New printing of old Bible

By JEFF GRAHAM

The world owes a debt of gratitude to Johann Gutenberg, the inventor of movable type. The first book printed using his invention, back in the 15th Century, was the Bible.

Dr. Janina Stensel, a local Catholic, hopes to bring her recently acquired replica of one of Gutenberg’s masterpieces to churches throughout the Archdiocese of Vancouver. "I just want the book to be available for everyone in the archdiocese to come and see," she said.

With the printing of the original Gutenberg Bibles, beautifully bound books of Scripture written in Latin with ornate artwork, began the era of affordable printed works. Many people think Gutenberg’s invention, which eventually made books readily available to virtually everyone, was a major catalyst for the Renaissance.

Hundreds of years ago one of these legendary Bibles was acquired by a seminary in the Diocese of Pelpin in Poland. This specimen, meticulously cared for ever since, is one of the most valuable books in the world.

Dr. Stensel, a native of Poland, recently obtained an exact replica of the Pelpin specimen of the Gutenberg Bible. It was produced by the Bernardium publishing house in 2003 to commemorate the 550th anniversary of the invention of movable type and Gutenberg’s 600th birthday.

The copy was made by a photographic scanning of the original by computer, so the pages of the copy look exactly like the original. They look the age of the original, with all its imperfections, including water marks and blotches where the press slipped on the original.

Dr. Stensel’s copy is bound in two volumes with goatskin and wood, and made with paper and ink virtually identical to the kind used by Gutenberg. It even has the weight of the original, a hefty 25 kilograms. It was brought to Canada for her from Poland by Msgr. John Buk.

Dr. Stensel is looking for help to show her Bible throughout the archdiocese. She is hoping other Catholics will see the value in displaying her book.

"I would like to have some security, a glass case, and someone to help me take it to all the churches" she said. "The copy of this Bible could be shown in many Catholic churches of our archdiocese."