How much faster (D,H,M,S) would the Bible have been completed if ball point pens were used instead of a quill?

Question

Ideas how to solve this:
1) What was the average font size used back then

2) Find out the average line length of a written alphabet letter, and find which letter is closest to avg. length as far as stroke length (depends on what language was used). We'll just use english since only length of stroke v. time is needed.

3) Find out how many words\letters are in the Bible

4) Take # of letters and multiply by avg. letter length to get the total length of the line it would take to write the entire bible.

5) Determine the total length of line the ink in a ball point pen until it runs dry. You can try this a few times then take the average. (maybe use a rotating wheel with a counter for the pen to write on and firgue out length using circumference)

6) Record time used to write the letter from step#2 X amount of times or amount written in a minute.

7) Repeat step#6 but, now with a quill pen.

8)Now you can figure out time difference & how many pens
you will use up.

Oh, I was thinking dead sea scrolls era...Who was the first to actually bring the books together?...Wasn't it before all that fancy "I'm gonna draw a dragon intertwined on the first letter of the sentence" Calligraphy was done?

I suppose we can just analyze the regular sized penmanship.

Answer 1

I see what you are saying but I'm concerned more about the timeline of when this comparison is to take place:
Is it supposed to be "Here Friar, try this puppy out?" or just a calligraphist vs a hand writer with a Bic?

If its the former, it would take LONGER for the monks had to write in a calligraphy style so they would have had to "draw" each letter, and color in.

If it is the later, clearly, the Bic would be faster for less requirements are needed to write a letter.

Answer 2

Considering that the Bible was written over hundreds of years, from Moses to Malachi with a 400-year break (if we include the New Testament) until the decades where the Gospels and Letters were written, I don't think a ball point pen would have helped much, if at all.

Now, copying it is a different question.