Third Sunday of Epiphany

When Ezra Opened the Book, They All Stood Up

Nehemiah 8: 5

Our concept of bound books did not exist in Bible times. All long writings were transcribed on scrolls.

The books of the Old Testament were presented without chapters, verses, headings, or illustrations. Readers had to know the scrolls very well indeed in order to find their places.

Copy your favorite verse (or the verses Jesus read from Isaiah) onto heavy white (but rollable) paper.

Use dowel rods to hold the paper, decorating the ends of the dowels with painted or varnished knobs as you like.

Glue the ends of the paper (in Bible times they would have used vellum made from animal skins) to the dowels. White glue will work, but a glue gun might be best.

Roll the two ends of the scrolls toward each other, with the writing protected inside. Then unroll, and read!

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