BIBLE+(French+Translation)

====French-language Bible (Geneva, 1567) ====

//La Somme de tout ce que nous enseigne la saincte Escriture, assavoir, le Vieil & Nouveau Testament //


TRANSLATORS, AUTHORS, and TEXT The text of this French-language Bible (1567) is based on an earlier translation of Pierre Robert Olivétan (c. 1506–38), cousin of the leader of the French Reformed Church, John Calvin. Known as the Olivétan or Neuchâtel Bible (1535), Olivétan's translation of the old and new Testaments is said to be the first done directly from the original Hebrew and Greek. According to de Hamel, the rendition "was evidently based on the text of [the earlier French translation from the Vulgate by Catholic Jacques] Le Fèvre" (240). Regardless of the source material, the Olivétan Bible became the basis for all French Reformed versions of the scriptures well into the nineteenth century, including the widely used Geneva edition of 1588 (Linder, 148). Due to the constantly evolving state of the French language in the sixteenth century in addition to updated scholarly clarifications of certain passages, the pastors of Geneva called for frequent revisions of existing texts. Revisions were done by the leaders of the French Reformation, including John Calvin (1509–64), Pierre Viret (1511–71), and Théodore de Beze (1519–1605).

Each chapter of this Bible is introduced by commentary, outlining the pertinent points of each section. Margin notes, part of the printed text, supply information on deviations from past texts and explanatory data. The Psalms, as translated by Renaissance poet Clément Marot (1496–1544) and Théodore de Beze and set to music, follow the Testaments. Liturgical material—instruction on the proper form of ecclesiastical prayer and guidance on administrating the sacraments, celebrating marriage, and visiting the sick—follows the Psalms. A //calendrier historial// ends the book and includes information related to the calendar: approximate hours of daylight and nighttime for each month, historical events, and astrological symbols.

PRINTER: François Estienne (b. 1540) was from the famed Estienne family, whose major impact on printing and scholarship was started in Paris by Henri Estienne (I), François's grandfather, who released the first book with his imprint in 1502 (Schreiber, 2). François's father, Robert, became "the most outstanding figure in the Renaissance book trade in France" (Schreiber, 4), appointed by King François I as Printer of Latin, Hebrew, and Greek and the first to divide the Bible into numbered sections, or verses. Because of Calvinist leanings, Robert moved his family to Geneva and by 1551 had a working press in that city. On his death in 1559, Robert's business was taken over by François's older brother, Henri (II), who had already begun what would become an illustrious career in Greek scholarship. François, who was still being educated when his father died, eventually opened a small printing establishment in the city, which he ran from 1562 to 1582. He, unlike his father and brother, usually mentioned the location of Geneva in his device (Schreiber interview). This mention, while showing full allegiance to the cause of the Reformed Church, may not have been the wisest commercial decision as Catholics would most assuredly not have been consumers of his works. François Estienne's output included popular religious texts: Bibles in Latin and French, testaments, Psalms, catechisms, and works by John Calvin.

PROVENANCE: At the top of the first extant leaf (recto) of the book, "Parkman" and "1832" appear in an elegant hand (see top image). On the front paste-down endpaper, an elaborate //P// is written. It should be noted that no records of the origins for this object (i.e. donation information) are available at the Huguenot Society of America. My initial attempt at determining past ownership was to check the Society's membership listing going back to 1883. I discovered that there have been no members with the surname Parkman. In the library collection (by searching the card catalogue), I found several books (including //Pioneers of France in the New World: Huguenots in Florida//) by nineteenth-century American historian and author Francis Parkman, a contemporary and acquaintance of the Society's first president, John Jay. Parkman's birth year of 1823 would have made him eight or nine years old in 1832 (the year written in the book). From a Google search, I discovered that the Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) held the Francis Parkman papers (relating to the historian; his father, Reverend Francis Parkman; and sundry affairs related to their personal and business lives). I requested samples of the Reverend Francis Parkman's penmanship from the MHS so that I could compare it with the writing in the book. The samples did not match. Any information related to provenance will take further inquiry, patience, and creative approaches.

