The Earliest Latin Translations of the Bible

The Old Latin version (Vetus Latina) refers to the earliest Latin biblical translations and their revisions up to the end of the fourth century. Few manuscripts are extant, so for most books the principal evidence is supplied by scriptural quotations in early Christian writers. These are used by editors to reconstruct text-types current in particular times and places. The majority of translations probably originated in North Africa around the end of the second century: the surviving evidence for each book appears to derive from a single initial version which underwent multiple subsequent revisions. Both the Old Testament and New Testament were based on Greek sources and preserve important ancient readings. Old Latin forms of text continued to be copied for many centuries, and their influence can be seen in theology, and liturgy as well as paratextual material. Several of the books later incorporated in the Vulgate, including the whole of the New Testament, are based on Old Latin versions.