Rare Book Highlights: Shakespeare Folio and KJV Literary Influences

In addition to fifteenth and sixteenth century bibles, Van Wylen Library's Manifold Greatness exhibit also has several other rare documents on display that have been influenced by the King James Bible.

Many of Shakespeare's works include Biblical references. Van Wylen Library has a leaf from the second folio of Love's Labour Lost that demonstrates this. This leaf has the part of the text from Act V, Scene II of this play and includes the line "They will, they will, God knows/ And leap for joy, though they are lame with blows." The phrase "leape ye for joy" appears in Luke 6:23 of the Bishop's Bible, one of the versions of the Bible Shakespeare used in his references. No other version of the Bible at the time contained that phrase. The King James Bible, however, picked up the phrase from the Bishop's Bible and made it popular after 1611.

Shakespeare was not the only literary giant whose works show Biblical influences. In addition to the folio, Van Wylen has copies of rare editions of several classic works, including Paradise Lost by John Milton, The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan, Moby Dick by Herman Melville, Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. These books are displayed to show the ways they were influenced by the King James Bible. The Manifold Greatness website has a timeline with information on other literary works that have been influenced by the King James Bible.

-- Bethany Stripp, Library Student Blogger

Heath Wiersma Discusses Text Image Interactions

As a part of the Manifold Greatness exhibit and programming for the month of March, Dr. Anne Heath Wiersma gave a lecture entitled "To See with a Vision Surpassing all Other Visions: the Medieval Tradition and Influence of Biblical Illustration on the King James Bible." at Herrick Main Library on Monday, March 12th.

She began by analyzing the religious symbolism contained in the frontispieces of the first editions of the King James Bible. The majority of the lecture focused on the broader history of bible illustration and how it led up to the printing of the King James Bible, which has no substantial illustrations but drew from many traditions of imagery, layout and script in bible production. This fit in with the role of the image, not so much as a replacement for text, but as an aid to be "read" and meditated upon for better understanding of the text.

Interested in learning more about the King James Bible? Join us for Dr. Curtis Gruenler's lecture on 1 Corinthians 13:12 on Thursday, March 15th at 3:00 in the Rare Book Room.

-- Jessica Hronchek, Research Librarian

Library Replaces Security Cameras

The library is in the process of replacing and upgrading its security camera system. The old VHS-based system was installed approximately 15 years ago and has become worn out. The new digital system features motion activated HD cameras and software that allows easy browsing to specific events. The images from the HD cameras are far superior to those of the old analog cameras, and can be viewed both in the library and at Campus Safety. The new camera system is the culmination of many meetings including representatives from the library, CIT, Campus Safety, Operations, and Physical Plant. Several security companies vied for the project, with EPS Security Systems ultimately being chosen.

Even with this enhanced level of security, students should always be aware of their surroundings and use common sense. It is not unusual for students to leave laptops, cell phones, and purses unattended on tables and in study rooms. Although it rarely happens, these kinds of items have been stolen from the library in past years. Please think twice before leaving your valuables unattended.

-- Dave O'Brien, Head of Access Services

Makoto Fujimura Lecture Adds New Dimension to Manifold Greatness

On March 12, artist Makoto Fujimura presented a lecture on visual theology as part of the World Christians Lecture Series. Fujimura is an artist from New York who recently completed a project entitled The Four Holy Gospels, a work commissioned in light of the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, in which Fujimura illuminated the four gospels through painting.

In his lecture, Fujimura explained the thought process that went into creating several of the large images included in The Four Holy Gospels. He also discussed visual theology, an area of theology that is rarely focused on, particularly in Protestant and Evangelical traditions. Fujimura argued that beauty does not have to be the opposite of function, and that because of our culture's emphasis on the visual, we have a unique opportunity to combine the two. By having a theology through the arts, Fujimura believes we can affirm both our sensory knowledge and our rational knowledge.

Van Wylen Library has two copies of The Four Holy Gospels. It is currently included in the Manifold Greatness display on the first floor.

