Biblia Pauperum

American  

[bib-lee-ah pou-pe-room, bib-lee-uh paw-per-uhm] / ˈbɪb li ɑ ˈpaʊ pɛˌrʊm, ˈbɪb li ə ˈpɔ pər əm /

noun

1. any of the picture books illustrating Biblical events and usually containing a short text, used chiefly in the Middle Ages for purposes of religious instruction.

---

Etymology

Origin of Biblia Pauperum

< New Latin: literally, Bible of poor men

Example Sentences

An illustration of the apocalypse in a Biblia Pauperum from around the time of the European famine of 1315–1317.

From Slate • Apr. 16, 2014

The sidepieces, which are marked with letters to indicate their sequence, illustrate the Creation, the prophecies of the Sibyls, and the subjects of the Biblia Pauperum.

From Fine Books by Pollard, Alfred W. (Alfred William)

They are both exceedingly close copies of engravings in the Biblia Pauperum, or Poor Man’s Bible, otherwise called “Speculum Humanæ Salvationis,” or the Mirror of Human Salvation.

From The Grotesque in Church Art by Wildridge, T. Tindall

Our illustration gives a reduced representation of a page from the second edition of the Biblia Pauperum, dating from about 1450.

From The Story of Books by Rawlings, Gertrude Burford

The Franciscan monk, Bonaventura, the famous author of the Biblia Pauperum, added a seventh, a complete rest in God—"like the Sabbath after the six days of labour."

From The Evolution of Love by Schleussner, Ellie