OBSERVATIONS: Binding is full leather, stained dark, with a later label attached to the spine reading "L'ESCRITURE STE." Clasps attached to leather strips extend from the back board to catches on the front board, giving a clue that the binding is not French as the clasp/catch structure was reversed in that country (Carter, 64). The binding is later than the printing date of 1567, probably seventeenth century due to cover ornamentation and marbleized endpapers. The spine has raised bands. The front and back covers are blind tooled with a simple decoration that is echoed on the gauffered edges.



An historiated letter begins the text of the first chapter of each of the old and new Testaments. Simpler decorative letters begin the text of all other chapters. Shown above is the historiated //D// that starts the first line of the Book of Genesis: "Dieu crea au commencement le ciel & la terre." Symbols interacting with and surrounding the letter represent the serpent in the garden of Eden and Death, represented by a skull and crossed scythes, who is introduced into the lives of Adam, Eve, and their future generations, in essence mankind, through their being banished from the garden and consequently the Tree of Life. The initial //L// in the text of the Book of Matthew, beginning the New Testament, features an ascending winged and shrouded figure, alluding to the resurrection of Christ.

<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">The Bible is arranged in double columns, with beginning commentary for each chapter (or //Arguments//) presented in an italicized font in a single block of text. Decorative friezes and elements (wood-block prints) are used throughout the book, mostly at the beginning and end of chapters. Very thin red lines have been added to the pages, usually a double line at the top and side borders with a single line at the bottom and between the columns. The lines replicate the guide lines used in earlier manuscript books and would have been used as a decorative device.



<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">The Bible contains several fold-out maps. The one above—a map showing the Mediterranean Sea, Egypt, Arabia, and specific locations related to events in the Book of Numbers—is tipped in and backed with linen, which is not period to the book and is a later attempt at preservation. The maps are in excellent condition, compared to the state of the book in general. The front board is detached and the book, as compared to collations of the same Bible in various collections, is missing its two front leaves (the title page with Estienne's device and an introduction) and a leaf in the back (the verso of the last extant leaf has the catchword "SUPPU"). The front free endpaper is also missing.



<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">The book is printed in black ink except for the final section, the //calendrier historial// (first page shown above), which sparingly yet effectively introduces red ink. The intricate border surrounding the section-opener copy is the same wood-block print that is used on the opening page of the New Testament. The size of the font is small, making me in complete awe of the process. The inking is even, the paper is well made, the design thoughtful and elegant.

<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">The sixteenth century was the period of the "domestication of the Bible in Europe" (de Hamel, 216). It entered the households of people from all strata of society, in the everyday languages of the time. This French-language Bible of 1567 is a manageable octavo size, making it an easy companion for regular consultation and communion. Without getting sentimental, I contemplate the history of this book in my hands while considering the religious and political convictions of its early owners, whether burghers or plowmen, and the personal and practical (i.e. commercial) concerns of its maker, François Estienne.

__<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Works Cited __ <span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Baird, Henry Martyn. //Theodore Beza: The Counsellor of the French Reformation//. New York and London: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1899.

<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Carter, John and Nicolas Barker. //ABC for Book Collectors//. Eighth edition. New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press, 2004.

<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">de Hamel, Christopher. //The Book: A History of the Bible//. London: Phaidon Press Limitied, 2001.

<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Kingdon, R. M. "The Business Activities of Printers Henri and François Estienne" in //Aspects de la Propagande Religieuse//. Geneva: Librairie E. Droz, 1957.

<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Linder, Robert D. "The Bible and the French Protestant Reformation of the Sixteenth Century." Published in //Andrews University Seminary Studies//, Summer 1987, Vol. 25, No. 2.

<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">McKim, Donald K. ed. //Dictionary of Major Biblical Interpreters//. Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2007.

<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Schreiber, Fred. "The Hanes Collection of Estienne Publications: From Book Collecting to Scholarly Resource." Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina, 1984.

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