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BIBLIA SACRA

After many years of research, discernment, trials, errors, and tedious labor, we are pleased to announce that we are in the final stages of preparing what we believe is the most beautiful, noble edition of the Holy Bible ever published. For more details and information, please continue below. This Bible will be open for pre-orders very soon.

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The influence of the Latin Vulgate Bible over the centuries is widely known. It is scarcely possible to understate the importance of the Vulgate Bible in the history of the Western Church. It is the text prayed and read by generations of Catholics, and is the text copied, commented upon, and meditated on by the monastics who built Christendom. Simply put, for much of the Church’s history, the Vulgate simply was the Bible.  The Clementine text in particular is held in a special place for Roman Catholics, since it was born out of an effort by the Church to create a standard text with minimal errors. Hundreds of thousands of copies of the Clementine Vulgate Bible have been printed by a large number of publishers over the span of several centuries. The 1881 edition of the famed liturgical publisher, Desclee of Belgium was chosen because of it's beauty, simplicity, layout, and textual integrity. Regrettably, in recent years, there are only a few editions of this sacred text available, and many of them are unhelpful for prayerful, devotional reading. So we are reviving the best of this beautiful, historic edition, while improving some small details. 

In order to produce the finest quality facsimile, I sought help from the faithful at Normandy Labs. Scanning was done "in-house" at Church Latin Publishing Co. in order to retain complete control of the process. Automated image processing was accomplished with the use of customized software developed for this purpose. Each individual page image was then audited manually, which took us over 3 years to complete. The result is a completely restored text, better than the original in many aspects. I want to stress that AI was not used in the preparation of this Bible. The automated processing was used for background removal, color enhancement, etc... The content was not affected.

​To the left is a page spread from the beginning of Genesis. We were stunned when first opened an original copy of this bible. A friend referred to it as a "modern adaptation of a medieval manuscript". We agree! Upon diving deeper into other books this publisher offered, we found altar missals, breviaries, rituals, and other liturgical books printed in the same beautiful manner with similar artwork. We believe that if the Bible is a Catholic book, we think its should show the beauty and richness of our Tradition, even in the art and construction of the physical volume.

The typography and layout is well ordered and easy to follow. The red border lines divide the two columns of text and also separate the cross references in the margins. The introductions to each chapter or 'capitula' are presented in red text, which reminds us of the rubrics in missals and breviaries. 

This bible is proudly printed and bound in the United States of America. It will feature a fully sewn binding with gold gilded page edges and two satin page marking ribbons. The covers are genuine leather with gold foil debossing. Traditional hubs on the spine give it classic look as well. The overall dimensions are 10 1/2" tall X 7 1/2" wide X 2" thick and it weighs 4 lbs.

We chose 45 lb. 'Natural' paper. This is not your typical thin 'Bible Paper'. It was more fitting have a slightly thicker paper for this large volume. The end sheets are a material called Silk Moiré which has a soft, textured feel. We wanted it to be as durable as it was beautiful, so we chose only the best materials and a manufacturer who could provide the consistent quality we are striving for.

N.B.- The pictures of the advance copy displayed here are actual photos of this Bible taken in a professional studio- they are not AI generated!

When tracing the origins of the Latin Vulgate Bible, you are transported back to the year 382 AD. The hermit named Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus (we know him today as St. Jerome) from ancient Dalmatia translated the Scriptures from Hebrew and Greek in a cave in Damascus. Can you imagine working in a cave with only candle light, translating from manuscripts collected from across the region? The text of the Latin Vulgate Bible was then copied from Jerome's original for centuries.

Then the inevitable happened. As scribes attempted to faithfully copy (remember, this was all done by hand) the manuscripts that were handed on to them, errors and accretions crept in. In the year 1590 AD, Pope Sixtus V gathered a commission of cardinals to carefully compile a standard text free from errors and corruptions. After the passing of Sixtus the V, Pope Clement XIII assumed the task of preparing the text of the Vulgate. The first edition was published in 1592, a second in 1593, and the final edition in 1598.

Title page from the 1593 edition of the Vulgate Bible, printed in Rome.

