1565 Greek and Latin Bible Folio Leaf of Gospel of Mark

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

A very large leaf from the first edition of the Greek and Latin Bible published by Theodore Beza in 1465 and printed in Paris by the famous printer, Henricus Stephanus. Gutenberg's 1st Bible of 1455 was, of course, in Latin, and t were no Bibles printed in the original Greek language until Desiderius Erasmus in 1516. And remember that the Greek text is by far more valuable than the Latin, because every book in the New Testament was originally written in the koine Greek language. Several editions of the Greek New Testament followed Erasmus, especially those of Robert Stephanus, culminating in the 1550 edition, which was the standard Greek text, and later called the Textus Receptus. However, Stephanus first added verses to the text in his edition of 1551. (The chapter divisions had been done much earlier by Stephen Langton in 1205 A.D.) The New Testament text is Beza's edition based upon the 1551 edition, and so has the convenient versification to find passages easily, whether or not you know Greek and/or Latin. is a chance to own a New Testament text, with the original Greek text and the Latin text side by side. Notice that the title is listed at the top of each side of the leaf, "EVANGELIVM" and "SECVNDVM MARCVM" meaning "The Gospel according to Mark." Size of the sheet is 9 in. x 13 3/4 in. (= 234 mm x 351 mm). The text block area is 6 in. x 11 in. (= 150 mm x 275 mm). The text contains Mark 1:14-28, in the original Greek on the left column, Jerome's Latin Vulgate in the center column, and Beza's own Latin translation of the Greek (printed in italics) in the right column. At the bottom of the page are numerous textual annotations by Beza and he has also added in the outer margin Biblical parallels and cross references. The sheet of Renaissance paper is bright and crisp and in very good condition, but does show some brown discoloration and stains, especially around the edges, due to its age and use over the centuries. The holy name of Jesus, in Greek and Latin ("Iefus" or "Iesus"), is found three (3) times at Mark 1:14, 17, and 25. This leaf is especially valuable because of the call of the fishermen, Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, when he says to them: "Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men" (Mark 1:16). Also, when teaching those in Capernaum on the sabbath, they "were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes" (Mark 1:22). It is very interesting that this particular leaf has a 16th century handwritten, scribal annotation on Mark 1:24. This unknown writer is pointing out that the question "Art thou come to destory us?" is answered by the passage in 2 Peter 2:4 with "God . . . cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." The manuscript discoveries and scholarly research of the last four and a half centuries have helped us see that the original text is the simple statement of Mark 1:14: âeoeJesus came into Galilee , preaching the gospel of God.âe This earliest text is broadly supported by the Greek Codex Sinaiticus, the Greek Codex Vaticanus, the important Family 1 of the Greek miniscules, several Old Latin manuscripts, the Sinaitic and Harclean Syriac, the Sahidic Coptic, and part of the Bohairic Coptic manuscripts. What happened later is that some scribe added the familiar words âeoethe kingdom ofâe to make the fuller (but later) statement âeoeJesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God .âe Notice the common term âeoethe kingdom of God âe found in Mark 1:14. See Bruce Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament , p. 74. A very impressive and extraordinary early Greek and Latin New Testament leaf. The following is the English translation: [14 ] Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,[ 15 ] And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.