ANN ARBOR—Documents written on papyrus, parchment and paper are among the exhibits in ” From Papyri to King James: The Transmission of the English Bible” dis-played in the University of Michigan Library’s Special Collections Dec. 4-Feb. 1.

Documents in the display, spread across nations, peoples and languages, trace the development of the Bible from ancient manuscripts to the modern printed book. The exhibit examines the origins of the King James Bible, showing both its direct ancestors and other, related religious works from about C.E. 119 to C.E. 1611. Fragments from Dueteronomy and Matthew, portions from several of the letters of Paul, writings of early church leaders such as Melito, Bishop of Sardis, and Hermas of Rome, medieval versions of Jerome’s Latin translation of the Bible, first appearances of the Greek and Latin Biblical texts in print, and the early translations into English are all on display.

Many of the Bibles are opened to the same passage, thereby giving an opportunity to compare translations and to observe the development in languages, handwriting, and type designs. A brief study of 16th century English political history is also demonstrated through the inclusion of the Tyndale, Coverdale, Geneva, Douay, Great, and Bishops’ Bibles.

The exhibition, located in Room 711 of the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library, is open Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.-12 p.m. The exhibit will be closed Dec. 21, Dec. 24-Jan. 1, and Jan. 4.

An accompanying exhibition of paintings and artifacts pertaining to the Christmas season is displayed at the U-M Museum of Art, less than a block’s distance from the Bible exhibit. The Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m.- 9 p.m.; and Sunday 12-5 p.m. The Museum is closed Thanksgiving and Christmas days. Admission to both the Bible and art exhibit is free.

University of Michigan