Complutensian Polyglot Bible (1514) - Page 3

F. de la Vanda likely an early owner’s signature

of the First Volume

This fifteen-fold tassels original: "pentadecas"; referring to the fifteen tassels on the Cardinal’s hat pictured below reflects that square shield, original: "tetragonon"; referring to the checkered shield in the coat of arms

the hospitality of Peter and Paul for thrice five days. A reference to the Apostle Paul visiting Peter for 15 days in Jerusalem (Galatians 1:18).

For the seven-fold original: "hebdoas"; the seven days of creation/the week hints at the Old Testament;

eight denotes the New Law. Eight was a traditional symbol for the Resurrection and the New Testament. Thrice five 15, the sum of 7 and 8 receives them both.

The Old Testament now for the first time

printed in multiple languages. And first of all,

the Pentateuch The first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. in the Hebrew, Greek,

and Chaldean original: "Chaldaico"; this refers to Aramaic, specifically the Targum or ancient Aramaic translation of the Torah. tongues.

Each joined with its own

Latin

translation.

Library stamp at bottom center: ROYAL LIBRARY OF USOZ original: "R. BIBLIOT. DE USOZ"; This refers to the collection of Luis de Usoz y Río (1805–1865), a famous Spanish scholar and collector of prohibited books.

The central image on this page is the coat of arms of Cardinal Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros. It features a checkered pattern (the "tetragonon" mentioned in the poem) and is topped by a wide-brimmed cardinal’s hat, known as a galero, with fifteen tassels hanging from each side. This work, printed in Alcalá de Henares (Complutum) between 1514 and 1517, was the first ever printed polyglot Bible, meaning it displayed the sacred texts in their original languages side-by-side with translations for scholarly comparison.