Scribe: Difference between revisions
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='''Scribe'''= | ='''Scribe'''= | ||
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=== Definition: === | |||
Prior to the invention of automatic printing, a scribe is a professional copyist who hand wrote manuscripts. Scribes were very relevant in Jewish, Greek, and Arab cultures. They were highly valued in society and made a significant amount of money. Scribe work was hard; it took a toll on workers bodies and minds. | |||
=== The Book in Society: === | |||
"Manuscript copying was exacting--and exhausting--work. Depending on their skill, the size and complexity of the text being copied, and the season of the year, scribes could produce from one to ten leaves per day, or between two and twenty pages. | In Robinson's ''The Book in Society'', the physical role of the scribe within history is examined. The author wrote about the demand that scribes faced, writing "Manuscript copying was exacting--and exhausting--work. Depending on their skill, the size and complexity of the text being copied, and the season of the year, scribes could produce from one to ten leaves per day, or between two and twenty pages."<ref name=":0" /> | ||
Robinson also takes the reader through the trials and tribulations that a scribe would face. For instance, the ink must dry on one side before starting on the next. This could take anywhere between minutes to hours depending on the amount of writing occurring. After a passage is completed, a corrector will review it with the goal of finding mistakes. If the corrector discovered any mistakes or errors in the transcription, the scribe would have to scrape off the ink of that specific portion with a knife or a piece of pumice, smooth out the area, and rewrite the passage. | |||
=== Historical Impact: === | |||
Revision as of 07:02, 20 October 2025
Scribe
Definition:
Prior to the invention of automatic printing, a scribe is a professional copyist who hand wrote manuscripts. Scribes were very relevant in Jewish, Greek, and Arab cultures. They were highly valued in society and made a significant amount of money. Scribe work was hard; it took a toll on workers bodies and minds.
The Book in Society:
In Robinson's The Book in Society, the physical role of the scribe within history is examined. The author wrote about the demand that scribes faced, writing "Manuscript copying was exacting--and exhausting--work. Depending on their skill, the size and complexity of the text being copied, and the season of the year, scribes could produce from one to ten leaves per day, or between two and twenty pages."[1] Robinson also takes the reader through the trials and tribulations that a scribe would face. For instance, the ink must dry on one side before starting on the next. This could take anywhere between minutes to hours depending on the amount of writing occurring. After a passage is completed, a corrector will review it with the goal of finding mistakes. If the corrector discovered any mistakes or errors in the transcription, the scribe would have to scrape off the ink of that specific portion with a knife or a piece of pumice, smooth out the area, and rewrite the passage.
