Title: The New Testament
Date: 1582
Location: Reims, France
Publisher: John Fogny
Size: 8 x 6 inches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Fogny Bible is a book containing only the New Testament of the Bible. The book was published in France during the Protestant Reformation but was printed in English and at an English College. This raises a variety of questions about the role of bibles during the Reformation. Since France was a Catholic country we know that this bible was intended for use by Catholics.

Another clue that this book was intended for Catholic use is the history of the publication of New Testaments by Catholics. Erasmus of Rotterdam, who was ordained as a Catholic priest, published a new and edited version of the New Testament in 1516. The Fogny Bible could be a continuation of publications inspired by the Erasmus edition of the New Testament.

The presence of handwritten marginalia throughout this book displays its usage for study. There are various portions that are underlined as well as some portions that are translated from the English text into Latin. Another form of handwritten marginalia within the Fogny Bible is a table of feast days and important holy days on one of the pages of the preface.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To read more about the Fogny Bible and the topics discussed in this post, such as bibles in the Protestant Reformation and handwritten marginalia, check out the following blog posts:

Religious Persecution: Bibles as Symbols of Faith

Handwritten Marginalia: Personalized Connections to the Past