JHWHN.INFO
Archaeology
THE TRANSLATION OF SYMMACHUS
3rd or 4th century
There
are
still
preserved
manuscripts
written
on
parchment
from
the
beginning
of
our
era.
Included
are
many
fragments
of
the
Holy
Scriptures.
They
were
often
bound
around
two
sticks,
one
at
each
end
–
these
were
known
as
scrolls.
-
Luke
4:17
(to v.21).
Facsimile made by B. Bonte
Writings
on
parchment
have
the
advantage
of
being
stronger
and
more
permanent
than
writings
on
papyrus.
In
Latin,
parchment
is
called
'pergamena'.
The
process
used
to
make
parchment
was
developed
in
the
old
city
of
Pergamon.
They
took
the
skin
of
goats,
sheep
or
calves
and
treated
the
leather
in
such
a
way
that
writing
on
both
sides
was
possible.
The
writer
used a pen made of reed and the ink was made of gum, soot and water.
In
the
National
Library
of
Vienna,
Austria,
we
can
see
a
certain
fragment
dated
from
the
3rd
or
4th
century.
The
fragment
contains
a
Greek
text,
but
what
is
remarkable
is
that
the
Name
of
God
is
written
in
Old
Hebrew.
The
fragment
contains
verses
from
Psalm
69,
specifically
verses
13,
30
and
31.
The
parchment
is
supposed
to
have
been
made
by
Symmachus,
someone
considered
to
be
a
Jew
converted
to
Christianity.
He
was
a
translator
of
the
Old
Testament,
from
Hebrew
writing
to
Greek.
In
his
translation,
made
around
200
A.D.,
he
tried
to
give
the
Greek
text
the
right
meaning
like
it
is
found
in
the
Hebrew Scriptures.