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Luther Bible (1534 edition)

Type Object Region Germany Time 1534

The first complete printed German Bible, completed under Martin Luther and published in Wittenberg in September 1534, translating the Old and New Tes…

Timeline

  1. 1531–1534Wittenberg · Saxony-AnhaltFollowing the 1522 German New Testament, Luther worked with Melanchthon, Caspar Cruciger, and others to complete and review the translation of the Old Testament books; text revision continued in Wittenberg in the early 1530s in final preparation for the combined complete Bible.
  2. 1534Wittenberg · Saxony-AnhaltIn September 1534, the complete German Bible containing the Old Testament, New Testament, and Apocrypha was formally published in Wittenberg; illustrations, prefaces, and appendices made it a complete household Bible for general readers, marking the milestone of Luther's translation project reaching completion.
  3. 1534–1540German-speaking lands · German-speaking worldBetween 1534 and 1540, this edition of the Bible was reprinted multiple times and circulated through fairs and booksellers' networks, becoming the standard text for household reading and preaching in Evangelical parishes, and profoundly influencing the formation of the modern written High German language.

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