AA. VV. - Biblia Sacra - 1630

The Image of the Divine, Between Light and Cross: Iconography and Orthodoxy in the 17th-Century Bible
Sixteenth-century edition of the Biblia Sacra in the official Latin version of the Catholic Church, definitively established with the Vatican edition of 1592 promulgated by Clement VIII, which in turn was derived from the revision initiated by Pope Sixtus V in 1590. The copy, printed in Cologne in 1630 by Bernard Gualtieri and Associates, faithfully reproduces the text and layout of the original Roman 'iuxta exemplar Vaticanum', fitting into the strategy of controlled dissemination of the biblical canon after the Council of Trent. The volume is enhanced by a striking engraved frontispiece that symbolically depicts the theology of Creation and Redemption, reaffirming the pedagogical and doctrinal role of sacred imagery in Counter-Reformation culture.
Market value
Complete copies of this Biblia Sacra generally range between 1,000 and 1,500 euros on the international antiquarian market, with higher valuations for intact copies featuring a well-preserved engraved frontispiece and a contemporaneous binding in good condition.

Physical description and condition
Contemporary binding in full brown leather decorated with dry tooling and gold, with a five-ribbed spine featuring floral motifs, worn with some damages. The typographic frontispiece is of great refinement, depicting the Creation, Adam and Eve, the Nativity, the four Evangelists, and the Crucifixion, arranged in a complex symbolic architecture. Text arranged in two columns. Signs of use and some damages are present on the spine and covers, consistent with the age of the volume. Pagination: (2); 8 unnumbered pages; 830; (4) pages. In ancient books with a multi-century history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description.

Full title and author
Holy Bible
Coloniae Agrippinae, published by Bernard Gualter and associates, 1630.
Text of the Clementine Vulgate.
Dear all

Context and Significance
The Clementine Vulgate of 1592 represents the definitive arrangement of the Latin biblical text after the Council of Trent, ending the medieval and Renaissance textual oscillations and establishing a single, stable, and normative model. This 1630 Coloniensis edition faithfully transmits the official Roman version, combining the theological authority of the Holy See with the typographical precision of the Rhenish workshops, active in producing Catholic texts for Northern Europe. The engraved frontispiece plays a central role: the visual narrative, which culminates in the Crucifixion from the Creation, constructs a theological continuum that accompanies and reinforces the written text. Thus, the work functions both as a tool of private devotion and as a vehicle of orthodoxy and religious education, perfectly integrated into the culture of the Counter-Reformation.

Biography of the Author
The Vulgate is the Latin translation of the Bible created by Saint Jerome (circa 347–420) at the request of Pope Damasus I, with the aim of standardizing and correcting the biblical texts then in use. Gradually becoming the official version of the Latin Church, it remained the reference text for over a millennium. Editions promoted by Sixtus V in 1590 and definitively corrected and promulgated by Clement VIII in 1592 established its canonical text, which was adopted as the basis for liturgy, theology, and Catholic teaching until modern times.

Printing history and circulation
The original edition of the Biblia Sacra Vulgata Clementina was published in Rome in 1592 under Clement VIII, as a corrected revision of the 1590 editio Sixtina. The present edition from Cologne of 1630 is a faithful reprint 'iuxta exemplar Vaticanum', produced by the Catholic printers Bernard Gualtieri and Associates, who were key in disseminating the official text in the Germanic area. Small-format editions, like this one, were designed for personal use, study, and domestic devotion, and are now particularly sought after when preserved in their original binding.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Darlow & Moule, Historical Catalogue of the Printed Editions of Holy Scripture, 6203.
Brunet, Manuel of the bookseller, I, 888.
Graesse, Treasure of rare and precious books, I, 383.
Reusch, The Bible at the Lower Rhine, p. 221.
Sacred Bible of the Vulgate Edition, Clementine Edition, Rome, 1592.
WorldCat, record no. 68043761.
BnF, Reservation A-17913.