The text of this bible was arranged from the final, 1598 edition of Pope Clement. As stated in the "Note to the Reader" of this bible, a copy of the 1598 edition 'lays before them'. They also consulted the 1879 edition of Italian Biblical Scholar, Carolus Vercellone.

What you will find in this volume is a text which is faithful to the 1598 edition with several corrections that were labeled by the editors as 'clear errors'. There errors were in regards to spelling, but not in content. 

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Lastly, I would like to layout the four notable dates to remember in the history of the Latin Vulgate Bible.

1) The birth of the Vulgate, St. Jerome completed his translation in the year 405 AD

2) The Vulgate was the first book printed on a printing press with movable type. Known as the "Gutenberg Bible" or "42 Line Bible" as it was printed by Johannes Gutenberg in the year 1455 AD in Strasbourg (now in France) 

3) The Council of Trent in 1546 AD declared the Vulgate to be- "...held as authentic; and that no one is to dare, or presume to reject it under any pretext whatsoever."

4) The creation of the "Clementine Vulgate" in 1592 AD which standardized the text of the Vulgate.

Obtaining this Bible is a unique opportunity to read and appreciate centuries of the heritage of Catholic Biblical tradition in the living language of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, Latin.

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The first page of Genesis from the Gutenberg Bible, 1455 AD

We are in the final stages of preparing scans of the interior pages of this Bible.

The ability to pre-order with a discount will be available soon.

Please visit the product listing page for more details and don't forget to 

SUBSCRIBE for updates.

Features​

  • Complete text of the Latin Vulgate Bible, Old and New Testaments

  • Includes "extra-canonical" books of the Old Testament

    • Prayer of Manasseh

    • 3rd and 4th Books of Esdras

  • Entirely in Latin

  • Text edited according to the Vatican Edition of the Clementine Vulgate of 1598 A.D.

  • Fully cross referenced between Old and New Testaments and vice versa

  • Chapter headings

  • Engravings that illustrate biblical scenes at the beginning of many books of the bible

  • Black and red text is arranged for excellent readability and typeset in a beautiful Elzevirian font 

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Specifications

  • Exact facsimile of original, true to the original with no additions/subtractions 

  • Minor touch-ups were performed to improve legibility

  • Genuine red leather covers with gold foil debossing

  • 7" X 10" pages

  • External dimensions: 7 1/2" wide X 10 1/2" tall X 2" thick

  • 988 total pages

  • Paper: Premium 45 lb 'Natural' paper 

  • Gold page edges

  • 2 color maps 

  • Silk Moiré end sheets

  • Colored headbands 

  • 2 ribbon markers, double faced satin

  • Printed and bound in the United States

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Contents

  • Map of Palestine, at the time of Our Savior

  • Front matter:

    • Title page

    • Imprimatur

    • Publisher's information 

    • A "Note to the Reader"

    • English translation of the "Note to the Reader"

    • Preface to the Vatican edition of the Vulgate 1592 AD

    • Decree concerning the canonical scriptures, from the Council of Trent - fourth session,

  • Remembrance of Pope Clement the 8th.

  • Prefaces of St. Jerome (28 pages)

  • Table of Contents

  • Old Testament (694 pages)

  • Map of the travels of St. Paul​

  • New Testament (186 pages)

  • "Extra-canonical" books of the Old Testament (24 pages)

    • Prayer of Manassseh

    • 3rd and 4th Books of Ezra

  • Index of Testimonies of Christ and the Apostles

  • Interpretation of Biblical Names

  • Index to the Bible

  • Index of Epistle and Gospel readings used in the Roman Missal

Availability

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We are currently finishing up the work needed to prepare the scans for printing. This will be completed by the end of 2026. 

After the final inspection of the proofs is complete, scheduling for manufacturing will begin, and we will start to collect pre-orders at $25 off the regular price.

Pre-order price: $274.99

Regular price: $299.99

We accept all major credit cards, Paypal, Apple Pay, and Klarna if you would like to finance your purchase.

Pre-ordering will be made available at this link. 

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