Rheims New Testament, First Edition

Collection ID

BIB.003696

Type

Bible - Printed Book

Date

1582

Geography

France

Language

English

Medium

Printed on Paper

Dimensions

8.5 × 7.25 × 1.25 in. (21.6 × 18.4 × 3.2 cm)

Exhibit Location

On View in The History of the Bible, Revolutionary Words

This copy is a first edition Rheims New Testament, printed in Rheims, France, by John Fogny. It was translated into English from the Vulgate in 1582 by English Catholics living in exile in France. The translation was produced in response to popular Protestant English Bibles. Gregory Martin, the primary translator, worked under the supervision of William Allen and Richard Bristow. Martin closely followed the Latin Vulgate in some areas but also consulted the Greek text and earlier English versions. This translation also contained extensive commentary on every chapter. The Rheims New Testament was the first English translation approved for Catholics.

Printed in 1582 in Rheims, France. Acquired in 1583 by Thomas Gerard (1564-1618), First Baron of Gerard.[1] Acquired in 1675 by Thomas Renshaw.[2] Acquired in the 2000s by David C. Lachman, bookseller, Philadelphia; Privately purchased in 2011 by Green Collection, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Donated in 2017 to National Christian Foundation, (later The Signatry), under the curatorial care of Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.

Notes: [1] Gerard was a soldier, Member of Parliament, and Lord President of the Council of Wales. He was also a close ally of the Earl of Essex, a powerful figure in Tudor England. This text is identified as being in Gerard’s possession by his signature on the flyleaf, recto. [2] Another inscription on the flyleaf helpfully states in Latin, “This was bought the 13th August 1675, by me Thomas Renshaw.” His dates and place of residence are unknown.

Museum of the Bible Publications:

Museum of the Bible Curriculum, Museum of the Bible Curriculum: Acts through the Book of Revelation, vol. 4 (Museum of the Bible and Compedia Software & Hardware Ltd. 2016–2017), 135.

David Trobisch, Jennifer Atwood, Jonathan Kirkpatrick, and Rory P. Crowley, Verbum Domini II: God’s Word Goes Out to the Nations (Abilene, Texas: Abilene Christian University Press, 2014), 141–142.

Questions about our Collections?

Visit Contact Us Page

(866) 430-MOTB

To acquire permission to use this image, please visit our Rights and Reproduction page .

More From The Collections

Carey Bible, First Edition

Bible - Printed Book
1790
United States

Great Bible Portion with Carved Wooden Cover

Bible - Printed Book
Likely 1569
London, (England)

Captured Civil War New Testament

Bible - Printed Book
1862
Oxford, (England)
© Museum of the Bible 2024
Designed by PlainJoe