Erasmus’s “Paraphrases,” in English
BIB.005045
Bible - Printed Book
1548
England
English
Printed on Paper
10.8 × 8 × 3.1 in. (27.5 × 20.3 × 7.8 cm)
Not on View
Desiderius Erasmus was a Dutch priest, philosopher, and scholar who helped lay the groundwork for the modern field of biblical studies. In 1517, shortly after completing his revolutionary Greek New Testament, he began writing a “paraphrase” of the canonical Epistles, eventually turning to the Gospels and the book of Acts as well. He intended the work to serve, in part, as a commentary that could help ministers better teach lay audiences about the Bible. The influence of Erasmus’s Paraphrases, which he completed in 1524, extended to England. In 1547, Edward VI ordered an English translation to be displayed in all parish churches. This is a copy of volume one of the English translation. It was published in 1548 and contains the Gospels and the book of Acts.
Printed in 1548 by Edward Whitchurch and Richard Grafton, printers, London, England. Purchased around 2000 by Sidney Ohlhausen, private collector, Houston, Texas; Purchased in 2015 by Tenny Family Bible Collection, private collection, Krum, Texas; Donated in 2020 to Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.
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