Parchment

Parchment is writing material prepared from the treated skin of sheep or goats, as distinct from papyrus, which was made from a plant. Its name derives from the city of Pergamos (Pergamum) in Asia Minor, where the material was perfected and promoted as an alternative to Egyptian papyrus, perhaps after a trade embargo on papyrus supply. Parchment proved more durable than papyrus, capable of withstanding moisture and folding, and eventually became the preferred medium for important manuscripts.

The sole explicit New Testament reference to parchment occurs in 2 Timothy 4:13, where Paul, writing from prison near the end of his life, asks Timothy to bring the cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, but especially the parchments. The Greek word membrana (Latin loanword) clearly indicates parchment notebooks or scrolls, likely including personal copies of Scripture or other documents Paul valued for his continued study and ministry even in confinement.