Merten de Keyser
Encyclopedia
Merten de Keyser was a 16th-century French printer and publisher working mainly in Antwerp, who printed the first complete French
and the first complete English
Bible translations as well as a number of works by English Protestant authors.
printer Guillaume Le Rouge
, whose workshop he took over in 1517. When a series of condemnations of evangelical works and a ban on Bible translations were issued in Paris
in 1525, he moved to Antwerp. In his Antwerp publications he adapted his name to the language of the publication (using Martinus Caesar in the Latin volumes, Merten de Keyser in the Dutch books, and Martyne Emperowr in the English works). He died in Antwerp in 1536. After his death, his widow continued to run the workshop.
: his French
Psalter
(1525), his French Old Testament
(1528), his French New Testament
(1529, 1531, 1532, 1535) and his complete French Bible (1530 and 1534), the first French Bible ever in print. De Keyser published the second edition of Lefèvre's fivefold Psalter, the Quincuplex Psalterium, which contained the Psalms in five different Latin versions.
His Dutch
publications included New Testaments (e.g. Dat nieuwe testament ons heeren Jesu Christi met alder neersticheyt oversien, ende verduytst in 1525), Psalters, partial biblical translations and other religious works. His printer's device is included in the second complete Dutch
Bible, published by his colleague Willem Vorsterman
in 1528 in Antwerp, hinting at some kind of co-operation between the two printers working in the same street.
Merten de Keyser was active for the English market, too. In 1528 he published William Tyndale
's The obedience of a Christen man, and in 1530 Tyndale's The practyse of Prelates as well as Tyndale's translation of the Pentateuch. A year later he issued Tyndale's Exposition of the fyrste Epistle of seynt Ihon, George Joye
's translation of Isaiah
, and Tyndale's translation of Jonah
, the latter two apparently intended as a twin-publication. Thomas Abell's Invicta Veritas, criticizing Henry VIII
's divorce, saw the light of day also in the workshop of Merten de Keyser in 1532. In 1533, he posthumously printed John Frith
's answer to Thomas More
, which Frith composed while imprisoned in the Tower of London
. In 1534 De Keyser printed the second, revised edition of Tyndale's New Testament as well as Joye
's fresh edition of the Davids Psalter based on Zwingli's Latin Psalter
, and Joye's translation of the book of Jeremiah
. These Old Testament translations were the first English translations of these biblical books ever in print. Furthermore, according to the discovery of Guido Latré in 1997, it was also Merten de Keyser who printed the first complete English Bible, the Coverdale Bible
.
Among de Keyser's Latin publications, we find Robert Estienne
's Latin Bible (e.g. in 1534), a scholarly revision of the Vulgate
based on various ancient manuscripts. Reprints of Erasmus's Latin translation of the New Testament were also issued by de Keyser.
De Keyser seems to have published at least one book also in Leuven
in 1532.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and the first complete English
Coverdale Bible
The Coverdale Bible, compiled by Myles Coverdale and published in 1535, was the first complete Modern English translation of the Bible , and the first complete printed translation into English . The later editions published in 1539 were the first complete Bibles printed in England...
Bible translations as well as a number of works by English Protestant authors.
Life
Not much is known about his life. He married Françoise La Rouge, the daughter of the ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
printer Guillaume Le Rouge
Guillaume le Rouge
Guillaume Le Rouge was a Netherlands musician of the Burgundian school. He took a position at the court of Charles d'Orleans, serving in the chapel from 1451 to 1465. One song remains of his compositions, Se je fais duel je n’en ouis mais....
, whose workshop he took over in 1517. When a series of condemnations of evangelical works and a ban on Bible translations were issued in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1525, he moved to Antwerp. In his Antwerp publications he adapted his name to the language of the publication (using Martinus Caesar in the Latin volumes, Merten de Keyser in the Dutch books, and Martyne Emperowr in the English works). He died in Antwerp in 1536. After his death, his widow continued to run the workshop.
Publications
De Keyser issued many works by the French humanist Jacques Lefèvre d'ÉtaplesJacques Lefèvre d'Étaples
Jacques Lefèvre d’Étaples or Jacob Faber Stapulensis was a French theologian and humanist. He was a precursor of the Protestant movement in France. The "d’Étaples" was not part of his name as such, but used to distinguish him from Jacques Lefèvre of Deventer, a less significant contemporary, a...
: his French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
Psalter
Psalter
A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the later medieval emergence of the book of hours, psalters were the books most widely owned by wealthy lay persons and were...
