1764 Folio Anthony Purver Quaker’s Bible – A 30 Year Undertaking

A New and Literal Translation of all the books of the Old and New Testament with notes critical and explanatory. By Anthony Purver…

Description

2 vols. Double column Roman font with notes printed on the foot of each page.      

Collation

a-k^2, B-9D^2; B-4Q^2, a-b^2, A-4R^2.

Pagination

[xxxviii, Introductory remarks and Appendix], 745, [3]; 334, viii [Additional remarks], 339, [3] pp. Vol 1 contains Genesis through Psalms, Vol 2 contains Proverbs through Revelation.

Binding

Brown calf.   

Condition

Crisp and clean; H-Z with small ink blot in upper corner.

Note

Anthony Purver (1702–1777) was an English Quaker and Bible translator best known for his ambitious yet largely overlooked Quaker Bible. While apprenticed to a shoemaker, he read Rusticus ad Academicos by Quaker theologian Samuel Fisher, whose argument that scripture had been corrupted deeply influenced Purver. Convinced that he was "called and commanded" by the divine spirit to produce a more faithful translation (Coleridge, 717), Purver devoted much of his life to studying biblical languages, including Hebrew and Greek, striving for greater accuracy and readability in English.

Despite his dedication, Purver’s translation failed to gain widespread acceptance, likely due to its unconventional approach and the enduring dominance of the King James Version. Yet, his effort did not go unnoticed. The Monthly Review remarked: “This is a work to which we should have thought very few individuals equal, however great and extensive their abilities; and we cannot help admiring the man who hath intrepidity enough to attempt it.” Though largely forgotten today, Purver’s work remains a testament to the Quaker commitment to scriptural study and religious truth.

References

Herbert 1154. DNB 22906. H. Coleridge, Biographia borealis (1833). Monthly Review, v. 32, 194.