Immanuel Tremellius, Franciscus Junius, Theodore Beza - Testamenti Veteris Biblia Sacra - 1580

Printed in London in 1580 by Henry Middleton, this substantial Latin Bible belongs to one of the most important chapters in the history of early English printing. It is part of the celebrated biblical edition associated with Immanuel Tremellius and Franciscus Junius, recognised as the first complete Latin Bible printed in England.

What makes this particular copy especially interesting is its W.N. imprint variant. The initials refer to the publishing arrangement associated with W.N. (William Norton). This is one of five known imprint variants of the edition. Christie’s has noted that only six examples of the W.N. variant were recorded in institutional collections in the English Short Title Catalogue at the time of its catalogue description.

The volume brings together several important strands of Reformation-era biblical scholarship. The Old Testament is based on the work of Immanuel Tremellius and Franciscus Junius, the Apocrypha was translated by Junius, and the New Testament is associated with Theodore Beza's Latin translation.

The original printing features elaborate typographical decoration, including ornamental title-page vignettes, decorative initials, and engraved headpieces and tailpieces. The Latin text reflects the scholarly approach to biblical translation and commentary that shaped Protestant theological study during the sixteenth century.

Part I：[14], 219, [1]
Part II：299, [1]
Part III：251, [1]
Part IV：390, [2]
Part V：192, [4]
Part VI：191 [i.e. 195], [1]

- Numbered pages: 1,546
- Unnumbered pages: 23
- Bibliographical total: 1,569 pages


A particularly appealing acquisition for collectors of Reformation literature, early printed Bibles, sixteenth-century theology and the history of printing in England.