A Piece of Reformation History

As part of some personal research today, our guide Jimmy got his hands on this Latin and Hebrew Old Testament published in 1546 in Basel, Switzerland, and which belonged to the great Scottish Reformer John Knox, who acquired it in 1561. It was discovered a few years ago by staff at the University of Glasgow Archives and Special Collections. Interestingly, several early owners of the book have written their names inside it, all of them with a score through them by later owners. Their names are Michael Kummer, Peter Pansch, Johann Bergin, Samuel Steinegger and Ulrich Kyburz (who also writes that he purchased it in 1556 in Bern, Switzerland, for the price of four Florins). But it’s the signature of John Knox that’s the most interesting. It is believed that it was either sent as a gift to Knox, or he arranged for an agent to buy it for him in Switzerland and ship it over to Scotland. It is believed to have arrived in Scotland early in 1561 along with a packet of letters from Geneva, one of them a letter from Calvin to Knox. Several notes written inside may have been written by Knox as well. A real piece of Reformation history.