Recycling is not a new idea

Recycling is a great idea, but it is not a new idea. I love to recycle such things as paper, aluminum cans, plastics and glass because that is good stewardship, but here's a case of recycling for purely religious purposes:


Text reveals more ancient secrets
By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC News

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Experts are "lost for words" to have found that a medieval prayer book has yielded yet another key ancient text buried within its parchment.

Works by mathematician Archimedes and the politician Hyperides had already been found buried within the book, known as the Archimedes Palimpsest.

But now advanced imaging technology has revealed a third text - a commentary on the philosopher Aristotle.

Project director William Noel called it a "sensational find".

The prayer book was written in the 13th Century by a scribe called John Myronas. But instead of using fresh parchment for his work, he employed pages from five existing books.

Dr Noel, curator of manuscripts at the US-based Walters Art Museum and a co-author of a forthcoming book on the Archimedes Palimpsest, said: "It's a rather brutal process, but it means you can reuse parchment if you are short of it.
"You take books off shelves, you scrub off the text, you cut them up and you make a new book." "Just the fact that I could see the words gave me shivers," said Professor Roger Easton.

In 1906 it came to light that one of the books recycled to form the medieval manuscript contained a unique work by Archimedes.

For the full text of this story, see http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6591221.stm

For a closer look at the discovery, see http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/technology_enl_1177506764/html/1.stm

If you were short on paper, what would you recycle to write out a prayer book?

In peace,

Linda +

The Rev. Linda McCloud

Founding Pastor

The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek

www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org

http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com