NOVUM TESTAMENTUM

Paris: Simon de Colines and Galliot du Pré, 1543. Very good.. Benedictine" edition of the New Testament in Latin, edited through careful comparison of multiple medieval manuscript sources. An important New Testament edition in the Latin history of the Bible, for which Benoît collated "most of the then known" medieval manuscripts (Schreiber, 149), seeking the most accurate readings and correcting transcription errors. Produced in the midst of the foment about translations spurred partly by the Reformation, this translation did not seek novelty but rather a refinement of the established tradition. First issued as part of the complete Bible (also by Colines) in 1541, this is the first independent printing of the translation. Two years after its publication, the Council of Trent would affirm the doctrinal preference for Latin editions in the Catholic Church. Octavo, 6.5'' x 4.25''. 18th-century full speckled calf, raised bands, red goatskin spine label, gilt-stamped spine compartments. Marbled endpapers, all edges stained red, two silk ribbon markers. Index at rear. 183, [1]; 140; 8 ff. 18th-century ink notes to rear fly leaf, listing the order of Epistles according to Fleury; later ink annotation to front fly leaf "très rare" and noting it was published two years before the Council of Trent. Cracking to front hinge (still firm); light chipping and wear to boards. Faint dampstaining to text block.