ANN ARBOR ?The latest exhibit in the University of Michigan Special Collections Library 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. The exhibit runs through Feb. 27.

On display are fragments from Deuteronomy 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 of C.E. 404; first appearances of the Greek and Latin Biblical texts in print; and the early translations into English. The displayed documents are written on papyrus, parchment, and paper.

Many of the Bibles are opened to the same passage, for ease in comparing translations and observing developments in languages, handwriting, and type designs. The exhibit also illustrates the development of the codex and presents a brief study of 16th century English political history through the inclusion of the Tyndale, Coverdale, Geneva, Douay, Great, and Bishops’ Bibles.

The English-language Bible came late in the long history of the preservation and transmission of the biblical text. The Wycliffe English Bibles, the earliest complete biblical manuscripts in English, appeared in the late 1380s and 1390s, or less than a century before the invention of the printing press in Western Europe in the mid-15th century. The roots of these translations are long and venerable, however, extending back some 12 centuries to the earliest New Testament documents and even further back to oral tradition and prehistory for the Old Testament.

The U-M Library counts within its collection a number of documents marking significant milestones in the history of the biblical text. These documents, spread across nations, peoples, and languages, trace the development of the Bible from ancient manuscripts to the modern, printed book.

For more information about the exhibit, contact James Fox, (734) 764-9377. Guided tours are available for groups by appointment only. The Special Collections Library is on the 7th floor, Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library. Hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-noon.

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