NAG HAMMADI ARCHIVE/CLAREMONT COLLEGES DIGITAL LIBRARY/THE CLAREMONT COLLEGES LIBRARY
What is a “codex”?
1. The ancient Greek word for a sacred text
2. A cylindrical scroll case
3. A prayer read or recited on church holidays
4. The precursor to the modern book
5. A merchant’s ledger
Answer: (4) The precursor to the modern book
A codex (plural: codices) was a series of manuscript pages stitched together along one edge to form a book-like object. Usually, it also had a protective cover made from some thicker material. Unlike modern books, which have paper pages, a codex was made with sheets of vellum, parchment, or papyrus.
In the Mediterranean world, the codex was first introduced by the Romans. Julius Caesar (100–44 BCE) may have been the first to convert scrolls into bound pages as a kind of notebook. By the first century CE, a similar kind of notebook called a pugillares membranei was in common use throughout the empire. The poet Martial (c. 40–103 CE) mentions codices explicitly in his works.
Gradually, the codex replaced the scroll as the dominant form of written documentation in the ancient and medieval worlds. The codex had numerous advantages: its shape made for easier storage and transport; the writing surface could be used on both sides; and when one wished to locate a specific place in a long manuscript, one could simply flip to the appropriate page, rather than unrolling an entire scroll until the desired place was reached. The codex was especially favored in early Christian communities in Egypt, Asia Minor, and Italy that valued its distinctive form, especially for their sacred texts.
What is a “codex”? 1. The ancient Greek word for a sacred text 2. A cylindrical scroll case 3. A prayer read or recited on church holidays 4. The precursor to the modern book 5. A merchant’s ledger Answer: (4) The precursor to the modern book A codex (plural: codices) was a series of manuscript pages stitched together along one edge to form a book-like object. Usually, it also had a protective cover made from some thicker material. Unlike modern books, which have paper pages, a codex was made with sheets of vellum, parchment, or papyrus. In the Mediterranean world, the codex was first introduced […]
