Gustav Vasa Bible

Gustav Vasa Bible is how the Swedish Bible translation published in 1540-41 is referred to. The full title is as appears on the right. Translated in would be "The Bible / That is / The Holy Scripture / In Swedish".

Related Topics:
Swedish - Bible translation - 1540

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The main characters behind the translation were Laurentius Andreae and the Petri brothers Olaus and Laurentius. Of them, the Archbishop Laurentius is regarded as the main person. Had the work not been commissioned by the Swedish King Gustav Vasa, who had in effect broken with papism in the 1520's, the work would however not have been possible.

Related Topics:
Laurentius Andreae - Olaus - Laurentius - Gustav Vasa

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The Bible follows the German version by Martin Luther from 1526 closely. Not only in language, but in the fonts used and the whole typography. The Danish version, printed a few years earlier, also did this.

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The Bible established the use of the Swedish language. It established a uniform spelling of words, the verb siffix -a, and defined the use of the vowels å, ä and ö.

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The Bible text was, with revisions, basically the Bible used until 1917. It was reprinted as faksimile in 1938. Few people today are however able to read the text with ease.

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