Biblical Collections

Massachusetts Bible Society Collection

In 1980, the Library received the collection of the Massachusetts Bible Society, approximately 4500 items covering 1500 languages into which the Bible or parts have been translated.  These combined collections contain nearly 75% of the early Bible editions cited in The Book of a Thousand Tongues. Cataloging is in-process, funded by a grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation.

Kimball Bible Collection

Rev. Clyde Kimball, a graduate of the School of Religious Education and the School of Theology, served as a chaplain in World War II, and was killed at the Battle of the Bulge.  In 1947, his widow donated his Bible collection in memory of the three School of Theology graduates who died in the chaplain service: Kimball, George E. Fox, and Raymond L. Hall. Though he began with New England imprints, Kimball’s collection of nearly 150 Bibles has a number of early European imprints that form the core of our antiquarian Bible collection. The collection is not cataloged on-line.

Early Printed Bible Pages

This is a collection of sample leaves from early and important Bible editions.

Missionary Bible Collection

One of the side-effects of our early missionary training was a collection of Bibles in various languages, previously in the Reading Room at 72 Mt. Vernon Street. The collection supplements the Massachusetts Bible Society Collection, but is not cataloged on-line.

William E. Barton Collection of Samaritan Materials

Barton was active in the Samaritan community in the early twentieth century and has a substantial collection of scrolls and studies of the Samaritans covering 1903-1926.

James D. Purvis Samaritana Collection

Dr. Purvis wrote his dissertation at Harvard on the Samaritans and had a life-long interest in researches and studies on the sect. His collection, covering 1956-2002, includes late twentieth century worship books as well as extensive files of published articles on the Samaritans. An exhibit of selected materials was on display in the Fall of 2001.

Biblical Collections

In addition to bibles themselves, this is a book collection on the history, transmission, and interpretation of Biblical texts. This listing retrieves the bibles as well as the general book collection.

Dickinson Marks Collection

This was originally the extensive private library of the late Rt. Rev. George (?) Carey, Episcopal Bishop of Massachusetts. The Collection was particularly rich in 18th-early 19th century rare books that represented significant holdings in biblical theology, polyglot lexicons, dictionaries, and concordances. The Collection suffered much damage in a fire in the early 1920’s. Mr. Charles Dickinson Marks, a grand-nephew of Bishop Carey, is a native of Boston and a graduate of Harvard. He contacted Dr. Raymond Van De Moortell, STH Head Librarian, in 1998 so that the remaining folio-sized volumes could be returned to a research-level theological library in the Boston area. The Collection was donated to the STH Library in late 1998. The 30 titles are mostly mid-to-late 19th century works, but also contain two fine 15th century works of polygot lexicons.