The Gospels in Anglo-Saxon
The Gospels in Anglo-Saxon
BIB.001281
Bible - Printed Book
1571
London, (England)
Anglo–Saxon
Printed on Paper
8 × 6.2 × 1.3 in. (20.5 × 15.8 × 3.3 cm)
On View in The History of the Bible, Translating the Bible
First Edition. This volume, printed in 1571, is the first published edition of the biblical text in Anglo-Saxon. Traditionally, the text has been attributed to Aelfric of Eynsham, the abbot of an English monastery, who may have translated parts of the Bible into Anglo-Saxon about the year CE 1000. Anglo-Saxon or Old English is an early form of the English language although it is closer to German and Icelandic in syntax.
Printed in 1571, by John Day, in London, England. Acquired by 1591 by Robert Nicolson, London, England. [1] Acquired in the 1680s by William Wotton, England. [2] Acquired by the Earls of Macclesfield at Shirburn Caste; Purchased at auction in 2006 by Sokol Books Ltd., London, England;[3] Purchased in 2010 by Green Collection, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Donated in 2020 to The Signatry, under the curatorial care of Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.
Notes: [1] Nicolson’s Inscription above the title on the title-page states that he acquired this book in 1591. [2] Wotton’s inscription to the right of the title on the title-page was cropped, only listing the first three numbers in the date. This owner was probably William Wotton (1666–1727), the linguist and theologian who was made Fellow of the Royal Society in 1687. [3] Sotheby’s, London, April 11, 2006, Lot 2319, purchased by Sokol Books Ltd.
Museum of the Bible Publications:
Jennifer Atwood and Stacey L. Douglas, eds., “Passages: Exploring the Bible in Four Movements - An Exhibition Guide” (Oklahoma City: Museum of the Bible, 2015), 70.
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