Paul and His Books

"The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring [with thee], and the books, [but] especially the parchments."

Here we have a picture of the whole man, the physical, intellectual, and Spiritual: something to warm his body; something to occupy his mind; something to feed his soul. Some expositors speculate the Apostle might have left these three items with his friend, Carpus, during the summer months, to keep for him. Paul wanting to travel light, thinking these things would have been cumbersome.

I have a difficult time accepting this theory. He may have left the first two, but I doubt seriously, the “parchments” (Scriptures). I think possibly, when arrested, he was not permitted to return to his lodging to collect his belongings. So now, in a damp prison cell, shivering with the chill of winter coming on, he asks his young protégé to make haste in bringing them to him.

I can understand him desiring the first and last articles. Staying warm and having his Bible would seem to most Christians to suffice. But Paul also wanted his books. Like dear friends, he wanted them with him at the end. He is ready to be offered up, yet is reading right up to the time of his departure. As long as the old man lived, he wanted to continue learning. He could no longer preach, but he could read.

How he loved books and reading them, in spite of his poor eyesight. Is it any wonder then that he told young Timothy, “Give attendance to reading.” Paul read the poets of his day, was familiar with the philosophers, and knew something about science. God’s Book came first in Paul’s life and ministry, but God gave him his books as an added blessing. As Bishop Moule wrote, “The God of Scripture has room in His heart for every detail of human life.” Standing on others’ shoulders helps us see further than we naturally would have, without their help. Let us not only get in “The Book,” but in good books also.