On the 500th anniversary of the publication of Martin Luther’s German translation of the New Testament, Beatrice Institute features four TED-style talks on the history of the Bible. By academics, for non-academics, these brief object-lessons are followed by a round-table discussion. What did Bibles look like and how did they work before Luther? How did Reformation-era Jewish communities reproduce and interact with the Hebrew Bible? How did authorities regulate the circulation of Luther’s revolutionary translation? And how did Luther teach lay people to read the Bible in translation?

• Prof. Ryan McDermott (Pitt, English) on the reading technology of medieval Bibles

• Prof. Adam Shear (Pitt, Religious Studies) on early modern Hebrew Bibles

• Prof. Allyson Creasman (CMU, History) on the circulation of Luther’s first translation

• Prof. David Luy (North American Lutheran Seminary) on Luther’s instructions for reading the Bible in translation