June 15 WT- Scrolls "Probably most Christians could not carry many with them for preaching"

by LostGeneration 31 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  LostGeneration

  The June 15 Study edition talks about scrolls, we all know the silly picture of the dude hauling scrolls around that the WT has put into a few of their publications. This paragraph in the new WT states:

  The well-known Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah is almost 24 feet (7.3 m) in length. With a rod at each end and often with a cover for protection, a scroll would be heavy. Probably most Christians could not carry many with them for preaching. Even if Paul possessed some scrolls of the Scriptures for his personal use, he likely could not take on his travels all the scrolls he owned. Evidently he left some with his friend Carpus in Troas.
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  james_woods

  Evidently he left some with his friend Carpus in Troas.

  Evidently.
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  punkofnice

  Perhaps Paul could buy a theocratic wheel barrow from a 1st century ministryideaz?

  Seriously. Most of the folk were illiterate so wouldn't be able to read them if they saw them. That's why they had the scribes as I understand it.

  Scrolls were expensive to boot.

  This is a typical example of the WTB$ altering history to suit their agenda.
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  the-illuminator81

  Evidently the WTS doesn't know the first thing about history.
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  troubled mind

  most likely so .....apparently .......probably ......most definitely we make stuff up as we go along .......
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  Alfred

  Assuming the 2 rods weighed about 2 pounds each and the 24-foot scroll of paper weighed about 2 pounds, that's about 6 pounds per scroll. If Paul were to carry the entire Old Testament he'd have to be strong enough to carry approximately 225 pounds for several miles at a time. I wonder which scrolls he chose to leave behind when he travelled...
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  LostGeneration

  More from the same article- this is rich....

  Professor Alan Millard noted that these scrolls, though expensive, were “not . . . out of the reach of the reasonably well-to-do.” Some had access to at least one of them. For example, the Ethiopian eunuch had a scroll in his chariot and was “reading aloud the prophet Isaiah.” He was ‘in power under Candace queen of the Ethiopians and was over all her treasure.’ He must have been wealthy enough to ownportions of the Scriptures.

  Ok, so the professor admits they are expensive, but they put the .... in between when they quote him, so I'm on the hunt to find the full quote. But again the quote says the "reasonably well-to-do" so we aren't talking about normal 1st century Christians. Anyway, they cite the Ethiopian who was over all her treasure. So this guy is NOT a typical person living at the time. The scroll might not have even been his! Since he was over the queens treasure, it might have been hers.

  These jokers will stretch an extra small pair over spandex shorts over a 400 lb woman if it fits their agenda!
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  InterestedOne

  What are some good references on this topic? Scrolls, letters, writing, literacy, etc. in the 1st century?
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  sir82

  Probably most Christians could not carry many with them for preaching.

  A 100% accurate, and 100% meaningless, statement.

  It gives us as much useful information as this statement:

  Probably most 8 year old children could not lift an elephant off the ground with their teeth.

  Come to think of it, 100% accurate and 100% meaningless pretty much sums up a lot of what the WT writes.
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  palmtree67

  Alfred:

  I wonder which scrolls he chose to leave behind when he travelled...

  He never quoted from the Song of Solomon. EVIDENTLY, that was one he left behind.