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Carey Bible, First Edition
Carey Bible, First Edition
- Collection ID
- BIB.005030
- Type
- Bible - Printed Book
- Date
- 1790
- Geography
- United States
- Language
- English
- Medium
- Printed on Paper
- Dimensions
- 10.4 × 7.9 × 3.3 in. (26.5 × 20 × 8.5 cm)
- Exhibit Location
- On View in Impact of the Bible, Bible in America
The Carey Bible was the first Catholic Bible printed in the United States. Mathew Carey was born in Dublin and worked as a printer before immigrating to Philadelphia in 1784. Catholics made up only 1% of the population in the United States at that time and sometimes faced severe prejudice from their Protestant neighbors. Carey published his Bible in 1790, using the Douay-Rheims translation of the Vulgate, with the support of over 400 subscribers. He intended it to not only support the Catholic community, but also to combat Protestant claims that Catholics were indifferent to Bible study and the devotional life. This copy is a rare first edition.
The Carey Bible was the first Catholic Bible printed in the United States. Mathew Carey was born in Dublin and worked as a printer before immigrating to Philadelphia in 1784. Catholics made up only 1% of the population in the United States at that time and sometimes faced severe prejudice from their Protestant neighbors. Carey published his Bible in 1790, using the Douay-Rheims translation of the Vulgate, with the support of over 400 subscribers. He intended it to not only support the Catholic community, but also to combat Protestant claims that Catholics were indifferent to Bible study and the devotional life. This copy is a rare first edition.
Printed in 1790 by Carey, Stewart and Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Acquired by the early 1990s by Michael Zinman, private collector, New York; Purchased in the early 1990s by Sidney Ohlhausen, private collector, Houston, Texas;[1] Purchased in 2015 by Tenny Family Bible Collection, private collection, Krum, Texas; Donated in 2020 to Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.
Notes: [1] Information from Sidney Ohlhausen via email, December 2020.
Printed in 1790 by Carey, Stewart and Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Acquired by the early 1990s by Michael Zinman, private collector, New York; Purchased in the early 1990s by Sidney Ohlhausen, private collector, Houston, Texas;[1] Purchased in 2015 by Tenny Family Bible Collection, private collection, Krum, Texas; Donated in 2020 to Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.
Notes: [1] Information from Sidney Ohlhausen via email, December 2020.
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