The Gutenberg Bible, the first substantial work printed from movable type, is a priceless artifact in the history of communication. While an original 550-year-old copy is housed at the New York Public Library, it is temporarily unavailable for viewing while a portion of that library undergoes renovations.
However, those who visited the Hope Center, a church on Cambridge Avenue in the Jersey City Heights, on June 27, were privileged enough to view a page from the historic bible from the 1450s.
They also had the opportunity, for one day only, to see other bibles of old, including a 16th century bible whose creator was killed for publishing it in English, considered a vulgar language and forbidden by the Catholic Church.
These bibles are part of the collection of the Historical Bible Society, a non-profit organization based in Long Island and founded by attorney Daniel Buttafuoco, who is also a bible studies teacher. Buttafuoco (no relation to Joey) is touring for the next few months with the bibles at various locations in the NY/NJ Metropolitan Area.
Buttafuoco spoke to about 100 attendees about the historic bibles on display, and also about the Bible as an historic document and not just a series of religious fables.
God’s word throughout the ages
The Bible is considered the main religious text of Christianity and Judaism.
The Hebrew Bible is known as the Tanakh and consists of three sections: the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings.
The Christian Bible is made up of the Hebrew Scriptures known the Old Testament that date back before the birth of Jesus, and later writings known as the New Testament that recounts the story of Jesus through the purported eyewitness accounts of his followers, known as apostles.
As of 2008, partial or full translations of the Bible exist in a total of 2,454 languages.
But there was a time when the only language acceptable for any translation of the Bible was Latin.
Buttafuoco gave a tour of the historic bibles to the Jersey City Reporter before the presentation.
“I think the average person is biblically illiterate.” – Daniel Buttafuoco
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Buttafuoco started showing off the historic bibles recently on a simple premise.
“I think the average person is biblically illiterate,” Buttafuoco said. “Quite honestly, most people don’t read their bible, and I don’t think it’s realistic to be considered an educated intellectual having not read the bible.”
Awe and wonder
Duda Penteado is a Jersey City artist and a member of the Hope Center who felt a “sense of reverence” after the looking at the bibles.
“You take the Bible and study history through it,” Penteado said. “My passion as an artist is history, and when I see [the historic bibles], I see an incredible connection to history.”
Penteado continued, “And if you see them, they have incredible drawings and artwork.”
Arnaldo Diaz, Jr., another Hope Center member and Jersey City resident, said the exhibit and Buttafuoco presentation was “awesome and amazing.”
Debbie Bujosa, a New York resident and administrator at the Museum of Biblical Art in Manhattan, made the trip to see the bibles.
“It’s a rare thing to see when you find someone who goes around talking about the Bible not just as an artifact, but about it as the living word that still inspires,” Bujosa said.
For more information on the upcoming exhibit dates, visit http://www.historicalbiblesociety.org/
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonrreporter.com.