Liber Psalmorum Davidis … — Paris 1546

Liber Psalmorum Davidis. Annotationes in eosdem ex Hebraeorum commentariis. — Lutetiae. Ex officina Rob. Stephani typographie Regii. M. D. XXLVI. [Paris, Rob. Estienne, 1546]. 

Cantica quae in Bibliis sparsim leguntur. Annotationes in eadem ex Hebraeorum commentariis. — Ibd.

First edition.

8vo (169 x 102 mm).

a-z⁸ A-F⁸; a-c⁸: (1),  231, 24 ff. Ruled in red throughout.

Contemporary brown calf, gilt centrepiece on both covers. Head & foot of spine defective, rubbed along edges, waterspots on upper cover. – Renouard p. 66, no. 4; not in Adams.

Printed in two columns for the Psalms and below in one for Estienne’s notes. The inner column has the text of the Vulgate („vetus tralatio“), the outer the translation from the Hebrew by the Swiss Protestant Leon Jud (1482-1542), published in 1543, and used by Estienne in his 8vo edition of the Bible in 1545 for the first time – „an attack on the authority of the Vulgate“ as Fred Schreiber notes (his collection no. 83).

In Jud’s translation Estienne uses a kind of square brackets for a doubtful translation; and he uses a vertical double stroke where references to other passages of the Bible are printed in the margin.

Compared to the 1545 Bible Estienne’s notes are greatly increased – both in number and in length. The design of a page is much clearer now with the notes printed below the Psalms having much more space than in the outer margin of the 1545 Bible. 

„Les Cantica, qui forment une partie distincte de 24 ff., avec son titre, sont néanmoins une portion nécessaire du volume, bien qu‘ on les trouves quelquefois séparément … Ce projet d’une Bible latine, ainsi completée par des publications successives, est resté sans exécution. A la suite des censures de la Bible de 1545, Imbonati [Bibliotheca Latino-hebraica] donne celles de ce volume de Psaumes, lesquelles occupent plus d’une grande page in-fol., et le meme Monemus Lectorum .. y est répète.“ (Renouard)