“In My Own Hand”: Grapho-Literacy and the Apostle Paul 51 Shepherd of Hermas was a “slow writer”. Though the command of Vis. 2.4.3 presumes he can read, Hermas must copy letter by letter since he cannot identify the syllables (ta;" sullabav"), even if writing books (58). Papyrologists have criticized Cribiore’s methodological basis for identifying the “syllabic” and “copying” methods as two separate instructional techniques (59). In her later work, Cribiore acknowledges the possibility that teachers could have practiced both simultaneously while advancing students with varying competencies through the different stages of literate education (60). However, Cribiore has demonstrated conclusively that, in the ancient world, ability in one literate skill does not automatically imply ability in the other and that compositional writing dwelled at the high end of the pedagogical spectrum, where few students ever progressed. That is, the ancient context was certainly familiar with individuals such as the town clerk Petaus (discussed immediately below), who could write a short formula but was not literate enough to know when he had made a mistake in his copying. Of the minority of children who were educated, most did not progress far through the pedagogical system, and thus were —————— Writing, 116-117, 150 -152; Gymnastics of the Mind, 163-164, 176-177; HARRIS, Ancient Literacy, 254, 254, n. 419, 276-277, 318; T.J. KRAUS, “ ‘Slow Writers’— BRADEWS GRAFONTES: What, How Much, and How Did They Write?”, (ID.) Ad Fontes. Original Manuscripts and Their Significance for Studying Early Christianity – Selected Essays (Leiden 2007) 131-147; YOUTIE, “Bradevw" grafwn”, 239-261. v (58) Herm. Vis. 2.4.3 (read); 2.1.4 (letter by letter); 2.1.4 and 2.4.3 (writing “little” books). One may compare here with Cicero’s scribes (librarii) Spintharo and Tiro, discussed in Att. 13.25. Spintharo has attained a slightly higher gradation of writing ability than Hermas, since he can follow dictation syllable by syllable. Even more advanced, however, is Tiro, who can follow whole sentences. For discussion of Hermas and Christian copyists, see K. HAINES-EITZEN, Guardians of Letters. Literacy, Power, and the Transmitters of Early Christian Literature (New York 2000) 36-37. (59) See especially K. VÖSSING, “Schreiben lernen, ohne lesen zu können? Zur Methode des antiken Elementarunterrichts,” ZPE 123 (1998) 121-125. Other reviews of Cribiore’s work are H. MAEHLER, review of Writing, Teachers, and Students in Graeco-Roman Egypt by Raffaella Cribiore, Gnomon 75 (2003) 229- 235; K. VÖSSING, review of Gymnastics of the Mind by Raffaella Cribiore, Gnomon 75 (2003) 613-616. (60) CRIBIORE, Gymnastics, 176-177. For her discussion of various ancient educational theorists and their descriptions of learning to write, see CRIBIORE, Writing, 139-152.