1665 12mo GREEK BIBLE Old Testament Vetus Testamentum Graecum CAMBRIDGE 2nd Ed

Description

The 1665 12mo Vetus Testamentum Graecum, the Greek Old Testament printed at Cambridge by John Field, holds several layers of significance related to biblical scholarship, printing history, and religious context.

Size: approx. 3 1/4 inches wide x approx. 5 5/8 inches tall x approx. 2 3/8 thick.

Condition: See photos as part of condition report: Bound in contemporary full calf, the spine heavily work and scuffed with approx 50% of the worn gilt panelling present, spine ends chipped, joints cracked with the boards attached by cords only, rubbing and scuffing boards, lacking the front blank, ink annotations to front pastedown and back end blanks, text block firm, title page with closed tear with more ink annotations to the verso. Pages lightly toned, small ink spots to the fore-edge. Occasional light marks.

Significance for biblical scholarship

Second English Septuagint: The 1665 edition is only the second time the complete Septuagint (LXX) was printed in England, following the first edition of 1653. The Septuagint is the earliest known translation of the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek and was the version used by many early Christians.
Editor’s preface: This edition is the first to include a preface written by the prominent biblical scholar John Pearson. Pearson’s contributions were valued, and this preface was reprinted in later editions, establishing it as a foundational text for Septuagint scholarship in England.
Source text: The text of the 1665 edition was based on the Sixtine text, which itself was based on the fourth-century Codex Vaticanus, considered one of the most reliable ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint. This continued the tradition of making a respected and scholarly text accessible to a wider audience.

Significance for printing history

Cambridge University Press: The book was printed by John Field, who was the official Printer to Cambridge University. This demonstrates Cambridge’s ongoing commitment to publishing scholarly and religious works, a tradition that continues to this day.
12mo format: The 12mo format, a small and portable book, suggests the Bible was intended for students and scholars for personal study, rather than for public church readings. This makes it an object of study rather than display.
Issue variation: As with many early modern books, there were variations in how the 1665 edition was printed and bound. Different “issues” exist, with some containing a misprint on the title page. This detail is of interest to bibliographers and historians of printing.

Significance within religious context

Return to Greek text: The 17th century saw a renewed interest among Protestant scholars in consulting the original languages of the Bible—Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek—rather than relying solely on translations like the Latin Vulgate. This Cambridge edition was part of a broader scholarly movement to provide the resources for this study.
Influence on later translations: The Septuagint, and therefore this Cambridge edition, was a major source for New Testament authors and influenced early Christian theology. For scholars, having access to an accurate Greek Old Testament was crucial for understanding how the New Testament writers interpreted and cited the Old Testament.