Thank you for the question on the Bible, “How come that in the Bible no one mentioned in had a Bible?”
The Bible is in two parts: The Old Testament and the New Testament. The Books of the Old Testament were primarily located and held by the priests before the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE. It is likely that the High Priest had access to the scrolls of the Old Testament.
Individuals can purchase a scroll of the Old Testament as the Ethiopian Eunuch was reading the scroll of Isaiah as he was returning home (Acts 8:26–40). Local synagogue had a scroll or two but none had all the scrolls of the Old Testament since it would be too costly to possess. The Discovery of the Qumran Community and its scrolls. Scholars have listed the scrolls of the Old Testament as well as extra-biblical scrolls. The only scroll that the Qumram Community didn’t have is the scroll on Esther. Since this scroll does not mention the word, God, in it, they may have questioned its authenticity. If there was a person who had access to the Old Testament scrolls, it would be Gamaliel, the primary teacher of Israel since he taught the Pharisees.
As to the New Testament, the followers of Jesus were persecuted. Letters from the Apostles or church leaders were read in churches and sent onto other churches. We find an example of this when the Apostle Paul encourages the Colossae believers to read the letter from Laodicea.
Colossians 4 says this, “16 After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea” (NIV).
II Timothy 4 says this, “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments” (NIV). The Apostle Paul had access to scrolls (plural) of which he was asking Timothy to bring it to him as well as parchments. Parchments are animal skins in which Scriptures were written on it. It was more durable than papyrus.
It is likely that certain Christian centers as Alexandria, Jerusalem, Ephesus, Constantinople or Rome would have access to the Old Testament and to the New Testaments beside the extra-biblical writings. When the persecution of Christians cease around 325 CE, the first composed “Bible” into one book was made to be presented to Emperor Constantine. The survival of the Codex Sinaiticus is one of the first compiled books of the Old and New Testament, dating to the 4th Century. The existence of Codex Sinaiticus would imply that Christians had access to the Septuagint Old Testament and the New Testament scrolls.
SUMMARY: The Old and New Testaments scrolls or parchments were too precious to be in a hand of one person. The scrolls were copied and kept in key Jewish or Christian centers.