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From Scrolls to Scrolling: Sacred Texts, Materiality, 
and Dynamic Media Cultures

Bradford A. Anderson, Editor. From Scrolls to Scrolling: Sacred Texts, Material-
ity, and Dynamic Media Cultures. Berlin/Boston: de Gruyter, 2020. xvii, 307pp. 
$104.99 Hardcover. ISBN 978-3110634440. Open Access eBook https://doi.
org/10.1515/9783110634440.

Born of a project and symposium funded by the Irish Research Council New Foundations Scheme, 
From Scrolls to Scrolling: Sacred Texts, Materiality, and Dynamic Media Cultures considers the ef-
fects of materiality and the digital shift upon sacred texts in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Edi-
tor Bradford A. Anderson notes that these three traditions tend to understand their sacred texts 
as “timeless,” which can lead to a disembodiment of the text from its material, temporal, and cul-
tural contexts. Countering that tendency, this volume explores textual materiality as it has occurred 
through history, beginning with ancient scrolls, progressing through the codex, and extending into 
the digital sacred texts of the present. Beyond simply tracing the evolution of textual mediums, the 
chapters delve into the ways in which readers and media shape one another and the experience of 
reading and interacting with the texts. 

The introduction (“Materiality, Liminality, and the Digital Turn: The Sacred Texts of Judaism, 
Christianity, and Islam in Material Perspective”), written by editor Bradford A. Anderson, outlines 
the structure of the volume, reveals the goals of the project, and explores areas for future study. 
By considering the effects of materiality upon “the production, use, and interpretation of the scrip-
tures,” the volume seeks to “resituate materiality, along with transitions between media forms, as 
significant for the academic study of sacred texts within and between these religious traditions” 
(2). To achieve this goal, From Scrolls to Scrolling is organized into two primary sections: “I: Sacred 
Texts and Material Contexts,” and “II: Sacred Texts and the Digital Turn.” 

The first section, consisting of seven chapters, provides a predominantly historical perspective 
on the materiality of sacred texts. Anna Krauß and Friederike Schücking-Jungblut consider how the 
layout of the poetical units in some Psalms found in the Dead Sea Scrolls can be interpreted to tell us 
about how the texts were used in ancient Judaism. Next, Dan Batovici looks at paratextual elements 
found in early Christian papyri, arguing that the popular scholarly distinction between public- and 
private-use papyri may be oversimplifying the role of the texts in early and late-antique Christian-
ity. Asma Hilali uses annotations in early Islamic fragments and manuscripts to identify evidence 
of textual transmission before the “scholastic transmission tradition which would later emerge” 
(59-60). Shifting ahead on the historical timeline, Ben Outhwaite explores sociocultural and politi-
cal conditions emerging in the Jewish community under Islamic rule, attributing the adoption of 
the codex within Judaism to the conglomeration of these diverse issues. Following the same shift 
from scroll to codex in Judaism, Javier del Barco examines text-layout decisions made when tran-
sitioning between formats, suggesting they “have much to tell us about the functional dimensions 
of these formats, as well as the relationship between scroll and codex after the emergence of the 
latter” (6). Also considering text-layout, Eyal Poleg observes the repeated pattern of innovation be-
ing introduced in the printing of the Psalms and then being reversed in later editions, attributing 
these returns to traditional layouts to the “power of performance and mnemonics” (147). Finally, 
Amanda Dillon’s chapter begins to bridge the historical gap between the ancient texts of Part I and 
modern digital editions found in Part II. Dillon analyzes Bible journaling through the lens of social 

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110634440
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110634440


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semiotics, highlighting the importance, and indeed necessity, of the material form for this textual 
engagement.

The five chapters in the second section, “Sacred Texts and the Digital Turn,” focus on scholar-
ship and the digital humanities, textual authority, and sociocultural elements in the transition from 
analog to digital scripture. Garrick Allen begins the section by considering the ways in which digital 
critical editions can account for rich interpretive details that are present in the manuscript tradi-
tions of Revelation 13, but missing from traditional critical editions. The multi-faceted nature of 
digital critical editions gives readers the opportunity, Allen argues, to “better reflect on the complex 
relationships between textual production, transmission, exegesis, and reception history” (7). Alba 
Fedeli looks at how the diversity of readings and interpretations that emerged from early Qur’ānic 
manuscripts parallels the interpretive actions made by scholars when coding and marking up these 
same manuscripts in digital scholarship projects. Next, Joshua Mann uses the YouVersion Bible App 
to explore paratextual elements in digital Bibles and their impact upon the user’s engagement with 
the text, regardless of whether they have consciously chosen to engage with the elements. Natalia 
Suit observes that electronic forms of the Qur’ān are shaping religious practices for Muslims in 
Egypt, sometimes spurring debate around textual authority and bodily concerns like ritual purity. 
In the final chapter, editor Bradford Anderson considers semantic and iconic uses of sacred texts, 
positing that, currently, the digital medium more readily lends itself to semantic uses, while in gen-
eral society still relies upon physical items for iconic purposes.

With a wide breadth of analyses across three traditions and centuries of textual history, From 
Scrolls to Scrolling achieves its stated ambition of foregrounding the importance of materiality and 
transitions between media as significant for the academic study of sacred texts. Each of the chap-
ters illustrates a distinct approach to studying materiality in the context of textual studies, offering, 
in some sense, a high-quality survey of the variety of scholarship we can expect to see as this field 
continues to emerge. This volume sets itself apart from existing scholarship by expanding the field 
of inquiry beyond the content of the texts to also consider the impacts of the chosen medium upon 
the religious experiences of readers and the subtler changes caused by shifts in media of sacred 
texts. Digital technology adds new dimensions to the already complex phenomenon of reading sa-
cred texts, but the chapters in Part II of this volume create a foundation off of which more scholar-
ship can build.

The same broadness that makes this volume valuable as a survey of sorts also limits it in im-
portant ways. By having such a large historical and multi-traditional coverage area, there is little 
opportunity for deep conversation between the scholarship. I agree with Anderson that there is 
ample room for further development in “exploring how the materiality of sacred texts is bound up 
with social and cultural factors,” something this volume introduces well (9). The purpose of includ-
ing sacred texts from three traditions was to show intra- and inter-religious engagement between 
the texts through time. That interaction was less clear throughout this volume, but Anderson does 
acknowledge the need for further research in this area. There is also not any information about the 
chapter authors in the volume, a small but odd detail worth noting. 

By being published open access, this volume makes itself extremely accessible as a download-
able PDF or ePUB document, in addition to having paperback and hardcover editions available for 
purchase. The content of the volume is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCom-
mercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, making it the perfect addition to a course reading 
list. I highly recommend From Scrolls to Scrolling: Sacred Texts, Materiality, and Dynamic Media 
Cultures for those working at the intersections of religious texts and technology, whether scholar, 
pastor, or student. Its broad topical coverage, variety of methods, unique avenues of inquiry, and 



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radical accessibility position this volume to be a foundational text in the area of textual studies, 
materiality, and the spaces between.

Elizabeth R. Miller
Emory University


