Ancient Craftsmanship
Blog / Produced by The High Calling
Real Live Preacher has an interesting piece up about the ancient craft of scribal calligraphy. We aren't the first generation to consider that our daily work is a calling. The big surprise at the end is when we learn what this ancient craft has to teach us about Xmas.
"No one knows who created this manuscript, though it is thought to have been done in France, for it was guarded for centuries in a monastic library there. But the man who actually lettered its pages is lost to history. Whoever he was, he would have seen his craft as a sacred calling. Writing was an exotic way to spend your time in those days; few people had the materials or the ability to do it, nor would they have understood why it was important. Many monks gave their lives to the painstaking task of copying the text of the Bible. Their method of writing would best be described as calligraphy. Speed was unimportant. The style of the lettering was as much a part of the art of writing as capturing the content. Hunched over an angled writing desk, using a quill dipped in ink, the man who created Codex Bezae slowly copied the words of the text, one stroke at a time, day after day, until it was finished." ... Read More
"No one knows who created this manuscript, though it is thought to have been done in France, for it was guarded for centuries in a monastic library there. But the man who actually lettered its pages is lost to history. Whoever he was, he would have seen his craft as a sacred calling. Writing was an exotic way to spend your time in those days; few people had the materials or the ability to do it, nor would they have understood why it was important. Many monks gave their lives to the painstaking task of copying the text of the Bible. Their method of writing would best be described as calligraphy. Speed was unimportant. The style of the lettering was as much a part of the art of writing as capturing the content. Hunched over an angled writing desk, using a quill dipped in ink, the man who created Codex Bezae slowly copied the words of the text, one stroke at a time, day after day, until it was finished." ... Read More
God has commisioned us to work and create, to develop the resources he has given us and share with those in need. But what does that look like practically? This topical nine-session Bible study contains tips and encouragement to live a life of generosity and fruitfulness, helping us to redeem our use of resources by nurturing biblical attitudes.