DANISH BIBLES - Facsimiles & Download
Danish/Norwegian Bibles (Source):
- 1524: Christian II's new testament: Thette ere thet Nøye testamenth paa danske ret effter latinen vdsatthe.
- 1529: Christiern Pedersen's New Testament (from the Vulgata).
- 1540: Icelandic NT by Oddur Gottskálksson
- 1541: The Vasa Bible (Swedish)
- 1550: Christian III’s Bibel: Det er den gantske Hellige Scrifft, vdsæt paa Danske (Reformasjonsbibelen). The first complete Bible printed in Danish. 96 of the estimated 3000 copies printed is said to have made their way to Norway. The price at the time was 5 daler, equivalent of a good ox or thirty barrels of rye.
- 1584: Icelandic Bible Guðbrandsbiblía - Guðbrandur Þorláksson's Bible
- 1589: Frederik II’s Bibel: Biblia Det er / Den gantske Hellige Scrifft / paa Danske / igen offuerseet oc Prentet efter Salige oc Høylofflige ihukommelse
- 1607: Resens bibeloversettelse: BIBLIA, Paa Danske / Det er Den gantske hellige scriftis Bøgger igenemseete med flijd efter den Æbræiske og Grækeske text
- 1633: Christian IV’s Bibel: BIBLIA / Det er, / Den gantske Hellige Scrifft, paa Danske / igien offuerseet oc Prentet / effter vor allernaadigste / Herris oc Kongis K. CHRISTIAN / den IV. Befaling Cum Gratia et Privilegio
- 1647: Den Resen-Svaningske Bibel: This edition is the canonical translation in Norway until the Norwegian translations came along. Det Norske Bibelselskap published revised editions in 1820 and 1830. One edition was edited and published by Olaus Nielsen in 1853.
- 1670: Frederik III’s Huus- og Rejse-BIbel: (Reprinted many times until 1802).
- 1722: Fredrik IVs bibel: BIBLIA , Det er Den Gandske Hellige Skrift, Ved Kong Frederich Den Fierdes Christelige Omsorg.
- 1829: Det Britiske og Udenlandske Bibelselskabs Bibel: BIBLIA, Det er Den gandske Hellige Skriftes, Det Gamle og Nye Testamentes Canoniske Bøger Efter det femte Kjøbenhavnske Oplag. Printed in London. Rare.
- 1834: Det Britiske og Udenlandske Bibelselskabs Bibel: Bibelen eller Den Hellige Skrift, indeholdende det Gamle og Nye Testamentes canoniske Bøger. Trykt hos Chr. Grøndahl, Christiania. Rare!
- 1837: Bildebibel: Bibelen eller Den Hellige Skrift. Indeholdende Det gamle og nye Testementes canoniske bøger. Med billeder i Staalstik og Lithographi. Printed in Christiania. H.T. Winthers Forlag. Rare!
- 1840: Billed-Bibel for det norske folk, indeholdende Den hellige Skrifts kanoniske Bøger: Private publication printed in Christiania with 100 pictures.
- 1853: Olaus Nielsens Bibel: Bibelen eller den gandske Hellige Skriftes Bøger.Med Flid og efter Grundtexten efterseete og rettede; saa og med mange Paraleller og udførlige Summarier forsynede. (Efter Fleres Ønske foranstaltet og trykketaf Niels Ulnæs og Olaus Nielsen.) Gjennemseet og korrigeret, efter en Bibeludgave Af 1744, af Olaus Nielsen Fredrikshald 1853. Printed by Chr Olsen in 6.000 copies. The new printing in 1858 caused the printer's bankruptcy.
- 1854: Bibelselskapets norske Bibel: Bibelen eller Den Hellige Skrift, indeholdende det Gamle og Nye Testamentes kanoniske bøger. Tilligemed det Gamle Testamentes apokryfiske Bøger. The first Bible produced in Norway, but still in Danish. This edition also became popular in Denmark.
- 1858: The first Norwegian Bible: Bibelen eller Den hellige Skrift med Indledninger og oplysende Anmærkninger ved Otto von Gerlach. The Bible was published in Fredrikshald in 15.000 copies. Revised editions were published 1873, 1887, 1891 and 1940. New translations in 1988 and 1994.
