1614 Low German Bible

From Textus Receptus

A 1614 Low German Bible is a rare, illustrated folio edition in Low German (Plattdüütsch) of Martin Luther's High German translation of the Bible. Illustrations in the bible are woodcuts from the Hans Stern publishing family in early Lüneburg, Germany.

History

Bible

The bible's history was shaped primarily by those whose names appear inside the bible: Martin Luther, Bible translator, Duke Augustus of Saxony, and Hans Stern, bookbinder and publisher.

Martin Luther (1483-1546), whose name appears in the middle of the title page of the 1614 Bible, was the first one to translate the Bible into German from the original languages in which it was written. Before Luther, any German translations of the Bible had been made mainly from Latin. Luther came to believe that salvation came by grace through faith in Christ as taught in the Bible, and he wanted to bring the Bible to the German people. Martin Luther was born in 1483 at Eisleben in Saxony. Luther began working on his translation in 1522 at Eisenach in Saxony. Martin Luther's six-part translation of the Bible was first published in 1534. At the time, Saxony was one of many separate states making up the land of Germany. Variant dialects of two basic languages were spoken in Germany: High German in the highlands to the south and Low German in the lowlands to the north. Luther translated the Bible into a dialect of High German that was spoken in Saxony. As each part of his High German translation was published, a Low German translation was soon prepared and published by his associates. Martin Luther's last translation of the Bible was made in 1545. The 1614 Low German Bible is a rare, illustrated Luther Bible.

The name, title and coat of arms of Duke Augustus of Saxony (1526-1586) are engraved on the front parchment cover of the 1614 Bible. Augustus came to the throne in Saxony eight years after Luther's 1545 Bible translation. After Augustus, Saxony was ruled by Christian I (son of Augustus), Christian II (son of Christian I), and John George I (brother of Christian II). The 1614 Bible was published under the reign of John George I, grandson to Augustus. Augustus married Anna, daughter of Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway. This marriage allied Saxony not only to the royal house of Scandinavia, but also to the Low German north state of Schleswig-Holstein which was ruled by Anna’s uncle, Adolf (reign 1544-1586). The coat of arms of Adolf, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein also appears in the 1614 Bible on the back cover.

A page in Book of John in 1614 Bible

In the last years of Augustus’ life, Hans Stern, whose name appears at the bottom of the title page of the 1614 Bible, was a bookbinder in Lüneburg, a city in Lower Saxony where Low German was spoken. Hans Stern became a bookseller, and later, a book publisher. The first book he ever printed was the Low German Bible. In his letter of dedication after the title page, Hans Stern wrote that he not only wanted to print the Low German language, but to provide the bible with "a beautiful clear type, good paper, elegant illustrations, very useful tables, concordances and summaries, and other features put in the finest and most careful order.” Hans Stern began printing Low German bibles, but after 1621 he only printed High German bibles, for by that time Low German was disappearing as a written language. Hans Stern’s family in Lüneburg today carries the oldest family-owned printing house in the world, and the original woodcut blocks for illustrations in his 1614 Bible have been on display in the Lüneburg Library.

Language

Low German (Plattdüütsch), also called Low Saxon (Nedersaksisch), is a language that has been spoken mainly in the lowlands (plains and coastal areas) of northern Germany, eastern Netherlands and some parts of Denmark and Poland. High German has traditionally been a language of the more mountainous areas of southern Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Variant dialects are still characteristic to the Low German language. Low German has a rich history as a language. Old Saxon is the basis for the Anglo-Saxon language, which later became the English language. Many words in Danish, Swedish and Norwegian are also of Low Saxon origin. Low Saxon first appears in writing in the 8th century. It flourished most in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. After Martin Luther's translation of the Bible in 1534, Low German began disappearing as a written language as High German became more standard in schools. Today Low German may be showing signs of blossoming again. The 1614 Low German Bible has a special place in the history of Low German literature.

1614 Boerne Bible

Lord's Prayer in 1614 Bible

A special 1614 Low German Bible is on display in a glass case at the Boerne Public Library in Texas. For many years this bible lay wrapped in a pillowcase in a school library closet. The school made the bible a gift to the Boerne Area Historical Preservation Society in 1983. For a while it was looked upon as "just another old bible" with wonderful illustrations, and it was displayed each Christmas season in the society's Kuhlmann-King Historical House. One day a visitor noticed it to be written in Low German (Plattdüütsch), a language rarely written today. This insight inspired research which showed the bible to be a rare, illustrated Low German bible of Martin Luther's translation. One of only seven known in the world, it is the only 1614 Low German Bible known to still have covers engraved with a coat of arms. The name Johan Schwarting, who may have owned the bible, is written in ink inside the bible.

Bible care

The 1614 Boerne Bible has been given special care and attention by the Boerne Historical Society. The bible was given to Mary Frederickson of Canyon, Texas in 1990 to be carefully cleaned, repaired and hand-bound. Before being placed in a special glass case in the Boerne Library, some of the bible's fragile pages and all its illustrations were carefully photographed. Later the bible was placed on permanent display in the library in its special glass case. An additional display was created with the various photographs taken of the bible. Among those in the Historical Society caring for the bible were three highly educated ladies with a Low German background--Marie and Helene Norsieck and their sister, Henriette Pierson. Along with Bettie Edmonds, librarian, the three sisters began a long path of research on the bible and its history.

Bible mysteries

Many mysteries surround the 1614 Boerne Bible. The name Johan Schwarting is written in ink on both inside front and back covers of the 1614 Bible. In the front the name appears with the words, “Mein Buch” (my book), and in the back it appears under a date “Anno 1660" (in the year 1660). On the back cover the name Harmen can be seen, but the cover has been broken off and any other inscription lost. Little has been learned about the names Johan Schwarting and Harmen. Who was Johan Schwarting, and where did he live? Who owned the bible other than Johan Schwarting? The Schwarting name is believed to have origins in a village in Ammerland in Lower Saxony. Just how did the bible make its way from Lüneburg, Germany to Boerne? How did the bible find its way to the Boerne High School Library? It was assumed to have been given to Azalea Insall sometime between 1948 and 1952 by someone who could not read it. Much is still to be learned about the family histories around the 1614 Boerne Bible.

Learn more

Research continues so that more may be learned about the history of the 1614 Low German Bible. It is on permanent display at the Boerne Public Library. An additional display is in the History and Research Room of the library along with a photo album of the many illustrations in the bible. The library invites anyone to view and learn more about Boerne’s 1614 Low German Bible and its charming story. It is a treasure to be enjoyed and shared by all.

Notes

Edmonds, Bettie. "The 1614 Low German Bible", available from Boerne Public Library, based on research by Marie and Helene Norsieck, Henriette Pierson, and Kenneth Hovey, Associate Professor of English, University of Texas at San Antonio.

Locations of 1614 Low German Bibles: British Library, Royal Danish Library, Newberry Library, Stuttgart Library, Lüneburg Archives, Boerne Library.

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