Welcome back to another episode of five minutes in church history. I think on a previous episode I might have confessed to you that historians are strange people and they like to visit strange places and I think I mentioned to you that I like to visit cemeteries.

Well, in addition to cemeteries, historians also like to visit libraries.

I know sounds really exciting, doesn't it?

But this library and this find is exciting. This is the library at Princeton University

and there at Princeton University among the many interesting books is one book in

particular that I'd like to talk to you about.

Well for you to get a sense of it, it's about four by six by four, so about four inches wide,

about six inches in length, and about four inches thick. But what's

fascinating about this book is the binding. It is actually bound in otter skin.

That's right, otter skin. And not only is it bound in otter skin, but it's painted with blue and red stripes.

And it's painted in a style that is the characteristic painting of the Eastern Woodland Indians.

So we have an otter skin bound painted Hebrew dictionary.

It is a dictionary of Hebrew and also Aramaic. It was first published in Basel in 1654 and somehow it made its way into the hands of David Brainer.

When David Brainer died, it passed on to Jonathan Edwards.

So it was actually in the possession of Jonathan Edwards. And of course at the end of

his life, Jonathan Edwards was at Princeton, and somehow that Hebrew dictionary made its way through the Edwards family and some Edwards family member gave it to Princeton University.

This is fascinating to me for a lot of reasons. to Princeton University.

This is fascinating to me for a lot of reasons.

First, it's the binding and the painted stripes on it.

It looks really cool.

If you ever get a chance, I hope you get to see it.

But also, this is a Hebrew dictionary so this

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