Acquisitions – Page 2 – Pitts Theology Library

Pitts adds Nuremberg Chronicle to collection

November 21, 2023

12:30 pm

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Pitts Theology Library recently acquired a copy of the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493 SCHE B), one of the most famous books produced in the fifteenth century. The Nuremberg Chronicle, or Liber chronicarum, is a history of the world, best known for its abundant illustrations, which include portraits of famous individuals, maps, depictions of biblical or historical events, and cityscapes. Two editions of the Nuremberg Chronicle were printed in 1493 by Anton Koberger (1440-1513). The first was a Latin edition, written by Hartmann Schedel (1440-1514), printed in June with an estimated print run of 1,400 copies. The second was a translation from the Latin into German by Georg Alt (ca. 1450-1510), Das Buch der Croniken, printed in December, with an estimated print run of 600 copies. Alt slightly shortened Schedel’s text to match the layout of the Latin edition. The new Pitts acquisition is this German edition.

The artwork of the Nuremberg Chronicle sets it apart from other early printed books. The work contains an unprecedented amount of woodcuts, which interact with the text in remarkable ways. The images do more than simply provide a visual companion to the written word; they are as essential as the text itself. Several artists created 645 unique woodcuts, many of which were reused throughout the book. In total, there are over 1,800 woodcut impressions in the work. Because many of the depictions of people or places were not based on historical likenesses, the depictions were often anachronistic. Also, it was common for the same woodcuts to be employed multiple times to represent different people or events. For instance, the same woodcut is used for Enoch and his wife (fol. 10r); Japheth and his wife, Funda (fol. 16r); and Abigail and her husband (fol. 42v). Many of the genealogical woodcuts were designed to be modular so that they could be reused in different ways.

Pitts Theology Library acquires materials like this book to provide resources to researchers and to educate through classroom instruction, exhibitions, and other outlets. This particular work complements the Library’s already robust collection of early printed books and woodcut images.

Pitts plans to include this new acquisition in a Spring 2024 gallery exhibition, where it will be displayed alongside the Latin Nuremberg Chronicle held by Emory’s Rose Library.

By Brandon Wason, Head of Special Collections

Pitts acquires 1551 Estienne New Testament

November 5, 2023

9:21 pm

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Acquisitions, Books, Research

Bible, books, New Acquisitions, Rare Books, Special Collections

This past week Pitts added to its rare book collection a very significant New Testament (1551 BIBL B). After many years of searching, Pitts has acquired the 1551 Greek/Latin New Testament published in Geneva by Robert Estienne (1503-1559), who is often referred to by his Latin name Stephanus. This New Testament is the first to include Estienne’s numbering of individual verses, a system he developed on his own and which became the standard versification system still used today. The New Testament text is printed in three columns, with Estienne’s Greek in the center and the Latin Vulgate on one side and Erasmus’ Latin translation on the other. The verse numbers are placed between the columns of text. Estienne would subsequently print a Latin Vulgate in 1555 (1555 BIBL A) in which the verse numbers were integrated into the text, which is how most subsequent Bibles have printed them.

This 1551 New Testament is also one of Estienne’s first publications in Geneva, the city to which he had fled (from Paris) when he came under attack from the theologians at the Sorbonne University in Paris, who were critical of his 1550 edition of the Greek New Testament, his famous “Royal Edition” (1550 BIBL), which was the first New Testament to include a system of text critical notes indicating alternative readings in Greek manuscripts. A later report of this episode, written by Estienne’s son, indicates that he created the verse number system on the move from Paris to Geneva, while “on horseback” (inter equitandum), which has led some to joke that the at-times odd placement of breaks between verses could be the result of his placing his pen in various spots of the text as the horse went up and down along the road!

We encourage you to come see this amazing publication, which is just one of the thousands of historic Bibles held in Pitts’ Special Collections.

By Bo Adams, Director of Pitts Theology Library

An Elizabethan Great Bible, Half a Century Older than the KJV

October 23, 2023

7:49 am

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Acquisitions, Books, Exhibitions

Exhibitions, J. Michael Morgan English Bible & Psalmody Collection, Morgan Collection, Rare Books

1562 BIBL D (The bible in Englishe [London: Richard Harrison, 1562])

The Great Bible was the first authorized translation of the Bible into English. First published in 1539 at the initiative of Thomas Cromwell and authorized by King Henry VIII, it preceded the King James Version by over 70 years. Queen Mary, Henry’s eldest daughter, reversed many of the Protestant reforms institutionalized in England during the reign of Henry and that of her immediate predecessor on the English throne, Edward VI. It was not until the reign of Elizabeth I that publication of the Great Bible resumed.

