Diglot Psalter with the Gospel of John
Diglot Psalter with the Gospel of John
BIB.001152
Bible - Printed Book
1709
Boston, Massachusetts (United States)
English and Wôpanâak
Printed on Paper
6.2 × 4 × .11 in. (15.9 × 10.3 × .3 cm)
On View in The Impact of the Bible, Bible in America
This diglot Bible contains the Wôpanâak Psalter and the Gospel of John. The Bible is written in English and Wôpanâak, sometimes known as Massachusett, which is a part of the Algonquian family of languages. This diglot Bible is an extremely rare first appearance of the Gospels in English in the New World. After the Indian Bible, published by John Eliot, this diglot is the most important example of the Wôpanâak language. This diglot edition was intended to help teach Native people to read the Bible.
Printed in 1709 by Bartholomew Green and James the Printer, Boston. In the possession of an anonymous Massachusett tribe member;[1] Given in 1838 to Edward Rodolphus Lambert, Connecticut.[2] Acquired by The John Carter Brown Library, Rhode Island.[3] Acquired by Craig Lampe, Goodyear, Arizona; Privately purchased in 2009 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] At the foot of the first page is the date May 1, 1808, with the initials “SL,” presumably a member of the Massachusett family who had kept the book since 1709 according to the dealer, Craig Lambert.[2] A New England historian. A note on the first page says “E. R. Lambert. From the Gay Head Indians, Martha’s Vineyard in May 1838 when I was there.” [3] According to Craig Lampe, the library deaccessioned the Bible at an unknown date. Museum of the Bible contacted The John Carter Brown Library, but there is no additional information at this time.
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