Faithful Codex: A Theological Account of Early C hristian Books

The following essay presents a theological account of early Christian codex books that advances beyond Catherine Pickstock's criticism of Jacques Derrida. I first summarize Derrida's deconstruction of Plato's Phaedrus and introduce his understanding of writing as différance. I then outline Pickstock's After Writing in order to understand her emphasis on the liturgical nature of Platonic dialogue. Pickstock aims to displace Derrida's embrace of writing by defending the orality of liturgy. As a result, her own theological supplement minimizes the ecclesial role of writing. Further, it is particularly critical of the impact of the printing press on bound codex bibles after the Reformation. It is here that an ambiguity emerges between writing and codex presentation in Pickstock's account. As it happens, this is an ambiguity that Derrida also recognized, asking at one point, why 'all the Christian churches are more mediatic than their Jewish, Moslem, Buddhist, etc. equivalents'. In response, the insights of book historians such as Roger Chartier are brought to bear in order to understand the longer history of the codex, a history which sees the printing press as a continuation of the early transition from roll to codex in the second century of the Common Era. It has long been noted that Christians of this period were early and pervasive adopters of codex binding for their sacred writings. By summarizing the reasons why, it will be shown how the codex expressed early Christian theological concerns. After Pickstock, the codex itself can be understood as faithful repetition