German Bible 1845
1845 Bible
Zoom This! This Bible originates from the year 1845, in a small printing shop in Philadelphia. In those days, most printing presses could be found in Philadelphia. The Bible is printed in the German language, no English is found in the book at all. Because of the Pennsylvania Dutch heritage in Pennsylvania, German was a popular language, many books and other Bibles were printed in the language because that is what people spoke. Most towns were derived from immigrants of which were of the German descent. Religion, in those times meant everything to people. They ate, slept, and breathed their religion. It was rare to come across a person who did not attend church, because it was looked, back then, down upon.
The book only contains the New Testament, for evangelism. Allowing scripture to be taught and preached easily. The New Testament is what most people preach because it speaks about Christ and salvation, so many will use that to “save” people. Inside, also includes pictures dealing with the scripture. Though obviously in black and white, they are very well detailed. Every tiny detail is there and everything that we assume would be is there as well. The print is of fine quality and very tiny. On the outside of the Bible, there are latches, allowing the book to be closed and in a way locked. This would protect pages from harm, whether being ripped or stained.
The Bible is small, used for traveling so travelers would not need to carry around a big, thick and heavy book. The book was of great importance back then. Very few people back then owned a Bible. The artifact was very well taken care of. It was honored and respected, which is why the book has lasted this long. My father’s family purchased the book in Philadelphia, and then took it with them on their move to New York. There, the Bible was used in the Cooperstown Church for many years. Looking at the book, we can tell it is very warn and was used very often. For generations the book was passed through the family and was treated with great value. Today, the Bible is on a shelf along with others, because of its age the book cannot be stood up. This prevents the pages from sagging. It is gently dealt with and needs great care. It is a small part of history that must be preserved and respected.
Tags: 1800s, Artifacts, Documents, Religion