Basel Bible of 1498

[Latin Bible, with commentaries]. Biblia latina cum glossa ordinaria Walafridi Strabonis [. . .] et cum postillis Nicolai de Lyra. 
Volume 1 of three.

Basel: Johann Froben and Johann Petri, 1 December 1498. (06156)

This 1498 edition of the Vulgate with commentaries includes numerous woodcut illustrations based on Nicholas de Lyra’s interpretations. The exhibited opening includes a full-page woodcut depicting two interpretations of the six-branched golden candelabrum that God instructed Moses to make for the tabernacle that housed the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:31–40). The upper half of the illustration depicts the design of the candelabrum according to rabbinical tradition; the lower half shows the same object according to Christian theologians, with a slightly different distribution of the bowls, knobs, and ornamental flowers. Basel was a leading center for woodcut illustration.

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Bibles with Commentary
Basel Bible of 1498