King Christian III Bible 1550
"The first complete Bible in Swedish was published in Uppsala in 1541. The first Danish Bible, described here, followed nine years later. Its translators, a committee of seven theologians including Bishop Peder Palladius (1502-60), were influenced by Luther’s German Bible of 1534 and its Low German version while also consulting a number of earlier Danish translations: portions of the Bible published since 1515 and a manuscript version of the entire text completed by Christiern Pedersen (1480-1554) in 1543.
The typography and illustrations of the 1550 Danish Bible are heavily indebted to a Low German edition of the Bible published in Lübeck in 1534. Both were produced by the same printer, Ludowich Dietz, who used identical or nearly identical wood blocks in the Low German and the Danish editions. We do not know how the title page common to these two Bibles came to be used in the 1537 English Bible described in a previous post. This seems to be the only case of three Bibles in three different languages sharing the same woodblock title page.
Like many Bibles published with royal approval, the 1550 Danish Bible includes a portrait of the reigning monarch, Christian III, and a depiction of his coat of arms. They are the only illustrations specifically designed for the 1550 edition. Christian III’s image is based on a portrait painted by the German artist Jacob Binck (1500-69). The secondary title page that precedes the Book of Joshua in the Low German and Danish Bibles shows the biblical hero fully clad in the armor of a sixteenth-century European knight. The image was obviously adapted from the title page designed by Lucas Cranach the Younger for Luther’s 1524 translation of the Old Testament described in a previous post. When the 1550 Danish Bible was released, its readers may have noticed that Joshua’s features resembled the portrait of their king, Christian III" (Archive).
Title: "Biblia, Det er den gantske Hellige Scrifft, vdsæt paa Danske" Biblia / Det er den gantske Hellige Scrifft / vdsæt paa Danske. Esaiæ 40. Guds Ord bliffuer euindelige. Prentit i Københaffn/ aff Ludowich Dietz. M. D. L."
Printed in 1550 by Ludowich Dietz, Copenhagen ('The Reformation Bible'), with hand-coloured wood-cut of Christian III of Denmark and his royal coat of arms, on display at the National Library of Norway in Oslo, Norway.
Text below the portrait: "CHristian met Guds naade / den tredie / Danmarks / Norgis / Wendis / oc Gottis Konning. Hertug i Sleswig / Holsten / Stormaren / oc Dytmerschen. Greffue i Oldenburg / oc Delmenhorst."
Text right side: "INSIGNIA CHRISTIANI TERTII DANORVM REGIS etc. anno. M. D. L. - VNICA SPES MEA CHRISTVS C. R. D."
Facsimile:
1550 Christian III Bible, (Archive)
1550 Christian III Bible, Det Kongelige Bibliotek / The Royal Library Copenhagen (Archive)
1550 Christian III Bible, Copenhagen (Archive)
1550 Christian III Bible, digital text and facsimiles (salmer.dsl.dk)
Danish - Bibelen 1819/1871
Revisions of Bishop Hans Svane's 1647 Revision of Bishop Hans Poulsen Resen’s Translation of 1607. The text is from an OCR of The Danish Bible Society's printed edition from 1871. New Testament 1819 revision during the reign of King Frederik VI. Old Testament 1871 revision by the Danish Bible Society during the reign of King Christian IX. Revised 18th of January 2010.
Facsimiles:
1871 Danish NT, PDF (Waybackmachine)
1871 Danish OT, PDF (Waybackmachine)
1871 Danish OT and NT, PDF (Waybackmachine), Windows-Text, MAC-Text
This website is still under construction. Detailed information will follow shortly.
Copyright info and disclaimer: All content, all links and all photos from ancient and new Bibles provided on this website is for informational purposes only. We make no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this website or found by following any link on this website. We will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information. We will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information. We can not guarantee the validity and accuracy of the information, please always check the original source. The opinions expressed from other website owners and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of us. If an error should be found or if additional information should be included, please send us a message and we will update it as soon as possible.