The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1908-09-09
A RARE OLD BIBLE
ONE COPY PRINTED At MAYENcE
IN THE. YEAR 1850.
Now One Of the Greatest 8ibliograph.
ic Curiosities--vulgate Prepared
In England In the Neighbor-
hood Of the Year 660.

The first attempt at printing, at
Mayence, In 1850 was copy Of the
vulgate, wood characters being used,
which contained only the principal
parts Of the Old and New Testaments.
This is the so-called "Biblia Pauper-
um." one Of the rarest photographic
curiosities, copy Of which was bought
by the duke of Devonshire In 1916,
who paid only G201 for 1t.
England occupies prominent place
In the history Of the Vulgate and in its
preservation, as, the purest text being
in Milan, Naples and in the southern
provinces. Archbishop Theodore and
his companion, Hadrian. abbot Of a
monastery near Naples. went to Eng.
land in 66s. taking with them some
Of these Bibles. Besides. just at that
time Benedict Biscop and Ceolfrid,
travelling between Rome and England,
brought In other pure Vulgate texts,
which were copied and reproduced dn
the monasteries of Wearmouth and
Jarrow, not only for local use, but to
be spread by missionaries in foreign
countries, especially Germany. France
and Switzerland, and. strange as it
may seem, even back to Italy. But
what Is stranger still Is that these
copies known under the name of
Northumbrian texts, had been tran
scribed with such exactness that when
they returned to Italy they we're found
to be purer than the Italian copies,
which meanwhile had degenerated
One OF the attempts to revive the Vul-
gate was made by Charles the Great
who intrusted the work to an Eng.
lishmau. Alcuin, who finished It In
S01.
In the century after the invention OF
printing the circulation Of faulty Bi
/ bles assumed such proportions that the
necessity was felt Of establishing an
ofYictal edition. A handsome volume
In 1890. took the name Of the Sixtine
Bible, from Sixtus ". and had as
preface the famous Bull. "Aeternus
ille," establishing that this Bible be
/. considered as true. lawful, authentic
| and unquestioned." Sixtus v. died al
/ most Immediately after. and only two
years later Clement VIII. ordered thai
every copy Of the Sixtine Bible be de
stroyed, and published another called
the "Clementine." 1t seems that Sixtus
v. had himself revised the work Of the
commission, hurting the feelings Of the
members and offending the Jesuits
who never rested until they obtained
the suppression OF the Sixtine Bible
now one Of the rarest books In thu
world.
Leo XIII. created the commission
DE Re Biblica." presided over By
Cardinal Rampolla, for the study o
the Scriptures. but 1t remained al
acade body. while Plus X. desiret
TO transform 1t into an institution TO
practical work. So. on April 30, 1907
Cardinal Rampolla wrote letter t
Dom Hildebrand de Hemptinne. ali
bot primate of the Benedictines. VIII
used to live In England. intrusting tn
new revision OF the vulgate to them
and straightway appointing Abbot Gas
Quet as head of the committee. Tn
English abbot admirably fulfills tn
requirements OF so responsible pc
sition. To vast, profound culture b
adds the temperament OF a grea
worker and love for accuracy an
detail-Pall Mall Magazine.