Strasbourg
Greek New Testament 1524
he excitement of the Scriptures continued to spread throughout Europe. In 1524, just two years after Luther’s publication of his German New Testament, and the third edition of Erasmus’ Greek Testament, another edition became available from the Strasbourg press of Wolfgang Kopfel. This edition of the Greek New Testament would be the fourth publication in Greek, following Erasmus’ 1522 edition.
Wolfgang Kopfel was a printer and publisher in Strasbourg, France, a leading intellectual figure in the Strasbourg Reformation, and the nephew of Wolfgang Capito. Capito was a friend of Erasmus and assisted him in the publication of the Greek New Testament. He was also a close friend of Oecolampadius.
Capito came to Strasbourg in 1523, at the request of his nephew Kopfel, to superintend the printing of his Greek New Testament. Kopfel had just opened his press in Strasbourg and wanted the first book published to be the Greek New Testament. The text is the Greek of Erasmus and is remarkable for its elegance and accuracy.
Wolfgang Kopfel was a printer and publisher in Strasbourg, France, a leading intellectual figure in the Strasbourg Reformation, and the nephew of Wolfgang Capito. Capito was a friend of Erasmus and assisted him in the publication of the Greek New Testament. He was also a close friend of Oecolampadius.
Capito came to Strasbourg in 1523, at the request of his nephew Kopfel, to superintend the printing of his Greek New Testament. Kopfel had just opened his press in Strasbourg and wanted the first book published to be the Greek New Testament. The text is the Greek of Erasmus and is remarkable for its elegance and accuracy.
1524 Strasbourg Greek New Testament
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Other printings of which Wolfgang Kopfel is known for is Homer's Iliad and the Odysee published in 1525. The preface, in both volumes, were addressed to Philip Melanchthon who would use the Greek text of Homer, as well as books of the New Testament to teach his students the Greek language at the Wittemberg University.
Homer's texts were edited by philologist Johannes Lonicerus (1499-1569), who had studied in Wittemberg under Philip Melanchthon. In his prefatory epistles – both addressed to Melanchthon – Lonicerus identifies the canon of Greek poetry in Homer, Hesiod, and Pindar, and stresses not only the beauty of language and narrative of the Homeric poems, but also their vastness of wisdom, moral meaning, and pedagogic function.
Pictures below courtesy of Philo Biblon- http://www.philobiblon.org/catalogo-a-tousand-years/omerou-ilias-odysseia-batracomiomachia-ymnoi-lb-2-volumes
Homer's texts were edited by philologist Johannes Lonicerus (1499-1569), who had studied in Wittemberg under Philip Melanchthon. In his prefatory epistles – both addressed to Melanchthon – Lonicerus identifies the canon of Greek poetry in Homer, Hesiod, and Pindar, and stresses not only the beauty of language and narrative of the Homeric poems, but also their vastness of wisdom, moral meaning, and pedagogic function.
Pictures below courtesy of Philo Biblon- http://www.philobiblon.org/catalogo-a-tousand-years/omerou-ilias-odysseia-batracomiomachia-ymnoi-lb-2-volumes
Homer's Iliad 1525
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Homer's Odysee 1525
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Wolfgang Kopfel, also in 1526, published a 2 volume set of the Greek Septuagint Bible.
Pictures courtesy of Thomas Rare Books- http://www.thomasrarebooks.com
Pictures courtesy of Thomas Rare Books- http://www.thomasrarebooks.com
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