Luther's Bible found after 200 years
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.IMRE KARACS
Bonn
The Bible that broke the monopoly of the Catholic Church and consigned Latin to antiquity has been discovered on the musty shelves of a provincial German library. Missing for 200 years, the book on which Martin Luther based his historic translation into German was found in Stuttgart's Wurttemberg State Museum by a Portuguese researcher.
Manuel Santos-Noya came upon Luther's Vulgate, the 4th-century Latin version of the scriptures, while cataloguing the museum's vast collection. Brushing aside the dust, the pages came alive with teeming hand-written words in the margins that seemed to be attempts to render the text into early Hochdeutsch, the language that was to evolve into modern literary German.
There were also autobiographical annotations that soon gave the identity of this 16th-century vandal away: "DML - I was born in the year of 1483 ... In the year of 1518 did D Staupitz relieve me of my religious order ... In the year of 1519 did Pope Leo excommunicate me from his Church ... In the year of 1521 did Kaiser Karl expel me from his empire. Thus was I thrice shunned. But the Lord took me into His care."
A check by handwriting experts established that the author of these scrawlings - DML - was indeed Doctor Martin Luther. Historians believe the book was the template for Luther's first Protestant Bible, prepared in the years 1521-22 in Wartburg castle. After the famous 95 Theses, which Luther nailed to the door of Wittenberg cathedral in 1517, the first German Bible is the most important Protestant relic.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments