Bible collection

The collection consists of more than 3000 bibles, among them about 1200 complete editions, over two thirds of whom dating from the time between the 15th and the 18th century. The bibles are written in more than 40 languages, at which German, Latin and Greek are representing the most frequent languages. Furthermore there are about 90 Hebrew editions of biblical texts.

The most valuable objects from the collection might represent the 98 bible incunabula, especially the so-called "36-zeilige Bibel" (each column consisting of 36 lines only and printed in Bamberg in 1459/60) and the "Malermi-Bible" (1471), being the first Italian biblical print, highly embellished and variously illuminated. The library's collection also includes 13 of the altogether 18 pre-Lutheran German Bible prints, among those all four prints in Low German. Supplementary the HAB holds a collection of seven issues of Martin Luther's "Septembertestament" from 1522 and the unique object of a Latin Psalter-edition from 1513 with Luther's written comments in autograph.

The bible collection is based on acquisitions of Duke August, who owned approx. 300 bibles, but mainly on the collection of Duchess Elisabeth Sophie Marie (1683-1767), who arranged her about 1200 volumes comprehending library to be removed from Braunschweig to Wolfenbüttel in 1764.
The today's arrangement of the collection in the bible-room originates in Erhart Kästner's imagination of the very same. Nowadays bibles can be found not only among the samples of this special collection (shelf-marks "Bibel-S.") but also among the collections of Duke August, in the so-called "Mittlere Aufstellung" and especially among the supplies from Helmstedt University.

Inventory: Evidence and information about the printed editions from 1501 to 1850 via OPAC; Incunabula to be found at the register by Wolfgang Borm, Incunabula Guelferbytana (IG). Blockbücher und Wiegendrucke der HAB WF, Wiesbaden 1990 (Repertorien zur Erforschung der frühen Neuzeit 10).

Literature:
Heimo Reinitzer, Biblia deutsch. Luthers Bibelübersetzung und ihre Tradition, WF 1983 (Ausstellungskataloge der HAB 40). - Christian Heitzmann, "Ganze Bücher von Geschichten". Bibeln aus Niedersachsen, Wiesbaden 2003 (Ausstellungskataloge der HAB 81).