In many Christian families, especially in previous generations, a large, ornate family Bible was a treasured heirloom. These Bibles often contained handwritten records of births, marriages and deaths, serving as both a religious text and a family archive.
Thrivent, too, owns a collection of historic Bibles and other religious texts. They may not contain family histories, but they are a true treasure trove.
Many of the pieces in our archives were collected by Gunnar B. Bjornson, an Icelandic immigrant and former Minnesota state senator. Bjornson, who published the Minneota Mascot newspaper in Minneota, Minnesota, acquired many of his historic Bibles from Icelandic settlements in Canada. His estate donated his collection of 200 books to Lutheran Brotherhood’s Martin Luther Library in 1957.
The collection includes Bibles printed as early as the 16th century and features a variety of languages—primarily German, English and the Scandinavian languages. At the time of donation, the president of the Chicago Bible Society noted the presence of several rare and valuable volumes. These include copies of the first complete Bibles printed in Iceland, dating from 1584, 1644 and 1728, as well as the Isaiah Thomas Bible, the first English Bible printed in New England in 1791.
Other novelties in the collection include a Scottish Gaelic Bible printed in Edinburgh in 1881, an extremely small Bible printed in Philadelphia in 1839 and a Dakota-English hymnal printed in 1884.
These historic volumes are a testament to the vitality of Christian faith, and Thrivent is honored to preserve them for future generations.
Lauren Gaines is Thrivent’s corporate historian and archives manager.
