Third (first illustrated) edition of Osiander's Harmony of the Gospels. It brings the four Gospels together to make a single narrative, prefaced by a comparative synopsis of the content of the four Gospels. Having studied Hebrew and Greek in Ingolstadt, Andreas Osiander (1496-1552) became a priest in 1520. He subsequently came in contact with supporters of the Reformation and became a prominent Protestant leader. In 1548 he was appointed professor of theology in Königsberg. His last years there were, however, overshadowed by the bitter debates caused by his controversial doctrine of divine justice: the so-called "Osiandrische Streit". Osiander's writings consist for the most part of expositions of the scripture, sermons and essays on the theological controversies of the day.
Osiander's present Harmony of the Gospels is his only work that was also published outside Germany. The woodcuts are ascribed to Levinus (Liévin) de Witte (ca. 1503- 1578 or soon after), a painter, designer and perhaps also a woodcutter, working in Antwerp, Brussels and Ghent.
With an owner's inscription removed from the title-page. With an occasional minor stain and with a corner of one leaf restored (not approaching the text), but still in very good condition and only slightly trimmed. Netherlandish books 23283; Nijhoff & Kronenberg 3650; USTC 410397; I. Veldman & K. van Schaik, Verbeelde boodschap: de illustraties van Lieven de Witte bij "Dat leven ons Heeren" (1537) (1989), esp. pp. 14, 23 & 44.