Upset Over Uncials

Monday, my friend Barbara White came over to finish the corrections in her fourth book’s proof pages. All four books in her Along The Way series are now available at www.bluefishbooks.info .

My August 20^th journal entry tells a bit about how this project started for me with a shopping bag. My entries since then tell the saga of the manuscript’s progress from shopping bag into four 200+ page books.

During the editing and production process, I illustrated each chapter of Barbara’s books with road signs from around the world. Each road sign relates so some aspect of the journey Along The Way. I think they’re cool and sometimes really funny.

During the final proof corrections, we ended up with a blank page.

To fill the empty space, I wanted to insert a promotion for one of my own books, Glog: A Dinosaur Novel Of Sorts. I think Glog is the best thing I’ve ever written. It is my favorite of all my books.

Barbara objected because my promo ad said, “Glog ate muskrats, lots of muskrats, and illuminate the uncials in a biblical manuscript”.

Barbara, a supposedly educated woman with a Phi Beta Kappa key, had never heard of uncials.

Can you imagine that!

She said there was no such word.

I called Ginny (she was home from work today) in to referee.

Ginny reads the Bible now and then; she’d know all about uncials and illuminations.

She didn’t!

My own wife who’s lived with me in my own house for nearly 40 years didn’t know what an uncial is either.

I was shocked!

How can anyone be a Christian without knowing about uncials? Isn’t that a requirement for Heaven?

If not, it ought to be.

If I were in charge, it would be.

The earliest Greek and Latin manuscripts of God’s Word were written by hand in uncials, a hand written calligraphy of capital letters with no spaces between words. Here’s a sample:

In latter times, velum copies of such manuscripts were decorated, illuminated, with fine colorful drawings often inlayed with gold leaf.

I think illuminated manuscripts and clipper ships are the two most beautiful things ever created by man.

Years ago when I worked at the Library Of Congress, I actually handled some of these manuscripts in the Rare Book Room and all I really know about them is that they are heavy. Unfortunately, I do not know enough Hebrew, Greek or Latin to actually read such manuscripts (reading Greek is not a requirement for Heaven), but I do recognize their beauty.

Early Bible manuscripts were illuminated in gold and treated with such care, respect and reverence because they were so valuable — they convey the Word of God.

And what God has to say is important.

But, hey, wait a minute here.

If these words were so important to God, how come these books were all hand written and hand copied for generations?

Doesn't that mean the Bible we have today got messed up when some writer's hand cramped and he didn't copy his lines right?

Good point.

Ever wonder why, if they are so valuable, diamonds are split by hand?

Ever wonder why a Rolls Royce is more valuable that a Yugo? Why a precision Swiss watch is more valuable than a Timex?

In each case, the one is hand-crafted individually; the other, mass produced. Precision hand-crafted workmanship is what you want for solid value and God's word has not come to us cheap.

Many people, such as Jan Hus and Archbishop Cranmer, were burned as the stake for transmitting the Bible to us. Aren't you glad that our Constitution's First Amendment links freedom of the press and freedom of religion in practically the same breath?

I made all these points defending the inclusion of my ad for Glog on that blank page of Barbara’s book. She and Ginny overruled me. Instead we inserted some wimpy cutesy about prayer or something.

Phooy.

Just you wait and see if I pray for any of Barbara’s books to sell.