-- Bethany Stripp, Library Student Blogger

Rare Book Highlights: Fifteenth and Sixteenth Century Bibles

In addition to the panels on the first floor of Van Wylen, several rare books from Van Wylen and Beardslee Library's collections are on display as part of the month-long Manifold Greatness exhibit. Among these books are four interesting Bibles published during the fifteenth and sixteenth century.

Biblia Latina -- 1479

On loan from Beardslee Library of Western Theological Seminary, this 1479 Vulgate is one of the earliest in a series of "Fontibus Ex Graecis," which are corrected Bibles in Latin that claim superiority over others. The Vulgate was translated into Latin by St. Jerome in the 4th century from Hebrew and Greek.

Novum Testamentum Annotationes -- 1527

This New Testament, acquired by Hope in 1888, is the second part of the fourth edition of Erasmus's translation of the New Testament and contains his annotations explaining his translations. Erasmus's New Testament translation played a significant role in the history of Bible translation, challenging the Vulgate and being used by Martin Luther and Tyndale in their work to translate the Bible into German and English, respectively.

Novum Testamentum -- 1565

This New Testament was the work of Beza and contains three side-by-side versions of the Bible. The left column contains the New Testament in Greek as edited by Beza, the middle column is Beza's Latin translation of the New Testament, and the third column is a reprinting of the Vulgate. Beza also printed commentary below the Biblical text. This Bible was used by King James translators and Geneva Bible editors.

Geneva Bible -- 1599

The Geneva Bible had significant influence in creating the political and religious climate conducive to the translation of the King James Version of the Bible. This was the primary Bible of the 16th century Protestant movement and contained many marginal notes added by Reformers such as John Calvin and John Knox. It was the first Bible to use chapters and numbered verses. This particular edition of the Geneva Bible is sometimes called the "Breeches Bible" because of its translation of Genesis 3:7, which says that Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together "and made themselves breeches."

These Bibles and several other rare documents are on display on the north end of the first floor. Feel free to look around anytime during normal library hours or during spring break hours from March 15 to March 25.

-- Bethany Stripp, Library Student Blogger

Alvarez Lecture Discusses Printing Errors

On March 8, as part of the month-long Manifold Greatness exhibit and lecture series, Dr. Pablo Alvarez, Outreach Librarian and Curator at the Special Collections Library at the University of Michigan, came to Van Wylen to discuss the process involved in the printing of the King James Bible that contributed to errors in the first editions. Printing errors were an expected part of early printed books and a source of scholarly interest today.

Printing shops in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries had a variety of workers, including young apprentices, compositors and correctors. While the compositors arranged the movable type to create words and sentences for printing, apprentices placed the individual blocks of type back into their appropriate cases. Similarities between the appearance of letters, such as "u" and "n," often led to misplaced letters, which in turn created misspellings such as "aud" instead of "and." Less stable spelling at the time also led to differences between printings. In addition to spelling errors, there were other misprints, such as that which is found in different version of Ruth 3:15, one of which reads, "She went into the city" while another reads, "He went into the city;" they were sometimes rooted in literal translations of the original Hebrew. Some of the later editions were printed quickly, which increased errors. In total, 387 errors appear in the first edition of the King James Bible.

The next Manifold Greatness program will occur in conjunction with the World Christian Lecture Series sponsored by Campus Minstries, when Makoto Fujimura will discuss his illustrations of the four gospels. The lecture will take place in Winants Auditorium at 4 p.m. on March 12.

-- Bethany Stripp, Library Student Blogger

Preaching the Manifold Greatness

Rev. Dr. Trygve Johnson, Dean of the Chapel at Hope College, presented the second lecture of the month-long Manifold Greatness exhibit and programing series on March 6. The lecture, entitled "Preaching the Manifold Greatness: Lessons from the Authorized Version" both provided a brief history of the climate that led to the creation of the King James Version of the Bible and offered five lessons that modern preachers can draw from the King James Bible. These lessons were as follows: to consider tradition as a servant to aid continued scholarship rather than as a master, to acknowledge the missional instinct in the King James Bible in order to preach in a way that is both understandable and challenging, to recognize that eloquence in preaching should comes as a byproduct of the aim for truth and accuracy rather than as the goal, to use the substance of style in the King James Bible to help discern the appropriate language to use for a situation, and to ultimately be committed to the Word as revealed through Christ rather than a particular version of the Bible.

