The Scriptures were first written on skins
,
linen cloth, or papyrus, and rolled up as we do
engravings. The Old Testament was written
in the old Hebrew character---an offshoot of
the Phoenician. It was a symbol language as
written, and the vowel sound supplied by the
voice. The words ran together in a continuous
line. After the Hebrew became a dead language,
vowels were supplied to preserve usage,
which was passing away. After the Babylonish
captivity, the written Hebrew was modified by
the Aramaic, and schools of reading taught
the accent and emphasis. Then came the
separation of words from each other, then
division into verses.