Hello everyone,
have you read the bible in another latin translation than the vulgata? If so did you like the translation? I am primarily interested in the latin language as it was written in antiquity, so I looked around a bit to find a renaissance version which should be more similar to the classics in vocabulary and style than the vulgata. However, I have only found scanned pages from the original prints which are not easily readable.
Best regards,
Alexander
This is Erasmus’ 2nd edition of the New Testament. He edited the Greek text and famously retranslated it. I don’t know of translations of the Old Testament.
https://archive.org/stream/novumtestamentum00eras#page/n123/mode/2up
Castellio, a French protestant, produced a translation of the Bible in Classical Latin. It can be found easily on Google Books. It has been published many times from the 16th c. to the 18th c. so look around for the edition you like most (and OCR being what it is I don’t think that all the copies which have been scanned appear as results in my quick search).
Edit. Thanks to this book here are some more 16th c. Latin translations of the whole Bible, Castellio seems to be the only one trying to write in a more Classical language though.
Sante Pagnini (1528)
In principio creavit deus caelum et terram.
Terra autem erat desolata et inanis: tenebraeque erant in superficie voraginis, et spiritus Dei agitabat sese in superficie aquarum.
Dixitque Deus, Sit lux, et fuit lux.
Viditque Deus lucem quod esset bona: et divisit Deus lucem a tenebris.Sebastian Münster (1535)
In principio creavit deus coelum et terram.
Terra autem erat informis et inanis, et tenebrae erant super faciem abyssi: et spiritus dei movebat se super faciem aquarum.
Dixitque deus: fiat lux, et facta est lux.
Et vidit deus lucem quod esset bona: et distinxit deus inter lucem et inter tenebras.Zürich Bible (1543)
In principio creavit deus coelum et terram.
Terra autem inculta erat ac vacua, tenebraeque supra abyssum: et spiritus dei motabat supra aquas.
Dixitque Deus, Fiat lux, factaque est lux.
Viditque Deus lucem quod bona esset: et divisit Deus inter lucem et tenebras.Castellio (1551)
Principio creavit Deus coelum et terram.
Quum autem esset terra iners atque rudis, tenebrisque offusum profundum et divinus spiritus sese super aquas libraret,
iussit Deus ut existeret lux, et extitit lux:
quam cum videret Deus esse bonam, lucem secrevit a tenebris
Thanks to both of you!
There is also Theodore de Beze (Beza)'s Latin translation of the New Testament online:
https://www.originalbibles.com/beza-new-testament-1598-pdf/
https://archive.org/details/NovumTestamentumNewTestamentInLatinbeza1850
Castelio’s version is so pretty!