After nearly half a millennium, the first complete translation of the Bible into the Welsh language made it to Wales for the first time, allowing the public to see what one bishop called “a special treasure.”
Bishop William Morgan translated the book in 1588 to help people read and understand Scripture in their own language. The book has been in Westminster Abbey’s Library collection ever since the bishop presented the abbey with a copy of the then-newly printed Bible.
On Monday, Westminster Abbey announced that the Bible would be presented and discussed at the conference of the Cathedral Archives, Libraries and Collections Association on Tuesday before going on display at St. Davids Cathedral in Wales.
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The abbey loaned the leather-bound Bible to St. Davids Cathedral, where the public will have the opportunity to see it starting Tuesday until July 9.
“The copy of the Welsh Bible presented to Westminster Abbey Library by Bishop William Morgan in 1588 reminds us of the important role of learning in the life of the Church and of the rich collections of printed books and manuscripts which have been cared for and studied over the centuries in the libraries of our cathedrals and collegiate churches,” Tony Trowles, head of the Abbey Collection, stated.
“It has been a great pleasure to work with colleagues at the Cathedral to facilitate the loan of this Bible so that it can be seen and appreciated in Wales for the first time,” Trowles continued.
Bishop Morgan had been commissioned to produce a standard Welsh edition by drawing from and bringing together previous translations of the Bible. Morgan stayed in London to oversee the printing process of the book, staying at the Deanery of Westminster Abbey during this time.
Gabriel Goodman, the dean of Westminster, was a friend of Morgan’s and was also a fellow Welshman. On the book’s title page, Morgan wrote an inscription to Goodman in Latin, recording the item as a gift to the library.
The Bible has only ever been used in service once at St. Benet Paul’s Wharf in 1988, the BBC reports. The church is based in London, and, according to its website, the church’s services are primarily in Welsh.
According to Trowles, the Bible has never before been taken to Wales until now.
“It is in remarkably good condition. The plan was to print 900 copies, with the idea for every chapel and church in Wales to have a copy of the Welsh Bible,” the head of the Westminster Abbey collection said in a statement shared by the BBC. “Because they were used weekly or even daily, the ones that survive in Wales are not in such good condition.”
The Abbey library originally chained the Bible to the bookshelves to prevent people from removing it, according to Trowles.
The Bishop of St. Davids, the Right Rev. Dorrien Davies, told BBC the Bible is “a special treasure of the Welsh language.” Davies added that St. Davids Cathedral is “honored” to display the first complete translation of the Bible into the Welsh language.
“It seems fitting that its first visit to Wales should be here, to the home of our patron saint, at our spiritual heart,” the Very Rev. Dr. Sarah Rowland Jones, the dean of St. Davids, said in a statement this week.
“We look forward to having it on show before its return to the abbey, to share with Welsh Christians of all traditions, for whom Y Beibl Cyssegr-Lan of 1588 Bible is a uniquely valuable treasure in our heritage of faith and language,” Jones concluded.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
