"Bibles in Continental Europe After 1500" Case from "In the Beginning was the Word" case
Christianity’s influence permeates western civilization, reaching into every nook and cranny of our history and culture. The Bible, Christianity’s scripture, is likely the best-selling book of all time. Even as American society has become more secular and many Americans turn away from organized religion, the Bible itself is available in an ever-expanding variety of languages, translations, and editions with all manner of supplements for its readers.
This exhibit explores not the history of the Bible itself but the history of the printing of the Bible. It begins with Gutenberg and other early printers in continental Europe, then moves across the English Channel to examine the publication of Bibles in England, Wales, and Scotland. The exhibit then turns its attention to Bibles and related scriptures, some in English, some not, in the American colonies and later the United States.
All of the Bibles in this exhibit are the property of Swem Library, except the Aitken Bible of 1782, which is the property of Bruton Parish Church but is normally stored at Swem. We thank Bruton Parish for permission to display it.
BIBLES IN CONTINENTAL EUROPE AFTER 1550
The demand for printed Bibles in its original languages and Latin and vernacular translations continued to grow in Europe, as different Protestant sects developed and as nationalism became more important. The Bibles themselves frequently came with a variety of scholarly apparatus, such as margin notes, indexes, and commentaries.
Théodore de Bèze
Théodore de Bèze (1519-1605), a French Protestant, was a professor of Greek and theology at the academy in Geneva, Switzerland, and succeeded John Calvin as the leader of Geneva’s Protestant community. He shared Calvin’s theological views. Among his many contributions was a Greek version of the New Testament printed in parallel columns with the Vulgate Latin version and his own Latin translation. In addition, he added scholarly notes that provided a Calvinist interpretation of the New Testament. Originally published in 1565 in Geneva, Bèze’s New Testament was reprinted several times. On display here are versions published in 1580 and 1589, both printed by Henri Estienne, son of Robert, whose 1545 Bible is in the first case. A third version here was printed in 1598 but no publication information is provided. Bèze dedicated the 1598 version to Queen Elizabeth I of England, who had cheered Protestant Europe by defeating the (Catholic) Spanish Armada in 1588. The 1589 version belonged to William Webb, William and Mary Class of 1746, and the 1598 version to William Yates, William and Mary Class of 1744 and president of the College, 1761-1764.
A Post-Vulgate Latin Edition
Immanuel Tremellius (1510-1580) was an Italian Jewish convert to Catholicism who quickly converted to Protestantism. After being exiled by the religious wars on the Continent, he served as Professor of Hebrew at Cambridge University and later became Professor of the Old Testament at the University of Heidelberg, from which he ended up fleeing to the College of Sedan. Tremelllius and his son-in-law Franciscus Junius, a professor of theology at Leyden University, translated the Old Testament directly from Hebrew into Latin. This translation was first published in the 1570s in Frankfurt. Tremellius also translated the New Testament from the Syriac into Latin, first published in Geneva in 1569. Swem’s edition of Tremellius’s work was published in London in 1580 and was dedicated to Prince Frederick III, the Elector of the Palatine. Frederick, a staunch Calvinist, greatly supported the Reformed tradition against the Lutherans and brought Tremellius to Heidelberg.
The Osiander Family
A father-and-son team was responsible for an updated edition of the Latin Vulgate. Lucas Osiander (1534-1604) and his son Andreas Osiander (1562-1617) followed in the footsteps of Lucas’s father, also Andreas Osiander (1498-1552), a German Lutheran theologian who published a corrected Vulgate in 1522. Lucas and his son also became theologians and they published a Latin Vulgate with extensive comments in 1600. Swem’s copy is the 1606 Tübingen edition. It is dedicated to Prince Frederick of Württemberg (1557-1608).
Later Bibles on the Continent
The remaining Bibles in this case are all from Europe. Giovanni Diodati (1576-1649) succeeded Théodore de Bèze at the University of Geneva and is best known for translating the Bible from Greek and Hebrew to Italian. The first edition was published in 1603; Swem’s edition dates to 1641. This was for many generations the Bible of Italian Protestants. The 1675 Greek New Testament is distinguished chiefly by its association with Emmanuel Jones, whose bookplate appears on it. Jones was a student at William and Mary and later led the Indian School at the College from 1755 through 1777. The 1684 Polyglot New Testament, published in Amsterdam, has French, English, and Dutch in parallel columns. Finally, the 1707 Lutheran Bible, distinguished by its hardware, was published with the approval of the theological faculty at Leipzig and is dedicated to Frederick Augustus (1670-1733), Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. To become King of Poland, Frederick had converted from Lutheranism to Catholicism, but he allowed Saxony to remain Lutheran.
From the Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library at the College of William and Mary. See swem.wm.edu/scrc/ for further information and assistance.
