16 Dec. 2009