Programing will continue on Thursday with a lecture on the printing of the King James Bible by Dr. Pablo Alvarez from the University of Michigan. The lecture will take place at 11 a.m. in the Granberg Room on the second floor of Van Wylen Library.

-- Bethany Stripp, Library Student Blogger

Restoration and Preservation of Family Treasures

Care and restoration of family bibles and other rare books was the topic of a workshop offered by the Herrick District Library Monday night. Approximately 40 people attended the hands-on workshop and were able to observe the cleaning and repair of several items from the Hope College Rare Book Collection.

Kari Miller Fenwood, of Kari Miller Restoration, spoke about the complexities involved in book

restoration due to the variety of materials involved. She demonstrated using a variable speed hepa- filter vacuum, using a dry cleaning pad and talked about the pros and cons of cleaning with water.

Participants observed a few repair techniques they might try at home including repairing a page tear with rice paper and rice paste as well as a commercially available tape. She stressed the concept of reversibility and when the services of professional conservator should be considered. Several participants brought family bibles or other rare books and received advice on what level of restoration might be needed.

Participants were given several resources to help them assess their family heirlooms including Your Old Books, a guide sponsored by the Rare Books and Manuscript Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries, and the Care, Handling and Storage of Books webpage from the Library of Congress.

The workshop was part of a series of lectures and workshops offered throughout the month as part of the Manifold Greatness traveling exhibition at the Hope College Van Wylen Library.

Manifold Greatness Opens with Lecture and Reception

Van Wylen's month-long hosting of the traveling Manifold Greatness exhibit opened on March 2 with a lecture from Dr. Marc Baer of the history department and a reception afterwards.

In his lecture, Dr. Baer explained the many political and religious factors that created an environment conducive for the translating and publication of the King James Bible. The Reformation and resulting movements of Protestantism led to a drive for bibles written in languages that all people could read. Several English bibles came into existence as a result, including William Tyndale's translation and the Geneva Bible. Marginal notes in the Geneva Bible in particular contained sentiments that could easily be taken as anti-monarch, a point of concern for those ruling England during a time when religious tensions ran high. As a result, King James I of England held the Hampton Court Conference which led to the proposal for a new English bible, which in turn eventually led to the translation of the King James Bible.

Several other Manifold Greatness events are scheduled for this week, including a workshop tonight at the Herrick District Library and two lectures. Complete details can be found on Van Wylen's Manifold Greatness site.

-- Bethany Stripp, Library Student Blogger

Visiting Writers Series: Nancy Eimers and Bill Olsen

The Jack Ridl Visiting Writers Series will continue on March 6 with readings from poets Nancy Eimers and Bill Olsen.

Nancy Eimers has published four collections of poetry in the past 11 years, three of which are available in Van Wylen Library. Several of her poems have also been published in literary journals. Her most recent collection of poetry, Oz, came out in 2011. She has received the Nation "Discovery" award, a Whiting Writers Award, two NEA fellowships, and a Pushcart Prize for her writings. She is currently a professor of creative writing and contemporary poetry at Western Michigan University and also teaches in the MFA Program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Bill Olsen is also a professor of creative writing and contemporary poetry at Western Michigan University and a teacher in the MFA Program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Olsen has released five collections of poetry, including Sand Theory, which came out last spring. Many of his poems are also available online. Olsen has received several awards, including a 2005 Guggenheim Fellowship, a NEA Creative Writing Fellowship, and the Texas Institute of Arts Award.

Eimers and Olsen will give readings of their works at the Knickerbocker Theatre at 7 p.m. on March 6. A performance by a Hope jazz ensemble will precede the reading at 6:30 p.m.

-- Bethany Stripp, Library Student Blogger