Monday, October 7, 2024
Contact    |    RSS icon Twitter icon Facebook icon  
Unexplained Mysteries
You are viewing: Home > News > Spirituality > News story
Welcome Guest ( Login or Register )  
All ▾
Search Submit

Spirituality

Secret notes found inside 16th century Bible

By T.K. Randall
March 18, 2016 · Comment icon 6 comments

The Bible contained annotations from the 16th century Reformation. Image Credit: sxc.hu
A British historian has found hidden annotations within the pages of a Bible published back in 1535.
The 500-year-old book, which is one of only seven known surviving copies of England's first printed Bible, is kept at the library of Lambeth Palace - the Archbishop of Canterbury's residence in London.

"We know virtually nothing about this unique Bible – whose preface was written by Henry (VIII) himself – outside of the surviving copies," said historian Eyal Poleg of Queen Mary University.

"The challenge was how to uncover the annotations without damaging the book."
The solution, it turned out, was to take two images of each page - one with a light sheet behind and one without - before processing them using special software to reveal the hidden writing.

The annotations were found to contain material copied from the 'Great Bible' of Thomas Cromwell and were written during the 16th century Reformation - a period of significant upheaval in England which saw the Church of England separate from the Catholic Church in Rome.

"Until recently, it was widely assumed that the Reformation caused a complete break, a Rubicon moment when people stopped being Catholics and accepted Protestantism, rejected saints, and replaced Latin with English," said Poleg.

"This Bible is a unique witness to a time when the conservative Latin and the reformist English were used together, showing that the Reformation was a slow, complex, and gradual process."

Source: Discovery News | Comments (6)




Other news and articles
Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by third_eye 9 years ago
Oh oh ~ someone call Tom Hanks ... Dan Brown is gonna be going berserk over this one ~
Comment icon #2 Posted by MJNYC 9 years ago
You can see the notes at: http://news.discovery.com/history/religion/secret-notes-hidden-in-500-year-old-bible-160317.htm Very exciting!
Comment icon #3 Posted by Trust_no_one 9 years ago
This is interesting but id prefer to know what the vatican is hiding in there cellars!!
Comment icon #4 Posted by Trust_no_one 9 years ago
This is interesting but id prefer to know what the vatican is hiding in there cellars!!
Comment icon #5 Posted by paperdyer 9 years ago
I find it interesting that all the interest in the "Gospel According to Judas" has completely waned. From what I read on the subject, it was very interesting if real.
Comment icon #6 Posted by Child of Bast 9 years ago
I admit that I was one of those who used to think that the Reformation just happened overnight. But I educated myself on the matter and no longer believe that was true. Mostly thanks to my reading of historical fiction and then asking, "Was it really like that?"


Please Login or Register to post a comment.


Our new book is out now!
Book cover

The Unexplained Mysteries
Book of Weird News

 AVAILABLE NOW 

Take a walk on the weird side with this compilation of some of the weirdest stories ever to grace the pages of a newspaper.

Click here to learn more

We need your help!
Patreon logo

Support us on Patreon

 BONUS CONTENT 

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you can gain access to a wide range of exclusive perks including our popular 'Lost Ghost Stories' series.

Click here to learn more

Top 10 trending mysteries
Recent news and articles