MARS HILL, N.C. — Across the centuries, across the ocean, through bombings and world wars, a sacred bit of history has emerged from the distant past to find a home at Mars Hill College.
The Mars Hill, N.C., Baptist school has received a 1686 copy of Martin Luther’s Bible translation. It was donated by Elfriede Ludwig Wilde, a resident of Texarkana, Texas, and former resident of Hendersonville, N.C.
She gave the rare book in memory of her late husband, Harold Wilde, and in honor of the Wilde family of western North Carolina, where Mars Hill is located. Elfreide Wilde has been in possession of the Bible since 1967. "The time has come for this Bible to find a new and permanent home, Mars Hill College," she said, in presenting the gift. "So I am passing on to you as a gift this special book that the Lord has protected again and again for 321 years."
It is unknown how many copies of the translation still exist. But other aspects also make it valuable, including its size, its ornate drawings, its thick leather binding and the brass moldings on its cover.
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