Novum Testamentum Graece (Strasbourg, 1524)

Commentary
Novum Testamentum Graece (Strasbourg, 1524)
Collection: 
Winchester College Fellows' Library

Charles V (1500-58), Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, sponsored many expeditions to the New World. The binding of this Greek translation of the New Testament features Charles’ motto Plus Ultra, which also became the national motto of Spain. Plus Ultra, translated as ‘Further Beyond’, is a play on the inscription supposedly found on the Pillars of Hercules: Non Plus Ultra – ‘Nothing further beyond’. The Pillars of Hercules, generally believed to be the Rock of Gibraltar to the North and Jebel Musa to the South, were the end of the known world in the Classical Era, and so came to represent the obstacle that had to be passed in order to explore the new world. Plus Ultra demonstrates Charles V’s desire to go beyond the Pillars of Hercules and explore the new world.