From Papyrus to Parchment

In early Christian times, both papyrus and parchment (animal skins) were common materials used for religious and secular writing. Papyrus was the most frequently used until the third century. Because of this, every original New Testament book was likely written and copied on papyrus. By the middle of the fourth century, however, parchment had become the preferred material for writing. New Testament manuscripts actually reflect a six century overlap in writing material. The earliest New Testament witness on animal skin dates to the second or third century ad, while the latest New Testament witness on papyrus dates to the eighth century.

Parchment replaced papyrus as the standard material for writing because:

• Egypt maintained tight controls on its virtual monopoly of papyrus manufacturing and sales, eventually making parchment just as affordable as papyrus

• parchment allowed for larger page dimensions than papyrus, and was easier to write on both sides

• although papyrus was a durable product at the time, it became brittle with age and was not easily preserved outside Egypt’s dry climate