(1525), his French Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
(1528), his French New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
(1529, 1531, 1532, 1535) and his complete French Bible (1530 and 1534), the first French Bible ever in print. De Keyser published the second edition of Lefèvre's fivefold Psalter, the Quincuplex Psalterium, which contained the Psalms in five different Latin versions.
His Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
publications included New Testaments (e.g. Dat nieuwe testament ons heeren Jesu Christi met alder neersticheyt oversien, ende verduytst in 1525), Psalters, partial biblical translations and other religious works. His printer's device is included in the second complete Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
Bible, published by his colleague Willem Vorsterman
Willem Vorsterman
Willem Vorsterman was an early printer of books, active in Antwerp between 1504 and 1543. He published about 400 books in Dutch, Spanish, English, Latin, French and Danish, making him the second most productive printer in the Netherlands in the first half of the 16th century, behind Hillenius...
in 1528 in Antwerp, hinting at some kind of co-operation between the two printers working in the same street.
Merten de Keyser was active for the English market, too. In 1528 he published William Tyndale
William Tyndale
William Tyndale was an English scholar and translator who became a leading figure in Protestant reformism towards the end of his life. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther...
's The obedience of a Christen man, and in 1530 Tyndale's The practyse of Prelates as well as Tyndale's translation of the Pentateuch. A year later he issued Tyndale's Exposition of the fyrste Epistle of seynt Ihon, George Joye
George Joye
George Joye was a 16th-century Bible translator who produced the first printed translation of several books of the Old Testament into English , as well as the first English Primer .-Education:...
's translation of Isaiah
Isaiah
Isaiah ; Greek: ', Ēsaïās ; "Yahu is salvation") was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.Jews and Christians consider the Book of Isaiah a part of their Biblical canon; he is the first listed of the neviim akharonim, the later prophets. Many of the New Testament teachings of Jesus...
, and Tyndale's translation of Jonah
Jonah
Jonah is the name given in the Hebrew Bible to a prophet of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th century BC, the eponymous central character in the Book of Jonah, famous for being swallowed by a fish or a whale, depending on translation...
, the latter two apparently intended as a twin-publication. Thomas Abell's Invicta Veritas, criticizing Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
's divorce, saw the light of day also in the workshop of Merten de Keyser in 1532. In 1533, he posthumously printed John Frith
John Frith
John Frith was an English Protestant priest, writer, and martyr.Frith was an important contributor to the Christian debate on persecution and toleration in favour of the principle of religious toleration...
's answer to Thomas More
Thomas More
Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
, which Frith composed while imprisoned in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
. In 1534 De Keyser printed the second, revised edition of Tyndale's New Testament as well as Joye
George Joye
George Joye was a 16th-century Bible translator who produced the first printed translation of several books of the Old Testament into English , as well as the first English Primer .-Education:...
's fresh edition of the Davids Psalter based on Zwingli's Latin Psalter
Psalter
A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the later medieval emergence of the book of hours, psalters were the books most widely owned by wealthy lay persons and were...
, and Joye's translation of the book of Jeremiah
Jeremiah
Jeremiah Hebrew：יִרְמְיָה , Modern Hebrew:Yirməyāhū, IPA: jirməˈjaːhu, Tiberian:Yirmĭyahu, Greek:Ἰερεμίας), meaning "Yahweh exalts", or called the "Weeping prophet" was one of the main prophets of the Hebrew Bible...
. These Old Testament translations were the first English translations of these biblical books ever in print. Furthermore, according to the discovery of Guido Latré in 1997, it was also Merten de Keyser who printed the first complete English Bible, the Coverdale Bible
Coverdale Bible
The Coverdale Bible, compiled by Myles Coverdale and published in 1535, was the first complete Modern English translation of the Bible , and the first complete printed translation into English . The later editions published in 1539 were the first complete Bibles printed in England...
.
Among de Keyser's Latin publications, we find Robert Estienne
Robert Estienne
Robert I Estienne , known as Robertus Stephanus in Latin and also referred to as Robert Stephens by 18th and 19th-century English writers, was a 16th century printer and classical scholar in Paris...
's Latin Bible (e.g. in 1534), a scholarly revision of the Vulgate
Vulgate
The Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
based on various ancient manuscripts. Reprints of Erasmus's Latin translation of the New Testament were also issued by de Keyser.
De Keyser seems to have published at least one book also in Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
in 1532.