9. Gregory of Nazianzus. Carmina (1504).

4° ; [234] leaves; 207 x 151mm.


In the midst of the poetry of the fourth-century Christian father Gregory of Nazianzus, one of the most eloquent men of his age, appears the first printing of any part of the New Testament in Greek. At the center of each gathering of leaves, Aldus inserts a small surprise: the Greek text of the Gospel of John. At the bottom of each page of this text Aldus instructs the reader to "go find the next bit in the middle of the following gathering." Although he intended to print the entire text of the Greek New Testament, Aldus never completed the project.



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