When Christianity was established as the new state religion of the declining Roman Empire, parchment replaced papyrus as the preferred material for writing.
The codex, a set of individual sheets bound together in the manner of a modern book, replaced the older scroll.
An analysis of the subject matter of codices from the Roman period shows that the codex format was the most popular among the Christian community. The popularity of both codex and parchment was most likely in direct proportion to the spread of Christianity as an influential religion.
This was in turn related to the economic situation of the early Christians who belonged mostly to the lower and poorer classes. It was easier for them to produce parchment in their own home workshops than to buy papyrus. Christians also felt that the codex format and parchment material were the most suitable for their sacred books. This was true because earlier versions of these sacred texts, which Christians naturally wished to emulate, were parchment codices.
There are no known ancient copies of the Bible written on papyrus scrolls. With the spread of parchment codices, the book took on luxurious and showy features. During the final years of the ancient period, book bindings were made of strips of silver and gold, often richly decorated with precious or semiprecious stones. By the Middle Ages, a book's cover was used to express the wealth of its owner and his high social status. As books were produced in Christian churches and monasteries, several professions of artisans, which were related to the forming and decorating of books, developed .
The codex, a set of individual sheets bound together in the manner of a modern book, replaced the older scroll.
An analysis of the subject matter of codices from the Roman period shows that the codex format was the most popular among the Christian community. The popularity of both codex and parchment was most likely in direct proportion to the spread of Christianity as an influential religion.
This was in turn related to the economic situation of the early Christians who belonged mostly to the lower and poorer classes. It was easier for them to produce parchment in their own home workshops than to buy papyrus. Christians also felt that the codex format and parchment material were the most suitable for their sacred books. This was true because earlier versions of these sacred texts, which Christians naturally wished to emulate, were parchment codices.
There are no known ancient copies of the Bible written on papyrus scrolls. With the spread of parchment codices, the book took on luxurious and showy features. During the final years of the ancient period, book bindings were made of strips of silver and gold, often richly decorated with precious or semiprecious stones. By the Middle Ages, a book's cover was used to express the wealth of its owner and his high social status. As books were produced in Christian churches and monasteries, several professions of artisans, which were related to the forming and decorating of books, developed .
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