2022 marks the 500th anniversary of the publication of two important early Bible translations. The Complutensian Polyglot or Bible of Alcalá was the first Bible to include the text in multiple languages (in this case, Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and Aramaic). The project was conceived by Cardinal Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, a powerful Spanish religious leader. …
Five hundred years ago, during the summer of 1521, Martin Luther sequestered himself at Wartburg castle. While in hiding from secular and Papal authorities who might arrest him on heresy charges, he set to work translating the Bible into vernacular German according to his understanding of scripture. In Germany, vernacular Bibles based on the Latin …
Special Collections recently acquired a copy of the earliest edition of the complete Bible in Spanish, known as “La Biblia del Oso” because of the printer’s mark, an illustration of a bear seeking honey. The Bible was translated into Spanish by Casiodoro de Reina, a former Catholic monk turned Protestant reformer, possibly with collaborators. “La …
One of the most famous early printed Bibles is known as the “Complutensian Polyglot,” a multi-language Bible published at the Complutense University in the early 1500s (the University is now the University of Madrid, but in the 15th and 16th centuries the university was located in Alcalá de Henares, which was called Complutum in Latin). …
Beginning on Monday, September 21, the day before Pope Francis begins his historic visit to the United States, Perry Special Collections will join other institutions which own a copy of the Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible in turning a page a day for seven days. This simple act of displaying the same pages …
In celebration of Easter, this month’s post highlights a few Bibles and Books of Common Prayer (the service book for the Church of England) found in our Victorian Collection. Can you imagine using one of these at church? Bible (Oxford University Press, 1855). With 288 woodcut illustrations. Victorian Collection 220.52 B47 1855 Book of Common …
Some of the rare Bibles in Special Collections were recently featured in the Fall 2014 issue of BYU Magazine. What makes a Bible rare and collectable? If you have an old Bible in your possession, would BYU Special Collections be a good home for it? There are a number of factors to consider: 1. Old does …
Bibles, psalm books, and other religious texts are on display in Special Collections’ latest small exhibit, “The Beauty of Devotional Literature.” Visit to see examples of illuminated manuscripts from the middle ages to the present, including a 16th century saint’s life, an 18th century Koran, and an illuminated broadside of Book of Mormon verses which …
German translations of the Bible have been around since the Middle Ages. After Gutenberg printed a Latin Bible in Germany around 1465, vernacular Bibles in German quickly followed. A Bible in High German was issued by Johannes Mentelin in Strasbourg in 1466. Low German vernacular Bibles were issued in Cologne in 1478 and 1479. In …
There are only a few more weeks to catch “The Life and Legacy of the King James Bible,” Special Collections’ current exhibit. It will be taken down in early June to make room for a new exhibit on the American Civil War. Don’t miss the chance to see a first edition copy of the King …