A copy of the world’s most famous typographical Bible has been found, a copy that was printed in England in 1631. The Bible was found in New Zealand and is known for inviting a devotee to commit adultery because of a spell.
In fact, the volume also referred to as The Sinners’ Gospel lacks a “not” before the seventh commandment, so the part originally intended to forbid adultery will ultimately be a supporting call.
The error was noted in the Bible, published in 1631, until a year later, and the two printers, Robert Baker and Martin Lucas, were summoned by King Charles I, and eventually found guilty of negligence in business: their printing license was revoked and 300 were also fined, though rescinded. This is finally. Copies of the Bible had to be destroyed, but it is estimated that at least 20 volumes survived the pursuit. Sometimes a copy also appears at British and American auctions, but As the Guardian notesThis is the first time a piece of it has appeared in the Southern Hemisphere.
The University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, became aware of the existence of the Bible in 2018, but the discovery wasn’t made public until researchers and restorers reviewed the book.
It was an impressive and at the same time mysterious discovery, said Chris Jones, a researcher in the university’s Department of Medieval Times, as they had no idea how volume traveled halfway around the world. The bible was brought to college by a former Jones student in 2018 after his family bought it at an old fair a few years ago. It was previously owned by a British book volume that moved from England to New Zealand in 2009, but has never boasted of owning such an exceptional edition. The Bible was in very poor condition when it was released, so restorers have had to work on it a lot in recent years.
The Guardian article also discusses how the error has been discussed for so long in the book: from chance to theories that a rival printer was deliberately sabotaged.
Jones also said the entire volume will be digitized and they hope it will be freely available on a website within a few months.
