CANYOUREADTHISEASILY

Just thought I would post what it would have been like to read the New Testament in Greek or Latin before the early middle ages. That is, from Christianities birth to the fall of the Western half of the Roman Empire. It was written in all capital letters, no punctuation and no spacing. The following is the entire first chapter of the gospel of Mark in English but as it would have appeared in the other Latin (the language that had come to dominate Christendom), that is, without the rules of writing that were later developed. As you will see the way the book is written leaves a lot of room for confusion, which is exactly what happened in early latin-speaking Europe. As true Latin, the prefered language of the (official) Roman Empire, evolved into a number of geographical dialects (like French and Spanish) a different (and highly erroneous) versions of the translated Latin texts began circulating, with any number of mistakes contained therein. It got to the point where the text was difficult to trust and sometimes even impossible understand. A powerful family, the Carolingians (family of Charlemagne - Charles the Great, crowned Emperor of the New Holy Roman Empire), transformed the written text of the Bible and the way we write even today. They set a series of reforms, standards for copying. Lower-case letters were differentiated from upper-case letters and upper-case letters were only used at the begining of sentences or for proper names. Words were spaced apart and sentences were separated with punctuation (much like the way my text appears right now). They also made the proper translation language the old Roman form of Latin, rather then the myriad newer Latin-based languages that had cropped up among the populace (thought of as impure degraded forms of Latin, like we view slang today). This had a profound effect on the preservation and reliability of scripture itself. It was also necessary to begin correcting the damage that already been done by very poor translating and copying. So they gathered as many copies as they could and extracted the original text from these, as best as they could.

Anyway, here it is, enjoy:


THEBEGINNINGOFTHEGOODNEWSOFJESUSCHRISTTHESONOFGOD
ASITISWRITTENINTHEPROPHETISAIAHSEEIAMSENDINGMYMESSE
NGERAHEADOFYOUWHOWILLPREPAREYOURWAYTHEVOICEOFO
NECRYINGOUTINTHEWILDERNESSPREPARETHEWAYOFTHELORD
MAKEHISPATHSSTRAIGHTJOHNTHEBAPTIZERAPPEAREDINTHEW
ILDERNESSPROCLAIMINGABAPTISMOFREPENTANCEFORTHEFOR
GIVENESSOFSINSANDPEOPLEFROMTHEWHOLEJUDEANCOUNTRY
SIDEANDALLTHEPEOPLEOFJERUSALEMWEREGOINGOUTTOHIMA
NDWEREBAPTIZEDBYHIMINTHERIVERJORDANCONFESSINGTHIE
RSINSNOWJOHNWASCLOTHEDWITHCAMELSHAIRWITHALEATHE
RBELTAROUNDHISWAISTANDHEATELOCUSTSANDHONEYHEPRO
CLAIMEDTHEONEWHOISMOREPOWERFULTHANIISCOMINGAFTER
MEIAMNOTWORTHYTOSTOOPDOWNANDUNTIETHETHONGOFHISS
ANDALSIHAVEBAPTIZEDYOUWITHWATERBUTHEWILLBAPTIZEYO
UWITHTHEHOLYSPIRITINTHOSEDAYSJESUSCAMEFROMNAZARET
HOFGALILEEANDWASBAPTIZEDBYJOHNINTHEJORDANANDJUSTA
SHEWASCOMINGUPOUTOFTHEWATERHESAWTHEHEAVENSTORN
APARTANDTHESPIRITDESCENDINGLIKEADOVEONHIMANDAVOI
CECAMEFROMHEAVENSAYINGYOUAREMYSONTHEBELOVEDWI
THYOUIAMWELLPLEASEDANDTHESPIRITIMMEDIATELYDROVE
HIMOUTINTOTHEWILDERNESSHEWASINTHEWILDERNESSFORF
ORTYDAYSTEMPTEDBYSATANANDHEWASWITHTHEWILDBEAS
TSANDTHEANGELSWAITEDONHIMNOWAFTERJOHNWASARRES
TEDJESUSCAMETOGALILEEPROCLAIMINGTHEGOODNEWSOFG
ODANDSAYINGTHETIMEISFULFILLEDANDTHEKINGDOMOFGOD
HASCOMENEARREPENTANDBELIEVEINTHEGOODNEWSASJESUS
PASSEDALONGTHESEAOFGALILEEHESAWSIMONANDHISBROTH
ERANDREWCASTINGANETINTOTHELAKEFORTHEYWEREFISHER
MENANDJESUSSAIDTOTHEMFOLLOWMEANDIWILLMAKEYOUFI
SHFORPEOPLEANDIMMEDIATELYTHEYLEFTTHIERNETSANDFOL
LOWEDHIMASHEWENTALITTLEFARTHERHESAWJAMESSONOFZE
BEDEEANDHISBROTHERJOHNWHOWEREINTHEIRBOATMENDING
THENETSIMMEDIATELYHECALLEDTHEMANDTHEYLEFTTHEIRFA
THERZEBEDEEINTHEBOATWITHTHEHIREDMENANDFOLLOWEDH
IMTHEYWENTTOCAPERNAUMANDWHENTHESABBATHCAMEHEE
NTEREDTHESYNAGOGUEANDTAUGHTTHEYWEREASTOUNDEDA
THISTEACHINGFORHETAUGHTTHEMASONEHAVINGAUTHORITY
ANDNOTASTHESCRIBESJUSTTHENTHEREWASINTHEIRSYNAGOG
UEAMANWITHANUNCLEANSPIRITANDHECRIEDOUTWHATHAVE
YOUTODOWITHUSJESUSOFNAZARETHHAVEYOUCOMETODESTR
OYUSIKNOWWHOYOUARETHEHOLYONEOFGODBUTJESUSREBU
KEDHIMSAYINGBESILENTANDCOMEOUTOFHIMANDTHEUNCLE
ANSPIRITTHROWINGHIMINTOCONVULSIONSANDCRYINGWITH
ALOUDVOICECAMEOUTOFHIMTHEYWEREALLAMAZEDANDKE
PTONASKINGONEANOTHERWHATISTHISANEWTEACHINGWITH
AUTHORITYHECOMMANDSEVENTHEUNCLEANSPIRITSANDTHE
YOBEYHIMATONCEHISFAMEBEGANTOSPREADTHROUGHOUTT
HESURROUNDINGREGIONOFGALILEEASSOONASTHEYLEFTTHE
SYNAGOGUETHEYENTEREDTHEHOUSEOFSIMONANDANDREW
WITHJAMESANDJOHNNOWSIMONSMOTHERINLAWWASINBED
WITHAFEVERANDTHEYTOLDHIMABOUTHERATONCEHECAME
ANDTOOKHERBYTHEHANDANDLIFTEDHERUPTHENTHEFEVER
LEFTHERANDSHEBEGANTOSERVETHEMTHATEVENINGATSUN
SETTHEYBROUGHTTOHIMALLWHOWERESICKORPOSSESSEDW
ITHDEMONSANDTHEWHOLECITYWASGATHEREDAROUNDTHE
DOORANDHECUREDMANYWHOWERESICKWITHVARIOUSDISE
ASESANDCASTOUTMANYDEMONSANDHEWOULDNOTPERMIT
THEDEMONSTOSPEAKBECAUSETHEYKNEWHIMINTHEMORNI
NGWHILEITWASSTILLVERYDARKHEGOTUPANDWENTOUTTO
ADESERTEDPLACEANDTHEREHEPRAYEDANDSIMONANDHIS
COMPANIONSHUNTEDFORHIMWHENTHEYFOUNDHIMTHEYSA
IDTOHIMEVERYONEISSEARCHINGFORYOUHEANSWEREDLETU
SGOONTOTHENEIGHBORINGTOWNSSOTHATIMAYPROCLAIMT
HEMESSAGETHEREALSOFORTHATISWHATICAMEOUTTODOAN
DHEWENTTHROUGHOUTGALILEEPROCLAIMINGTHEMESSAGE
INTHEIRSYNAGOGUESANDCASTINGOUTDEMONSALEPERCAM
ETOHIMBEGGINGHIMANDKNEELINGHESAIDTOHIMIFYOUCHO
OSEYOUCANMAKEMECLEANMOVEDWITHPITYJESUSSTRETCH
EDOUTHISHANDAMDTOUCHEDHIMANDSAIDTOHIMIDOCHOOS
EBEMADECLEANIMMEDIATELYTHELEPROCYLEFTHIMANDHE
WASMADECLEANAFTERSTERNLYWARNINGHIMHESENTHIMA
WAYATONCESAYINGTOHIMSEETHATYOUSAYNOTHINGTOAN
YONEBUTGOSHOWYOURSELFTOTHEPRIESTANDOFFERFORYO
URCLEANSINGWHATMOSESCOMMANDEDASATESTIMONYTOT
HEMBUTHEWENTOUTANDBEGANTOPROCLAIMITFREELYAND
TOSPREADTHEWORDSOTHATJESUSCOULDNOLONGERGOINTO
TOWNOPENLYBUTSTAYEDOUTINTHECOUNTRYANDPEOPLECA
METOHIMFROMEVERYQUARTER

 Try copying that by hand for days on end and you will get a first-hand education on the kinds of mistakes that had developed in the texts.