NEW TEXT
Experience the beginning of a monumental shift in biblical scholarship with this facsimile of the first-ever printed Greek-Latin parallel New Testament, originally published in 1516 by Desiderius Erasmus and printer John Froben. This edition, titled Novum Instrumentum omne, marks a turning point in the history of the Scriptures, offering scholars and laypeople alike access to the New Testament in its original Greek text alongside the Latin translation.
What sets the 1516 edition apart is that it was the first Bible printed without relying on the Latin Vulgate, breaking from a millennium of tradition. Erasmus compiled this text directly from available Greek manuscripts, and his aim was to highlight the need for returning to the source languages—Greek and Hebrew—for accurate translation. This edition laid the foundation for what would later become known as the Textus Receptus, though it was met with some criticism for its rushed preparation, resulting in minor errors that were corrected in later editions.
This facsimile allows you to explore history by holding and reading the very first Greek New Testament printed from a press. It remains a significant artifact, not only for its groundbreaking scholarship but also for its influence on the Reformation and future Bible translations, including the 1611 King James Version.
ORIGINAL TEXT
Desiderius Erasmus had a great passion for reading, and was the only man to read every book in existence at that time. While in England, Erasmus began diligently studying the Greek manuscripts he had acquired. He focused his attention on how corrupt the Latin Vulgate had become, and the necessity to return to the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts in order to accurately translate the Scriptures into common languages.
Working with John Froben, Erasmus published Novum Instrumentum omne, the first Greek-Latin Parallel New Testament, in 1516. This remarkable accomplishment was the first Scripture in a millennium to be produced without using the Latin Vulgate, and the first to be published from a printing press. Erasmus' text came to be known as the Textus Receptus, meaning Received Text as presented in the 1633 Elzevir edition of the Greek text. The third edition of 1522 formed the basis of the New Testament of the Authorized King James Version of 1611.
This fifth and final edition of Erasmus' Novum Testamentum was published in 1535, the year before he died.
Product Dimensions: 8.5" wide x 2.5" deep x 13" high
Product Weight: 5.75 lb.
