| Text only |
|
|
 |
| ISS: Information Services and Systems |
 |
The London Polyglot Bible
Biblia sacra polyglotta, complectentia textus originales, Hebraicum, cum Pentateucho Samaritano, Chaldaicum, Graecum, [edited by Brian Walton], Londini: Imprimebat Thomas Roycroft, 1657. [Marsden Collection FOL. R1 ] and [Rare Books Collection FOL. BS1 W17 C]
References: Wing B2797
 |
| Portrait of Bishop Walton by Pierre Lombard from: Biblia sacra polyglotta, complectentia textus originales, Hebraicum, cum Pentateucho Samaritano, Chaldaicum, Graecum, [edited by Brian Walton], London: Imprimebat Thomas Roycroft, 1657. |
This is another important polyglot Bible and regarded by many as the most scholarly. It was edited by Brian Walton (1600-1661) who was born in Seamer near York and was educated at Cambridge, where he recieved a M.A in 1623 and later the degree of D.D in 1639. The London Polyglot was published by subscription. Walton issued the prospectus in 1652, charging £10 for subscriptions and eventually raising £9,000. It only took four years to produce with Walton acting as editor but with other scholars such as Edmund Castell and Edward Pococke contributing. The text is in nine languages but no one book of the Bible is printed in all of them. The languages are Hebrew, Greek, Samaritan, Aramaic, Latin, Syriac, Ethiopic, Arabic and Persian.
The Library has two copies of this work . The copy in the Marsden Collection is the so called "republican version", as in the preface Walton makes reference to the fact that Oliver Cromwell allowed the paper for the Bible to be imported without duty. The copy in the Rare Books Collection, which once belonged to Canon George Herbert Box (1869-1933), Professor of Hebrew at King's College, contains the so called "loyal" preface, which after the Restoration replaced the "republican" preface. This dedicated the book to the King, to whom he became chaplain. Walton was consacrated Bishop of Chester in 1660.
The frontispiece to the first volume is an engraving of Walton by Pierre Lombart
(1620-81) and the engraved title, maps and plates are by Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677).
Volume 6 contains critical essays, appendices, tables, variant readings, anotations
and indexes.
Also of interest
The Library also has copies of Lexicon Heptaglotton [Marsden Collection B1/Supra] of Edmund Castell, (1606-1685), which appeared in 1669 as a companion to Walton's Bible and Walton's Introductio ad lectionem linguarum orientalium [Marsden Collection B8/31 920]of 1655, which was issued by Walton as an aid to studying the Bible and The considerator considered ,or, a brief view of certain consideratons upon the Biblia Polyglotta ... [Marsden Collection R9/9], which was issued as a defence of his work.
Further reading
King's College London, Library. Exhibition of Bibles : from the collection in the College Library to mark the 350th anniversary of the first printing of the Authorized Version in 1611.. [London] : King's College London, 1961.
 |
 |
| Accessibility | Contact | Feedback | Search | Terms of use |