In Front | Ruth: A 13th Century Vulgate Bible

The manuscript you see here is from a 13th century copy of the Latin Vulgate Bible in Latin. The Vulgate was the prominent Latin translation for roughly a thousand years, with its origins in St. Jerome’s translation work in the 4th and 5th century.

In Bibles from this period, Ruth was placed directly after the book of Judges. The book of Ruth is the bridge between two major periods in Israel’s political history—the anarchic period of the Judges and the hopeful period of a kingdom under David. Putting Ruth in this position highlights the importance of this love story for the future of the entire people.

Ruth is a short book. In some ancient manuscripts one could read the whole book without turning a page. In this photo, all four chapters fit on two.

Courtesy Museum of the Bible, The Signatry Collection. All rights reserved. © Museum of the Bible, 2020.

Color shows transitions: book changes are red, Judges ends with purple. Ruth starts with green and ends in orange. Chapter numbers are white.

Courtesy Museum of the Bible, The Signatry Collection. All rights reserved. © Museum of the Bible, 2020.