Die Bibel oder die ganze Heilige Schrift Alten und Neuen Testaments – D. Martin Luther

An early twentieth-century German-language edition of Die Bibel oder die ganze Heilige Schrift Alten und Neuen Testaments, containing the Old and New Testaments according to the celebrated German translation of Dr. Martin Luther. Published in St. Louis, Missouri by Concordia Publishing House, this substantial vintage Bible is an interesting example of German-American Lutheran publishing and religious history.

Martin Luther’s translation of Die Bibel was enormously influential, both religiously and linguistically, helping to establish a broadly accessible form of written German while becoming the standard biblical text for generations of German-speaking Protestants. This Concordia edition reflects the important German Lutheran heritage of the United States, where large German-speaking communities maintained their language and religious traditions well into the twentieth century.

The title page carries the distinctive Concordia Publishing House device and identifies the text as being according to the German translation of D. Martin Luther. Die Bibel is printed in traditional German Fraktur-style type, giving the volume considerable period character.

This is a large, heavy cloth-bound Bible with strongly aged boards and text block. Although the exterior and binding have suffered considerable deterioration, the volume remains an attractive historical object and a worthwhile example for collectors of antique Bibles, Lutheran publications, German-language books, Christian history and German-American religious material.

The publication is undated. Bibliographical records document closely corresponding Concordia editions from the opening decades of the twentieth century, including editions from 1901 and circa 1910. For that reason, an early 20th-century date is reasonable, but not definitively established for this particular copy of Die Bibel.

Condition – Fair

Heavily worn and soiled cloth boards with extensive rubbing, staining, marks and general age-related deterioration. The binding is significantly compromised, with the rear inner hinge split and the binding cloth/mull exposed. There is separation and looseness between the text block and case, together with wear to the page edges and some staining and age toning internally. Despite the structural faults, the main text remains usable and presents well.