Luther Bible of 1534

Luther Bible of 1534

Few historical figures have had as far-reaching of an impact as Martin Luther (1483–1546). The most important figure of the Protestant Reformation is one of the most important figures in the history of Germany and the German language because of his translation of the Bible so that it could be understood by the laity. After the New Testament was first published in 1522, a complete edition containing the Old and New Testaments with Apocrypha followed in 1534. Of the 60 surviving copies of the first complete edition, the specimen housed in the Duchess Anna Amalia Library in Weimar is unquestionably the finest. Its 128 woodcuts have been richly colored with blue, red, and green; some have even illuminated with gold. The splendid print must have been commissioned by a wealthy patron, but none has been identified and nothing is known about its ownership history before it was acquired by the library in 1815.

Luther’s Historic Translation

Luther was not the first to translate the Bible into German but what distinguishes his translation is that it did not use the Latin Vulgate as a source but drew from the original Hebrew and Greek. He also spent time in various towns and markets listening to the language of the common people to ensure that they, his target audience, would be able to comprehend his translation. His German language Bible inspired other theologians across Europe to create their own vernacular translations, but also doomed the continent to generations of religious warfare. Nonetheless, Luther’s translation is considered by many to be his greatest work with far-reaching religious, linguistic, and cultural significance.

A Luxury Print

The Luther Bible would never have had the influence it did without the recent invention of the printing press and about 200,000 copies were printed during Luther’s lifetime. However, the era of cheap printed books was a long way off and even an unbound copy of the complete Bible cost a month’s wages for the average laborer. As such, the common man only encountered the Luther Bible second hand through churches, pastors, and schools. The first complete edition from 1534 was printed by Hans Lufft (1495–1584) in Wittenberg, who also produced this special unicum and would print 100,000 copies of the Bible altogether. Aside from a title page for the Old Testament depicting Joshua created by Lucas Cranach the Elder (ca. 1472–1553), a close friend of Luther’s, the rest of the 128 engravings originated from the so-called Master MS. 62 of are illustrations measuring 10.8 x 14.7 cm, 41 illustrations for the Old Testament and 21 for the New Testament, while the rest consist of decorative and historiated initials. Luther is reported to have personally participated in the design of the woodcuts.