Nearly two decades after the family of Giles and Frances Vick donated an old and rare Bible to Wingate University’s Ethel K. Smith Library, the book has a new home in a more accessible, interactive display inside the University’s Hinson Art Museum.
“Very few Vinegar Bibles still exist; there are fewer than 20 known to be in the U.S.,” explains Rich Carney, Wingate’s archivist. “The idea to move it to the museum was a good one, as it was created to be displayed and read in churches more so than to be used in homes. That was the original idea for it even in 1717, when it was printed.”
Seeking to solidify his role as the official printer of the King of England, a publisher named John Baskett spared no expense in having new decorative initials and detailed illustrations designed for the Bible that he envisioned as a centerpiece of the church. He even hired a proofreader to help ensure accuracy. But alas, what Baskett hoped would be a historic example of how to improve the quality and design of the Bible turned out to be a good idea gone wrong, as the book became known for his errors, the most infamous of which was the heading on Luke Chapter 20. Instead of the “Parable of the Vineyard,” Baskett’s Bible labels it the “Parable of the Vinegar,” thus earning the nickname, the Vinegar Bible.
Baskett’s intended masterpiece became known as a “Baskett-ful of errors.” In fact, scholars say this may be the origin of the expression “a complete basket case.”
Carney says that what Baskett got wrong with the words he got right with the artwork, as the Bible’s illustrations make for a beautiful display piece. And it’s that method of display that Carney and others want to get right at Wingate so that the Bible is secure and preserved, but also accessible for students, faculty members and museum patrons.
“We’ve had this amazing thing in our midst for so long, but few people are aware of it and its history,” says Dr. Eric Schneider, the University’s vice provost for institutional effectiveness. “Moving forward, we want to let the community know that it is here and available to learn about and from.”
Dr. Allison Kellar, associate professor of English and dean of Wingate’s Honors College, and her former colleague Dr. Christy Cobb, who taught religion at Wingate for several years, got the ball rolling more than a year ago by submitting a grant proposal to the University’s Board of Visitors, successfully seeking funding for an improved display and emphasizing the potential for professors to plan projects around the Vinegar Bible.
In anticipation of having better access to the book, Kellar has already created a lesson plan on printing, bookmaking and Biblical translations. She envisions students studying woodcut printing, Bible translations and digitization to better understand digital collections throughout the world and on campus. Her lesson plan also includes discussion of the parable of the vineyard and its contemporary application and would culminate with students visiting the Hinson Art Museum to see the Vinegar Bible for themselves and discuss their observations.
According to Carney, the first step toward making the Bible more accessible was buying a museum-quality display case that is temperature and humidity controlled and keeps out harmful UV rays.
“Light damages paper, and that damage can’t be reversed, so keeping the Bible closed most of the time and only opening it for special events will help preserve it,” Carney says.
Even so, visitors to the exhibit will be able to peek inside the Vinegar Bible via an iPad next to the display that will feature photos of select pages and an explanation of the Bible’s history and will introduce users to the legacy of professors emeriti Giles and Frances Vick.
A Union County native, Frances Vick taught at several schools in the South while her husband, Major Giles Wesley Vick Jr., served in the Air Force. In 1961 she returned to Union County to teach at Wingate College and became chair of the English Department. She was also the director of May Day and Commencement and the inspiration for the Frances C. Vick Award, which each spring honors the year’s outstanding senior English student.
After a distinguished 21-year career in the Air Force, Major Vick became a Wingate College faculty member in 1963. Having studied meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he taught physics, mathematics and meteorology and served as the director of student aid for five years. During his tenure at Wingate, he won 10 National Science Foundation Scholarships in science and science education.
The Vicks, who retired from Wingate in 1983, were lifetime members of the Wingate University Friends of the Library. Their sons, Dr. G. Wesley Vick III and Dr. John C. Vick, believe their father purchased a copy of the Vinegar Bible while stationed in London, England, during World War II. They donated not only the Vinegar Bible to Wingate but their parents’ entire book collection, the largest monographic contribution (3,500 titles) in Ethel K. Smith Library history.
Upon hearing about the plan for a new and improved Vinegar Bible display, the Vicks added a $3,500 contribution to the $5,000 Board of Visitors grant to help bring the project to fruition.
The Hinson Art Museum, open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., is next to the Batte Fine Arts Center at 403 North Camden Road, Wingate. Learn more by calling 704-233-6482.
