Letter to the Editor

'Bible' origins

Monday, June 26, 2006

Dear Editor,

To respectfully correct Mr. Anderson from an earlier letter, he states that the "bi-" in the word "bible" means two, as in two testaments. I offer this from Marvin Hunt at BibleHistory.com:

The word "Bible" does not occur in the Holy Scriptures. The English word "Bible" is a manufactured, made-up word.

Its origin is in the Greek word for the papyrus plant that the Egyptians used to make paper. The Greeks called the plant biblos and eventually writing products derived from the plant such as scrolls became known as biblos.

There is even an ancient Phoenician city named "Byblos" whose name is derived from its extensive manufacturer and trade in writing materials.

To invent the word "Bible," scholars borrowed the plural Greek word "biblia" meaning scrolls, or "little books" and created the English word Bible.

Larry Claassen

via e-mail

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: