Sviashchennaia istoriia vetkhago i novago zaveta.

£9,250 · Offered by Shapero Rare Books

Incredibly rare illustrated Russian translation of the famous French version of the Bible, which interpreted the text so as to make it more accessible for the masses. This edition is absent from library holdings outside Russia and standard bibliographies. This Russian translation was completed by Vasilii Krylov and based on the 'latest revised edition' of L'Histoire du Vieux et du Nouveau Testament, représentée avec des figures et des explications édifiantes [...] written by De Royaumont (Nicolas Fontaine, 1625 – 1709), a Jansenite of the Port-Royal movement, which strove to purify Catholicism. He completed this work while in captivity at the Bastille (1666-68), supposedly with much help from the French theologian, Port-Royal priest and humanist Lemaistre de Sacy (1613-84), who was his companion in prison. Works that offered interpretations of the Old and New Testament grew increasingly popular in the Russian Empire between the 1780s and 1830s, with most of the publications being translated from original Greek or French works. The New Testament was first published in modern Russian in 1822, and until then the Bible was only available in Old Church Slavonic. The vast majority of the population could not read OCS, and their understanding of the Bible was therefore entirely dependent on the priest who interpreted it for them. The clergy strove to retain control over interpretations of the Bible such as this one, which resulted in many texts being censored and banned. The offered

• Binding: Hardcover

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