The Bible of King Christian III

Home Bibles The Bible of King Christian III
Scarcity - Ultra RareCategory - Nordic Bibles

Biblia/Det er den gantske Hellige Scrifft/udsæt paa Danske

King Christian III (1503-1559) was very keen on getting published a Bible in Danish since he read the Bible every day. He was a good friend of Martin Luther and exchanged letters with him.

Christian was crowned king in 1536 by the German reformer Johann Bugenhagen and summoned all his subjects to become Lutherans. A short time after he ordered the theological faculty of the University of Copenhagen to prepare a Danish Bible based on Luther’s German Bible.

One important goal for Protestantism was that the Bible could be read in a language common to the people. The king obligated all churches in Denmark-Norway to buy this Bible, and 96 copies appear to have ended up in Norway.

The Bible is part of the Rosendahl Bible Collection at the Nordic Bible and Book Museum.

Published 1550 by King Christian III

Licensing credit line © Copyright 2022 Stiftelsen Nordisk Bibel- og Bokmuseum

Printed Copenhagen, 3000 copies by Ludowich Diez