Estienne’s Nouveau Testament

The New Testament published by Robert Estienne in 1549, featuring Greek founts by Claude Garamont, marked a significant moment in both his career and the Reformation in France. Following the death of his protector François I in 1547, Estienne faced increased opposition from Sorbonne theologians, leading him to emigrate to Geneva in 1552 where he openly embraced Calvinism, with the pocket format of the work likely intended to protect it from persecution and destruction.

The New Testament published by Robert Estienne in 1549, with Greek characters cut by Claude Garamont, marked a milestone in the printer’s life and in that of the Reformation in France. François I, Estienne’s protector, whom he had appointed to head the Collège des trois langues in 1539, died in 1547. The Sorbonne theologians, Estienne’s sworn enemies, went on the rampage, seeking to have the work banned. As the printer’s research and that of the scholars who supported his work progressed, it became a Protestant manifesto, rejecting many points of Catholic dogma. Faced with the relentlessness of his detractors, Robert Estienne decided to emigrate with his family to Geneva in 1552. There, he openly embraced Calvinism. The pocket format, unusual for this type of work, may have been a way of preventing the persecution of the Reformed that was beginning in France, and of saving this precious book from destruction. Note that Estienne’s name has been crossed out on the title page; after his departure, Estienne’s possessions were seized and his works, including his name, were placed on the index.

Document: Estienne school library.