December 3, 2008 - January 31, 2009

Mon.-Fri. 10am – 5pm, Sat. 10am-noon
(closed Dec. 24 through Jan. 3)

In the Special Collections Library, 7th Floor of the Hatcher Graduate Library Building

FROM PAPYRI TO KING JAMES: THE EVOLUTION OF THE ENGLISH BIBLE The University of Michigan Library is privileged to count within its collections a number of distinguished documents marking significant milestones in the history of the Biblical text. These items, spread across nations, peoples, and languages, trace the development of the Bible from ancient Egyptian manuscripts to the modern, printed book.

The English-language Bible came late in the long history of the preservation and transmission of the Biblical text. The Wycliffe English Bibles, the earliest complete Biblical manuscripts in English, appeared in the late 1380s and 1390s, or less than a century before the invention of the printing press in the mid-fifteenth century. The roots of these texts are long and venerable, however, extending back some twelve centuries to the earliest New Testament documents and even further back to oral tradition and pre-history for the Old Testament. This exhibit traces the roots of the King James Bible, showing both its direct ancestors and other, related religious works from the years 119 to 1611. Attention is also given to the materials upon which the Biblical text was preserved, from papyrus to parchment to paper.

Group Tours (minimum 10 people) and Extended Hours are Available by Appointment

The exhibit is free and open to the public.

For more information: 734-764-9377 or special.collections@umich.edu