"Bibles in Continental Europe After 1500" Case from "In the Beginning was the Word" case
Christianity’s influence permeates western civilization, reaching into every nook and cranny of our history and culture. The Bible, Christianity’s scripture, is likely the best-selling book of all time. Even as American society has become more secular and many Americans turn away from organized religion, the Bible itself is available in an ever-expanding variety of languages, translations, and editions with all manner of supplements for its readers.
This exhibit explores not the history of the Bible itself but the history of the printing of the Bible. It begins with Gutenberg and other early printers in continental Europe, then moves across the English Channel to examine the publication of Bibles in England, Wales, and Scotland. The exhibit then turns its attention to Bibles and related scriptures, some in English, some not, in the American colonies and later the United States.
All of the Bibles in this exhibit are the property of Swem Library, except the Aitken Bible of 1782, which is the property of Bruton Parish Church but is normally stored at Swem. We thank Bruton Parish for permission to display it.
BIBLES IN CONTINENTAL EUROPE AFTER 1550
The demand for printed Bibles in its original languages and Latin and vernacular translations continued to grow in Europe, as different Protestant sects developed and as nationalism became more important. The Bibles themselves frequently came with a variety of scholarly apparatus, such as margin notes, indexes, and commentaries.
Théodore de Bèze
Théodore de Bèze (1519-1605), a French Protestant, was a professor of Greek and theology at the academy in Geneva, Switzerland, and succeeded John Calvin as the leader of Geneva’s Protestant community. He shared Calvin’s theological views. Among his many contributions was a Greek version of the New Testament printed in parallel columns with the Vulgate Latin version and his own Latin translation. In addition, he added scholarly notes that provided a Calvinist interpretation of the New Testament. Originally published in 1565 in Geneva, Bèze’s New Testament was reprinted several times. On display here are versions published in 1580 and 1589, both printed by Henri Estienne, son of Robert, whose 1545 Bible is in the first case. A third version here was printed in 1598 but no publication information is provided. Bèze dedicated the 1598 version to Queen Elizabeth I of England, who had cheered Protestant Europe by defeating the (Catholic) Spanish Armada in 1588. The 1589 version belonged to William Webb, William and Mary Class of 1746, and the 1598 version to William Yates, William and Mary Class of 1744 and president of the College, 1761-1764.
A Post-Vulgate Latin Edition
Immanuel Tremellius (1510-1580) was an Italian Jewish convert to Catholicism who quickly converted to Protestantism. After being exiled by the religious wars on the Continent, he served as Professor of Hebrew at Cambridge University and later became Professor of the Old Testament at the University of Heidelberg, from which he ended up fleeing to the College of Sedan. Tremelllius and his son-in-law Franciscus Junius, a professor of theology at Leyden University, translated the Old Testament directly from Hebrew into Latin. This translation was first published in the 1570s in Frankfurt. Tremellius also translated the New Testament from the Syriac into Latin, first published in Geneva in 1569. Swem’s edition of Tremellius’s work was published in London in 1580 and was dedicated to Prince Frederick III, the Elector of the Palatine. Frederick, a staunch Calvinist, greatly supported the Reformed tradition against the Lutherans and brought Tremellius to Heidelberg.
The Osiander Family
A father-and-son team was responsible for an updated edition of the Latin Vulgate. Lucas Osiander (1534-1604) and his son Andreas Osiander (1562-1617) followed in the footsteps of Lucas’s father, also Andreas Osiander (1498-1552), a German Lutheran theologian who published a corrected Vulgate in 1522. Lucas and his son also became theologians and they published a Latin Vulgate with extensive comments in 1600. Swem’s copy is the 1606 Tübingen edition. It is dedicated to Prince Frederick of Württemberg (1557-1608).
Later Bibles on the Continent
The remaining Bibles in this case are all from Europe. Giovanni Diodati (1576-1649) succeeded Théodore de Bèze at the University of Geneva and is best known for translating the Bible from Greek and Hebrew to Italian. The first edition was published in 1603; Swem’s edition dates to 1641. This was for many generations the Bible of Italian Protestants. The 1675 Greek New Testament is distinguished chiefly by its association with Emmanuel Jones, whose bookplate appears on it. Jones was a student at William and Mary and later led the Indian School at the College from 1755 through 1777. The 1684 Polyglot New Testament, published in Amsterdam, has French, English, and Dutch in parallel columns. Finally, the 1707 Lutheran Bible, distinguished by its hardware, was published with the approval of the theological faculty at Leipzig and is dedicated to Frederick Augustus (1670-1733), Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. To become King of Poland, Frederick had converted from Lutheranism to Catholicism, but he allowed Saxony to remain Lutheran.
From the Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library at the College of William and Mary. See swem.wm.edu/scrc/ for further information and assistance.