{"id":8602,"date":"2026-01-27T22:56:03","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T22:56:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/?page_id=8602"},"modified":"2026-01-27T23:04:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T23:04:44","slug":"fascimile-luther-psalter","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/fascimile-luther-psalter\/","title":{"rendered":"Luther Psalter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Luther Psalter<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Wittenberg (Germany)\u00a0\u2014 1513\u20131515<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The oldest document of Martin Luther’s groundbreaking exegesis of the Bible and the first printed text by the Reformer: the basis of Luther’s psalm lecture, annotated with extensive glosses in his own hand.<\/p>\n

The so-called\u00a0Luther Psalter<\/em>\u00a0is not only the earliest printed Luther text ever, but also the foundation of his first psalm lecture, which Martin Luther (1483\u20131546) gave at the University of Wittenberg from 1513 to 1515. In keeping with humanist tradition, he had a Latin psalter printed for the visitors to this lecture on June 8, 1513, in Johann Rhau-Grunenberg’s workshop in Wittenberg. The working text was provided with particularly large line spacing and short summaries of the individual psalms. It is also noteworthy that Luther unusually has Jesus Christ appear as a speaker in the preface, presenting quotations from the Old and New Testaments in direct speech. Luther supplemented his own copy, which is now kept in the Herzog August Library, with countless glosses, some of which are more extensive than the psalm text itself. They are an invaluable testimony to the theology, biblical interpretation, and teaching activities of the important German reformer.<\/p>\n

Codicology<\/h3>\n

Alternative Titles
\n<\/strong>Wolfenb\u00fctteler Psalter
\nSepher Thehillim
\nHoc est Liber Laudum sive Hymnorum qui Psalterium David dicitur<\/p>\n

Type
\n<\/strong>Printed book on paper<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Size \/ Format
\n<\/strong>220 pages \/ 22.0 \u00d7 16.0 cm<\/p>\n

Origin
\n<\/strong>Germany<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Date
\n<\/strong>1513\u20131515<\/p>\n

Epochs
\n<\/strong>Late Middle Ages Onwards<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Style
\n<\/strong>Renaissance<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Genre
\n<\/strong>Psalters<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Language
\n<\/strong>Latin<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Illustrations
\n<\/strong>6 portraits subsequently pasted in: copperplate engraving of a medallion portrait of Luther, copperplate engraving of Melanchthon, woodcut of Luther as a monk and a pen-and-ink drawing of this portrait, colored bust portrait of a theologian, probably Tilemannus Heshusius<\/p>\n

Content
\n<\/strong>Printed book of psalms with extensive interlinear and marginal glosses by Martin Luther in preparation for his lecture on the psalms<\/p>\n

Artist \/ School
\n<\/strong>Lucas Cranach the Elder<\/p>\n

Previous Owners
\n<\/strong>Martin Luther (1483\u20131546)
\nJakob Probst (1486\u20131562)
\nTilemann Heshusen (1527\u20131588)
\nHans von Hildesheim
\nEilhard Segebade (gest. 1602)
\nDuke Augustus of Brunswick-L\u00fcneburg (1579\u20131666)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Luther Psalter Wittenberg (Germany)\u00a0\u2014 1513\u20131515 The oldest document of Martin Luther’s groundbreaking exegesis of the Bible and the first printed text by the Reformer: the basis of Luther’s psalm lecture,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8602","page","type-page","status-publish"],"yoast_head":"\nLuther Psalter | Cardinal Stafford Library<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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