Special Collections’ earliest example of a polyglot Bible is the “Genoa Psalter” of 1516.  This polyglot presents the text of the Psalms in Hebrew, Latin (Vulgate), Greek (Septuagint), Arabic, and Chaldee, with literal Latin translations of the Hebrew and Chaldee and a Latin commentary.  Besides its rarity (400 copies were printed, and the Genoa city council ordered them destroyed), the Genoa Psalter is also famous because the commentary for Psalm 19 contains a short biography of Christopher Columbus.

Special Collections owns over a dozen polyglot Bibles, including Henri Estienne’s polyglot of 1569, the eight-volume polyglot printed by Christopher Plantin in 1571-72, and the London polyglot issued by Brian Walton in 1657.  Polyglot Bibles in Special Collections, as well as modern editions in the circulating collection, can be found by searching the library catalog for the title “Bible polyglot.”

What is the Wycliffite version of the Bible? It is a late 14th century translation of the New Testament from the Latin Vulgate into Middle English.  The translation was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe (c. 1320-1384), an Oxford University theologian, who believed that the Bible comes directly from God and provides inerrant truths which should guide religious and political government.  He and his followers, called “Lollards” by their contemporaries, pressed for ecclesiastical and social reforms throughout the late 14th century.  Wycliffe’s emphasis on the Bible’s unique authority naturally led to the Lollards’ assertion that the Bible should be available to all people in their own language – in the case of the peasants and middle class, English.

People of the Middle Ages knew the Bible text only in its Latin form. Those who could read used the Bible, or portions of the Bible, in Latin; illiterate individuals might memorize Latin texts like the Psalms through recitation in various worship services.  Scholars disagree as to whether Wycliffe actually participated in translating the Vulgate Bible, but the earliest versions of the Wycliffite, or Lollard, Bible certainly originate from Oxford in the 1380’s.

In the 14th century, English was one of three languages spoken in medieval England.  Latin was at the top of the linguistic hierarchy – it was the language of literacy and formal education across Europe.  Everyday speech was further stratified by class; the aristocracy spoke Anglo-Norman, a dialect of French, while commoners spoke Middle English.  Since the Wycliffite Bible was translated into common English during a period of social and political unrest, as well as religious dissent, English-language Bibles became symbols of heretical beliefs.  Wycliffe’s teachings were condemned in 1382.  In 1409, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Arundel, issued thirteen Constitutions which prohibited the translation of any biblical text into English as well as the public or private reading of such texts.  Violators were excommunicated and charged with heresy, which was punishable by death.  English-language Bible manuscripts were pushed underground throughout the next 130 years.  Over 250 Wycliffite Bibles have survived to the present.

Readers interested in the Wycliffite Bible had access to the text only in manuscript form until 1731, when a version translation first appeared in print.  Special Collections owns a copy of another important printed version, “Wycliffite Versions of the Holy Bible,”  edited by Josiah Forshall and Sir Frederic Madden and published by the Oxford University Press in 1850.  This four-volume set marks the complete edition of the Wycliffite translation of the Bible, with a side-by-side comparison of what scholars call the “earlier” and the “later” versions of the text.

To find these books and other copies of the Wycliffite New Testament in the HBLL, perform a title search in the library catalog for “Bible English Wycliffe.”

To supplement the exhibit, the World History & Culture blog will highlight individual Bibles from Special Collections’ holdings throughout Fall semester 2011.  Check back periodically to see lavish medieval manuscripts, works by famed artists and book designers, extremely big and small Bibles, and other interesting items from the collections.

Patrons wishing to consult the facsimile must abide by Special Collections’ reading room policies.  It can be viewed during Special Collections’ hours of operation.

The exhibit is on display in both Special Collections’ lobby and the reference area outside our reading room.  It is open during Special Collections’ normal operating hours.

The new facsimile bears the call number Rare Book Collection Folio BS 64 .S3 2010. Scholars may also wish to consult earlier facsimiles of the manuscript: the 1922 Old Testament facsimile (Vault Collection Folio 221.42 Si61L 1922) or the 1862 facsimile issued by the manuscript’s modern discoverer, Constantin von Tischendorf (Vault Collection Folio 220.42 Si61 1862).

The collection includes works printed between 1547 and 1626 which cover such topics as French laws and statutes, economy, propaganda, religion, and social and cultural commentary.

At Brigham Young University, the spotlight is shining on the King James Bible, which was first published during the year 1611.  To celebrate the King James version’s 400th  anniversary, during the month of February BYU has hosted a university forum address by Bible scholar David Norton, and the Religious Studies Center will present a symposium on the role of the King James translation in the Restoration.  In conjunction with this symposium, L. Tom Perry Special Collections will host a small exhibit of King James Bibles in our collections, including a first edition of the King James Bible and a Bible owned by Hyrum Smith.  The Bibles will be displayed Feb. 23-Mar. 4, 2011 in Special Collections’ lobby area during our’ normal operating hours.

The Harold B. Lee Library will present a major exhibit celebrating the life and legacy of the King James Bible later this year.  It is scheduled to run from August 2011-May 2012 on level 1 of the library.

Special Collections owns primary documentary evidence of these wars from the Spanish point of view, a collection of letters dated 1591-1597 from King Philip II of Spain to the governor of Spain’s northern coast. These letters document Spain’s naval offensive and related intelligence regarding England, Scotland, and Ireland; shipping and smuggling; and ship-building.  The entire collection has been digitized and placed on the library’s Digital Collections site, accompanied by full transcriptions and English summaries.

So after checking out these letters, come see King Philip II of Spain make an on-screen appearance in “The Sea Hawk”!

This new facsimile joins several other facsimiles of other Dante manuscripts, including copies of manuscripts held by the Vatican Library, the Biblioteca Lolliniana di Belluno, and the Biblioteca Trivulziana Milano.   The facsimiles reproduce manuscripts of the Divine Comedy and some of Dante’s correspondence.  These facsimiles can be found in the library catalog by searching either author: “Dante Alighieri” or genre: “manuscripts, Italian – facsimiles.”  Those facsimiles housed in the Rare Book Collection can be accessed at any time during Special Collections’ regular operating hours; facsimiles housed in the Vault Collection can be accessed Monday through Friday before 5 p.m.