Rheims-Bishops’ Parallel New Testament, Second Edition

William Fulke created the Rheims-Bishops’ Parallel New Testament in an effort to refute Catholic scholars, but inadvertently aided their cause. In 1582, Gregory Martin and other exiled scholars at the English College in Douay, France, had produced the Rheims New Testament, an English translation of the Latin Vulgate. Martin accused Protestant scholars of purposefully introducing errors in their Bible translations. Fulke, a Puritan minister and theologian, responded with this parallel New Testament in 1589, which placed the Rheims translation side by side with the text of the Protestant Bishops’ Bible. The format allowed him to refute the Rheims text line by line. In publishing his work, however, Fulke unintentionally made the Rheims New Testament more widely available to Catholics in England. This copy is a second edition printed in 1601.

Printed in 1601 by Robert Barker, printer, London, England. Acquired by Magdalen College, University of Oxford, England.[1] Acquired in the 1800s by George Bruce and David Wolfe Bruce, book collectors, New York; Gifted in 1894 to the Grolier Club, New York City.[2] Acquired by 1973 by Arthur Wilmer-Lissauer, private collector, Kentucky.[3] Purchased at auction in the early 1990s by Sidney Ohlhausen, private collector, Houston, Texas;[4] Purchased in 2015 by Tenny Family Bible Collection, private collection, Krum, Texas; Donated in 2020 to Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.

[1] Magdalen College’s bookplate is pasted opposite of the dedication. A note, “Duplicate sold by T. W.,” is handwritten underneath. [2] A printed note explaining George and David Wolfe Bruce’s gift to the Grolier Club is pasted on the front pastedown. [3] Arthur Wilmer-Lissauer’s bookplate is located on the front pastedown. The exact dates of ownership are unclear at this time. [4] Sidney Ohlhausen purchased this book through Swann Galleries. Information from Sidney Ohlhausen via email, December 2020.

Puritan History