The 1562 printing of the Great Bible in the J. Michael Morgan English Bible & Psalmody Collection is remarkable for a number of reasons. Its current binding in full morocco with gilt covers and spine was done in the 19th century by Tuskett, royal binder to Queen Victoria. The title page woodcut is based on Lucas Cranach’s Allegory of Law and Grace, familiar from many German Luther Bibles. Finally, it is perhaps noteworthy that the recent re-authorization of this translation did not prevent the printer of this edition, Richard Harrison, from being fined for printing it without a license.

Dozens of treasures from the Morgan Collection are featured in our current exhibition “The Very Meanest Translation: Reading, Revising, and Replacing the King James Bible in America,” open until December 2023 and available as a virtual tour. The gallery is open to visitors during all of the library’s open hours (visit pitts.tl/hours for complete information).

By Armin Siedlecki, Head of Cataloging and Rare Book Cataloger

The First American Jewish Translation of the Hebrew Bible

October 1, 2023

10:47 pm

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Acquisitions, Books, Exhibitions, Research

Exhibitions, J. Michael Morgan English Bible & Psalmody Collection, Morgan Collection, Rare Books

The Morgan Collection includes many firsts, such as the Leeser Bible—the first complete American Jewish translation of the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament). Its translator, Isaac Leeser (1806-1868) immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1824 and became one of the most influential Jewish-American figures of the 19th century. Since most Jews at the time were not able to read Hebrew fluently, they would encounter the biblical text in the form of the King James Bible. Leeser’s translation, therefore, was based on the Masoretic text and guided by traditional Rabbinic commentators, became the standard Jewish Bible until well into the 20th century. Leeser notes his aim in the preface, “to present to my fellow Israelites an English version, made by one of themselves,” adding further the hope that “they will have now an opportunity to study a version of the Bible which has not been made by the authority of churches in which they can have no confidence.”

1853 BIBL K (The twenty-four books of the Holy Scriptures [Philadelphia: L. Johnson, 1853])

The Pitts copy contains the inscribed family records of the Wise family, a Jewish family in Pennsylvania, covering the period of 1873 to 1979.

This item and dozens of other treasures from the J. Michael Morgan English Bible & Psalmody Collection are featured in our current exhibition “The Very Meanest Translation: Reading, Revising, and Replacing the King James Bible in America,” open until December 2023. The gallery is open to visitors during all of the library’s open hours (visit pitts.tl/hours for complete information).

By Armin Siedlecki, Head of Cataloging and Rare Book Cataloger

Pitts Marks the Beginning of Passover with a Major Acquisition of Haggadot

April 5, 2023

8:36 am

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Acquisitions, Books

Haggadot, Passover, Special Collections

Pitts marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday Passover with the announcement of a major acquisition of Passover Haggadot. The library recently received a donation of 253 Haggadot, the texts that set forth the order of the Passover Seder, from the private collection of Rabbi Stuart Geller. Over the course of 50 years, Rabbi Geller built a collection of more than 300 Haggadot, the vast majority of which are now held at Pitts. Rabbi Geller says he has always been taken by the way different artists and authors interpret the story of the Exodus and how the narrative can be used to reflect the values and goals of the time they were created. Rabbi Geller is now retired and lives in Jerusalem with his wife Ellyn. He previously held pulpits in Lynbrook, NY, and Cleveland, OH. During his career he was known for his focus on youth. He is a past President of the New York Association of Reform Rabbis and past president of the Long Island Board of Rabbis.

This generous donation grows the Pitts Haggadot collection to more than 1,000 items, most of which have been acquired through donations like that of Rabbi Geller, including past large donations from Rabbi David Geffen of Jerusalem and Mr. Richard K. Goldstein of Miami. Rabbi Geffen writes often about the tradition of the Haggadah and significant examples of the art, and this past week he published an article in the Jerusalem Post that focuses on a 1948 Haggadah held by Pitts. The full collection is accessible to researchers through Pitts’ Special Collection. We wish all those who celebrate Passover “Chag Pesach Sameach,” and we invite all to come and experience this incredible (and growing) collection!