Jerome's Epistle to Paulinus is the preface page from The Gutenberg Bible, published by Johannes Gutenberg and Johann Fust in Mainz, Germany in 1454. The Gutenberg Bible is a 4th century Latin translation of the Bible known as the Vulgate or common text. The page is made from paper and measures approximately 400 mm x 280 mm.
Contents
Physical features
There are two columns of text on the page surrounded by a hand-painted border made up of green foliage, colourful flowers and various birds. The first three lines of the first column have been added by hand in red. After the headlines, the first capital letter of the main text starts with a large green and brown hand painted 'F' which forms part of the border. A hand painted rubric letter 'Q' has been included halfway down the second column. Capital letters throughout the text have been highlighted in red and yellow. Towards the bottom of the page, between the two columns, there is a red oval library stamp which was added around 1828, when it was acquired by the British Museum as part of King George III's library.
Saint Jerome
Saint Jerome was a prominent religious figure - a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, historian and Doctor of the Church. He was recognised as a Saint by the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Churches, Lutheran Church and the Church of England and was responsible for the translation of the Vulgate into Latin. Jerome's background, Sainthood and translation of the Bible enhances his authority on religious matters.
Creation
The manuscript was created using a pioneering invention that allowed sheets of paper to be printed in large quantities resulting in the same quality as handwritten manuscripts. Only 135 copies of the Bible were printed on paper and 45 on vellum (fine quality parchment). The fact that such a small number of copies were produced, the innovative procedure used to create it and the quality of the result are features that make Gutenberg and Faust authority figures in the book-making process. Additionally, because it was written in Latin, only an elite audience of aristocrats, merchants and some educated priests could understand it.