Collection ID

BIB.001448.1-.4

Type

Bible - Printed Book

Date

1808

Geography

United States

Language

English

Medium

Printed on Paper

Dimensions

8.9 × 5.6 × 1.8 in. (22.5 × 14.3 × 4.6 cm)

Exhibit Location

Not on View

The Thomson Bible was the first translation of the Septuagint published in English and the first Bible printed by a woman in the United States. Charles Thomson (1729–1824), the first secretary of the Continental Congress, translated this Bible in the years following the American Revolution. Thomson was born in Ireland and immigrated to the colonies as a child. He later moved to Philadelphia, where he became involved in the movement for American independence. After retiring from government in 1789, he spent most of the next two decades translating this Bible from the Greek Septuagint. His translation was published in 1808 in four volumes by Jane Aitken, the daughter of Philadelphia printer Robert Aitken—who published the Aitken Bible. After inheriting her father’s business in 1802, she would go on to publish over 60 different works.

Printed in 1808 by Jane Aitken, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Acquired before the 1960s by Garrett Biblical Institute, Evanston, Illinois.[1] Acquired by 2010 by Gene Albert (Christian Heritage Museum), Hagerstown, Maryland; Privately purchased in 2010 by Green Collection, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Donated in 2016 to National Christian Foundation (later The Signatry), under the curatorial care of Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.

Notes: [1] Garrett Biblical Institute’s library stamp is located on the front flyleaf of each volume. Garrett was founded in 1853 and fell into financial trouble in the 1930s. This forced them to sell a large portion of their campus in 1932. It is likely this copy of the Thomson Bible was sold at that time.

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