The Survivor Scripture

Perchance, in one of my routine visits to Delhi, I came across an exhibition of ancient and curious scripture texts, which had survived not only centuries but also perilous times.  Some were not the original texts but close copies. They all had unique stories of how scripture had been preserved through ages and arduous situations. The following Bibles with their remarkable stories caught my attention. 

1.The Dead Sea scrolls:  These were some of the most ancient Bible texts ever to be discovered. Written on leather scrolls and packed in clay pots, they had survived centuries. They were found in some caves near the Dead Sea, by a shepherd boy several decades earlier. The text in the ancient scrolls were comparable in accuracy with the modern day versions of the Bible. Although the version exhibited was a copy, it still gave me a sense of awesome sanctity.

2. Binders during the Spanish Inquisition (1400s): Jews have been persecuted through centuries, and the Spanish inquisition let to partial destruction of the Jewish Holy Book. Partial, because they were used as book binders due to their material value. Much later, when these books were ripped apart, the ancient texts were discovered as binders which were of much more value than the books themselves.

3.The Printed Bibles: The history of printing begins with the Bible. Not surprisingly the first book ever to be printed was the Bible. Johann Gutenberg holds the distinction of being the inventor of the movable-type printing press. In 1455, Gutenberg produced the first printed book: a Latin language Bible. Similarly, in India some of the earliest printed works were related to the Bible. Here are pictures of some related exhibits.

4. The Russian and Chinese Bibles: With the spread of Communism in Russia and China, possessing and even reading the Bible became illegal. The Bible then was preserved in unique ways. Some examples displayed in the exhibition were Bibles written in hand in prisons or on toilet paper, the "Soup Bible" which were small Bibles made of non-washable printing which could be quickly preserved inside hot soup cauldrons in advent of any raids and a Bible in the guise of the Chinese Communist Red Book.

5. The Indian Bibles: In India the earliest Bibles were printed by William Carey in Serampore and by Pandita Ramabai's Mukti Mission. I was happy to catch a glimpse of some of these early Indian manuscripts.