1554 Commentarii in Evangelium Joannis in Tres Heptadas Digesti

It’s 1554, a Spanish army is defeated by local Mapuche-Huilliches as it tries to cross Bueno River in Southern Chile, all of Europe across the landscape became inflamed with the passions of religious transformation, the “Bloody Mary” Queen Mary Tudor Outlaws Protestantism in England on March 4 (she had hundreds of Protestant Reformers horrifically and painfully burned alive at the stake, often using their own banned books as firewood and the gasoline as they sang praises to Jesus Christ), the great Reformer Martin Luther had died just 8 years prior on 18 February 1546 (aged 62) Eisleben County of Mansfeld Holy Roman Empire, and at Bern Switzerland Wolfgang Musculus (born “Müslin” or “Mauslein”, (10 September 1497 – 30 August 1563) a Reformed theologian of the Reformation wrote several biblical commentaries and Loci communes sacrae theologiae (Common Places of the Christian Religion), a major systematic theology and other books, often banned by the Catholic Church (same people who changed the Sabbath Day of Saturday to the Pagan day of worship on Sunday).

“1554 MUSCULUS Bible Commentary GOSPEL OF JOHN Reformation BANNED BOOK Rare, COMMENTARII IN EVANGELIUM JOANNIS IN TRES HEPTADAS DIGESTI, Basilieæ, Joannem Heruagium, 1554. Item Description: Musculus, Wolfgang (1554). Commentarii in Evangelium Joannis in Tres Heptadas Digesti (Commentary on the Gospel of John in three parts). In Latin. 4to bound in leather with embossed cover design. First edition. 13″ x 9″ x 3”. 973pp. plus indices and press figures. Prime candidate for a beautiful rebinding. Spine has worn away and threadbare. Missing front endpapers. Front board detached. Remaining text is intact and remarkably clean and well-preserved throughout. Features woodcut engraving on front and final verso and woodcut initials in prefaces. Has previous owner’s name in ink (1562 and 1880). Also has “1. Corinth 10…” written on title. Quite a remarkable text by Musculus, a reformed known to have been on the “Index Librorum Prohibitorum.”

“Historical Provenance: Wolfgang Musculus (1497-1563) was an influential theologian during the Reformation. “Musculus’ facility with the biblical languages, foundational for his exegetical work, was achieved relatively late in life. During his time spent as a Benedictine in the Lixheim cloister in the area west of Strasbourg, Musculus became known as “the Lutheran monk” for his advocacy of Protestant doctrine. It was after his departure from the monastery in 1527 that Musculus came to Strasbourg, eventually working as a clerk for Martin Bucer. Here, Musculus undertook the study of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek while attending theological lectures given by Bucer and Wolfgang Capito. After a period as a preacher in neighboring towns, Musculus was sent to the imperial city of Augsburg in 1531. He would be a leading pastor in Augsburg for the next two decades, promoting the cause of the Reformed faction in contest with the Lutheran and Roman Catholic parties. In 1548, at the imposition of the Augsburg Interim, Musculus and his family fled the city, eventually finding temporary refuge in Zurich. Famously, J. S. Bach used Musculus’ 1530 hymn, a paraphrase of Psalm 23, as the text for his chorale cantata Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt, BWV 112, which he first performed in Leipzig in 1731.”

“Musculus’ strong stance during the Reformation earned him a place on the “Index Librorum Prohibitorum,” the Catholic church’s list of books deemed heretical or contrary to morality and Catholics were forbidden to read them without permission. The Index that was in place until the 1960s. Other infamous banned authors include Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Milton, John Locke and Galileo.” “There are very few texts by Musculus offered for sale and even fewer in private collections. Here is a rare chance to own one of his influential commentaries and one of the original books banned by the early Roman Catholic Church”

Ebay asking price $1,250.00 + Tax & shipping, order time placed Nov 30, 2022 at 10:46 PM, Order number 26-09406-07266, Total purchase price $$568.38 (1 item) including tax, S & H, sold by collector1611. Located in: Munford, Alabama, United States. Arrived on 12-03-2022 at 2:15 PM CST USA, to be permanently submitted into the Wilma Lucille White Holy Bible Collection, in the Joann White Sabbath Day Museum & Bookstore – Library. Marc William White, CEO R.E. White Consulting, USN-RET, MCP, Director. We plan to photo copy it, and digitally reproduce it. NOTE: it came wrapped pretty well but could have been better, bubble wrap and inside a box that was too small to actually protect it well. WOW, what an amazing book, original ancient wooden boards with original leather over them, and it seems totally complete with all pages there and in great condition for a 468 year old book. Two separate inscriptions on the inside read, ” George Vegna 1562″ and “James Pollock March 16th 1880”. Interestingly, the top end papers that face up, when placed on a book shelf, are much darker than the other two sides, this is most likely due to being inside houses, cabins, rooms etc., where burning wood and coal were the primary sources of heat, for very literally hundreds of years. In 2054 this book will be half of a millennium old, 500 years. We plan to have it translated, photographed, and digitally reproduced as well as rebacked while maintaining the historical value with the original wooden end boards.