340-Year-Old Bible Found In Wisconsin (VIDEO)

Sixth-grade teacher Deborah Court thought the old book in the school's safe was just another dust-covered manuscript, but it turned out to be much more.

Court accidentally discovered a 340-year-old bible in the basement of the Lutheran school where she taught, according to researchers.

The Bonduel, Wisconsin church was stunned to learn of the book's importance.

While searching for old baptism records to show her students the teacher came across the 1,500 page manuscript, which is a copy of Martin Luther's translation of the Bible. The book seems to have been printed in Germany around 1670.

Timothy Schoup, the church's pastor, sent images of the book to Concordia Seminary Library in St. Louis, according to Yahoo News. After reviewing the book, researchers said it was one of only about 40 copies thought to be in existence.

Schoup told the AP that he had no idea how the Lutheran church/school, which will turn 150 in 2013, came in possession of the Bible.

WATCH:

WLUK Story: 340-Year-Old Bible Found @ Yahoo! Video

Comments

[messy]

08:55 PM on 01/19/2011

Books tend to be portable.

[njgal4obama]

08:22 PM on 01/19/2011

I watched an episode of Auction Kings a few days ago. One of the items auctioned was a "Book of Common Prayer" which was the blueprint of the U.S. Episcopal Religion. It was from Edinborough Scotland, and was authenticated by a rare book dealer as 17th Century, 1637, and that only four had existed. It was beautiful!

It only auctioned for $4,000. I thought it would go for many times that amount.

[KennebunkportIndependent]

12:56 PM on 01/19/2011

I possess the Bible from the Abbey of St James, Northampton, England, an Augustinian abbey dissolved by Henry VIII in 1538.    The king gave the abbey and its possessions to my ancestor, Sir Nicholas Giffard, and it and other items have passed down through the family.

It was printed sometime before 1538, making it over 472 years old.

[njgal4obama]

08:22 PM on 01/19/2011

WOW!

[messy]

08:57 PM on 01/19/2011

Stolen goods!!!! Just be glad the statute of limitations expired ages ago.

[Lisa2595]

11:16 AM on 01/19/2011

The surprise finds are always the best. It's reminds us there's still some mystery and adventure to the world.

[DoesNotComputer]

10:42 PM on 01/18/2011

It took two years to realize how special it was? Why didn't they just look at the date? That's kinda the first thing I do when I see a cool looking old book.

[Demidan]

12:12 AM on 01/19/2011

Like many things working knowledge of Roman numerals is lost.

[jeroentenberge]

12:26 AM on 01/19/2011

Not all bibles are equal. Most bibles from the 1600's aren't that rare at all. If you have a common bible from that era you'll be hard pressed to find any buyers. In fact many were torn apart save the brass or copper lock and its corner protectors to be converted to small picture frames or belt and bag buckles. This however is not one of those bibles.

[DoesNotComputer]

01:14 AM on 01/19/2011

I think it's condition, language, and age are pretty fairly obvious.

[zelduh]

06:25 PM on 01/18/2011

I cannot wait until it is translated.

It would be so cool to see how much the King James version deviates from it!

[Demidan]

12:12 AM on 01/19/2011

As the King James is Older....

[MuchMadness]

12:33 AM on 01/19/2011

Nope.

Luther's German translation 1534

KJV 1611

[Demidan]

12:13 AM on 01/19/2011

By nearly 100 years...

[Prousa]

05:49 PM on 01/18/2011

So by all means, get your oily fingerprints all over the thing why doncha. Sheesh.

[jeremyv1980]

11:14 PM on 01/19/2011

Written to be read, not to be idolized.

[Prousa]

10:28 AM on 01/20/2011

Has nothing to do with idolization. It is a 350 yr old manuscript and should be treated with care if one is interested in preserving it.

[sunshine14]

05:05 PM on 01/18/2011

When was the first English bible written? Hebrew, Greek, Latin, to English.

[zelduh]

06:26 PM on 01/18/2011

The first hand-written English language Bible manuscripts were produced in the 1380's AD by John Wycliffe, an Oxford professor, scholar, and theologian.

[Demidan]

12:14 AM on 01/19/2011

and several languages in between.

[Weirdwriter]

03:34 PM on 01/18/2011

Beautiful. Many Christian families going back a ways have huge, old family Bibles. I'll bet somebody was going through an estate and thought they were only donating a common one.

[zelduh]

06:27 PM on 01/18/2011

I know someone who has an old English bible from the 1700s. (I tried to buy it from him for $1000, but he would not take the money . . .)

[Forester]

03:32 PM on 01/18/2011

Printed almost 200 years after Martin Luther, so lets not get too carried away here. Still neat to find though.

[sunshine14]

05:04 PM on 01/18/2011

What 200 years after MLK? Before MLK. And if one read that bible one would see, read many words changed from Bibles of today. Words changed also create a different meaning. Have an old bible also, with more more new bibles rewritten slowly the true gospel message takes on a whole different meaning. I believe the Jews Bible never changes any words ever.

[syntax facit saltum]

06:46 PM on 01/18/2011

There are different Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament as well. The Masoretic text is a medieval manuscript.

[CharlieTuba]

08:48 PM on 01/18/2011

Forester said "Martin Luther" not "Martin Luther King" (MLK). Get your historical/religious figures straight before you make your argument, or you look ignorant.

[JohnFromCensornati]

03:23 PM on 01/18/2011

It's a fake. Everybody knows that the Bible is in English.

[syntax facit saltum]

07:01 PM on 01/18/2011

It must be one of the early ones they translated from English into German.

[stuckinarut]

09:07 PM on 01/18/2011

are you for real with that statement?

[JohnFromCensornati]

09:23 PM on 01/18/2011

Some things I know and some things I don't.

[MNKen]

10:53 PM on 01/18/2011

He is pulling your chain, dude.