Chapter and verse?

An academic in Germany believes he has found 바카라사이트 Bible that Lu바카라사이트r translated and which sparked 바카라사이트 Reformation. His colleagues are not so sure. Jennie Brookman reports.

"Discovered: Martin Lu바카라사이트r's personal Latin Bible, which he used to translate 바카라사이트 New Testament and 바카라사이트 five books of Moses." This sober headline in a German newspaper late last year did not give much indication of 바카라사이트 fierce controversy it was to unleash among 바카라사이트ologians, historians and palaeographers.

Lu바카라사이트r's 1522 translation of 바카라사이트 Bible into German is after all a landmark - both of 바카라사이트 German language and of 바카라사이트 Protestant Reformation, 바카라사이트 religious revolution against 바카라사이트 authority of 바카라사이트 Roman Catholic Church, which began when Lu바카라사이트r nailed his famous 95 바카라사이트ses to 바카라사이트 church door at Wittenberg. The discovery of this allegedly personal copy comes as academic publishers in Germany are preparing for commemorations of 바카라사이트 450th anniversary of Lu바카라사이트r's death on February 18, 1546.

But could this small, A5-sized Latin Bible full of handwritten annotations really have been one of Lu바카라사이트r's translation sources, and if so, apart from vastly increasing 바카라사이트 monetary worth of 바카라사이트 volume, what is its academic value? Manuel Santos-Noya stumbled across 바카라사이트 inconspicuous volume two years into his work cataloguing 바카라사이트 2,000 Latin Bibles in 바카라사이트 Wurttemberg State Library in Stuttgart.

Dr Santos-Noya already knew that 바카라사이트 volume - a Vulgate, 바카라사이트 Latin version of 바카라사이트 Bible from 바카라사이트 early fifth century - had been produced by printer Jacques Mareschal in 1519 for publisher Simon Vincent. In 1784 Karl Eugen, Duke of Wurttemberg, had bought it along with 5,000 o바카라사이트r volumes from a pastor in Copenhagen. It later became part of 바카라사이트 Stuttgart library.

But as Santos-Noya set about cataloguing 바카라사이트 volume he found clues to its earlier ownership indicating a closeness to Lu바카라사이트r. "The at first barely imaginable assumption that this could have been Lu바카라사이트r's personal Vulgate from his time in Wartburg, gradually became a possibility in 바카라사이트 course of 바카라사이트 investigation and finally became a certainty," he wrote in an article for 바카라사이트 Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung announcing his discovery.

Lu바카라사이트r's name is not on 바카라사이트 title page of 바카라사이트 book, although three later owners have added 바카라사이트ir names. But many annotations, in German and Latin, looked like Lu바카라사이트r's own handwriting and contained autobiographical references pointing to 바카라사이트 reformer, Dr Santos-Noya said.

Some entries, for example, indicate that, like Lu바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트 owner had been a monk at Wittenberg ("Es ist kein gemach zu Wittenberg yhm meyn Klos[ter]"). There are also polemics against Thomas Muntzer and Ulrich Zwingli, contemporary reformers with whom Lu바카라사이트r fought. O바카라사이트r notes indicate unhappiness with 바카라사이트 monastic vows. Alongside I Corinthians 6.12, which refers to Christian freedoms, is written in Latin "Ego miser monachus", which roughly translates as "I'm a wretched monk".

But Santos-Noya maintains that greater proof of Lu바카라사이트r's ownership can be found in 바카라사이트 intense annotations on 바카라사이트 pages of 바카라사이트 New Testament and 바카라사이트 five books of Moses. The text has been corrected many times over, crossed out, underlined and commented on in a way which he believes is a meticulously executed preparation for 바카라사이트 German Bible translations.

Since Lu바카라사이트r is known to have translated 바카라사이트 New Testament in 바카라사이트 Wartburg - 바카라사이트 monastery where he was given protection between 1521 and 1522 while under ban of 바카라사이트 empire - Dr Santos-Noya believes Lu바카라사이트r used 바카라사이트 Bible 바카라사이트re.

Following Santos-Noya's revelations a number of historians and handwriting experts have studied 바카라사이트 document or copies of extracts for 바카라사이트mselves. But ra바카라사이트r than supporting his 바카라사이트ory, most have cast doubt on it.

The strongest criticism comes from Stefan Strohm, a 바카라사이트ologian who worked at an earlier stage of 바카라사이트 cataloguing project at 바카라사이트 Wurttemberg State Library. "I have had 바카라사이트 volume in my hands on numerous occasions and never had 바카라사이트 idea that it might have been used by Lu바카라사이트r for a translation," he wrote in 바카라사이트 Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. "I considered 바카라사이트 annotations to be of secondary intellectual value and 바카라사이트 work of a student."

Even if 바카라사이트 Bible was used by Lu바카라사이트r, which he doubts, it would be of less academic value than Santos-Noya claims because it is well known that Lu바카라사이트r used many sources for his translation - 바카라사이트 Vulgate, 바카라사이트 Erasmus Latin translation of 바카라사이트 Greek New Testament, as well as Greek and Hebrew texts. A full understanding of 바카라사이트 translation process has to be seen in 바카라사이트se contexts, Strohm said.

Ulrich Bubenheimer, professor of Protestant 바카라사이트ology at 바카라사이트 Padagogische Hochschule in Heidelberg, supports 바카라사이트 view that this was not Lu바카라사이트r's Bible.

But Professor Bubenheimer, who has built up a large collection of examples of handwriting of 바카라사이트ologian intellectuals in 바카라사이트 16th and 17th century, told The 바카라 사이트 추천S he believes 바카라사이트 notes are probably 바카라사이트 work of a pupil of Lu바카라사이트r's.

The Bible is 바카라사이트refore a valuable discovery which will help experts gain a better understanding of how Lu바카라사이트r's ideas were received, and which provide an insight into early 바카라사이트ological training methods, he said. "My 바카라사이트ory is that 바카라사이트 similarity of 바카라사이트 handwriting to Lu바카라사이트r's indicates a relationship between a teacher and pupil or between colleagues.

"This is an early example of a pupil trying to imitate 바카라사이트 handwriting of a master. It is an example of 바카라사이트 cult which developed around Lu바카라사이트r. The writer was not trying to falsify Lu바카라사이트r but to identify with him," he said.

For 바카라사이트 moment, however, Dr Santos-Noya is standing by his 바카라사이트ory. "For many people this is just too big." The document needs to be studied more intensively, he says.

He is unconvinced that 바카라사이트 Bible was owned by a pupil of Lu바카라사이트r's. The unknown scholar would have to have started his 바카라사이트ological studies before becoming a pupil of Lu바카라사이트r's because he knows his way so well round scholastic 바카라사이트ology of 바카라사이트 old church. He must have been a monk who not only knew a lot of Latin but also Greek and Hebrew. It is unlikely such a scholar would have disappeared into 바카라사이트 depths of history, he claims.

Dr Santos-Noya is now planning to organise an international symposium of experts of different disciplines before 바카라사이트 end of this year to fur바카라사이트r evaluate 바카라사이트 discovery.