36-line Bible

The 36-line Bible, also known as the "Bamberg Bible", (and sometimes called a "Gutenberg Bible") was the second moveable-type-printed edition of the Bible. It is believed to have been printed in Bamberg, Germany, circa 1458–1460. No printer's name appears in the book, but it is possible that Johannes Gutenberg was the printer.

The primary, or particular meaning of the term Gutenberg Bible, is the first moveable-type-printed edition of the Bible, circa 1450–1455. The Gutenberg has 42 lines of text on each page in comparison to the Bamberg's 36 lines, and the Bibles are thus sometimes therefore referred to by this criteria. However, because the 36-line Bible could have been printed by Gutenberg and was printed at a similar time, it is sometimes referred to by, and included in, the term "Gutenberg Bible".

In the past, some scholars have argued that the 36-line Bible was an early, and primitive, version of Gutenberg's 42-line Bible, which would have meant that it was printed prior to 1455. Careful comparisons of the texts, however, has since shown that (with the exception of the first few pages) the 36-line Bible was set from the Gutenberg's 42-line Bible, thus proving the 42-line was the first.

The date "1461" was marked by a rubricator (a scribe who hand-wrote initials and other items in red text, for decoration or emphasis) written in one copy of the 36-line Bible, indicating that it would not have been printed any later than this. Most scholars now agree that the 36-line Bible can be dated to c. 1458–60, making it the second printed edition of the Bible.

An existing fragment of a 40-line Bible was probably printed around 1458 or earlier, and printed with the same type. However it is believed that the fragment is only a trial piece, and that this Bible was never fully printed. It has been suggested that the first few pages of the 36-line Bible (the pages that were not made from Gutenberg's 42-line Bible) were set from the same manuscript used for the 40-line Bible fragment.

Several pieces of evidence suggest that the 36-line Bible was printed in Bamberg, Germany. First, the paper used is known to be from Bamberg, and was not found in Mainz, the location of Gutenberg's press. Second, the existing originals have typical Bamberg style bindings. Third, when books were printed at the time, fragments of scrap paper (misprints, etc.,) were used to add padding to bindings. Fragments of the 36-line Bible were found in the padding of other books printed in Bamberg. Finally, almost all known copies have ownership records that can be traced back to Bamberg or its vicinity.

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