The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-02-16
MARTIN LUTHER
BIBLE IN CITY
Old Book in Possession Of Mr.
and Mrs, B, Solomon,
HID IN SEAT OF CHAIR
Fear of Death Cause Of Hid
ing of Book

A Martin I.uther's version oI the
Rble. edited IN 1903 IN Frankfurt on
Main, Germany. is in the possession ui
Bernard solomon, 2l5 West Ienh
street, IN this city This book Is yalu" ]
very highly, inasmuch as there are very
few Of them IN existence today
Bound by hand IN the old German
way, the book presents striking Oh
lect as compared with the large. beau
tiful family Bibles OF today The COY
crng, or back, is made from an OAK
board fully half an inch in thickness.
over this board back there is cover
ing OF thick leather
200 Years Old.
The ServiccablcncsS of tho bludne
probably accounts for the TACT that the
Bible IS now ~ fine state OF prcScr-
yation after more than 2OO years since
IT left the hndcry The edges Of the
pages IN the book are charrcd and
burnt. as # It were a custom N thai
day to finish these books after binding
IN that way
Mr. solomon tells the story OF how
the old Bible Canp~nro his possession
HIS great great grandfather AT sale
near Worms, Germany bough, au Old
family chair This char remained m
the family for many years One day.
after the scat OF the chair had be
come very much worn and the chair
itself was about 10 fall to pieces, this
I book was found under the covering and
within the seat
Hid in Chair.
II is supposed that, on account OF the
persecution and threats OF cxcommun-
I cation that the protcStantS oi that day
feared for many years, this Bible was
| hidden m the old chair, and probably
/ forgotten about with the passing Ot that
| generation OF the family The book
! was handed down from ono generation
{ to another, until II finally was given
! 10 Mr. Solomon when he and Mr..
| solomon were IN Germany several
/ years ago.
! Rev A { Dubbcrsteiu pastor OF the
| German Lutheran church IN this city,
ano who has made thorough study Of
/ history IN connection with the Martin
| Luther version. Yesterday furnished
some interesting data. winch he wa9
able to get more specifically by trans
latlng the preface page. the inuoduc
| ton and the prologue.
Dedicated to Mayor
In the preface Martin Luther dedir
! Gates this version OF the Bible TO the
mayor and councimen OF Frankfurt
on Main. which IS free city. The
present edition, dated l703, is from a
copyrigh, in $40, soon after Luther
death The printers name was Baltha
sar CrlS,oph Wus,ens OF Frankfurt
Main, who worked under the protec
ton Of the mayor OF Frankfurt
Wustens explains that he has printed
1900 copies Of this edition, and thai
this is his second attempt al printing
a Bible lie saws that III all past edi
lions there have been no illustrations
bu, in the present edition there are W
pictures. printed from "kupierstich,
copper cuts. He expresses his graft
,udc for the assistance rendered him
by the mayor OF Frankfurt
Version Copied.
From this version OF the Bible by
Luther into the Hight German from
the Hebrew language in the Old Testa-
men, and from the Greek IN the New
Testament, all future versions have
been copied. Up to the time OF the
Reformation, there had been no trans
lation OF the Bible from the Greek and
/ Hebrew language