1595 – Tommasio Bozio | Earliest Account of Martin Luther’s Death | De Signis Ecclesiae

Tommaso Bosio (or Bozio) was an early 16th-century Italian Catholic inquisitor bishop known for his service in Malta. Little is known of his life outside of Malta, however, Bosio wrote a book entitled De Signis ecclesiae dei, or Signs of the Church of God. While at first glance, this book appears to be like many others of its kind – a description of the history of the catholic church, and it is. However, this book, unlike any other, contains a highly controversial tale on the life, rather, death of Martin Luther.

Bozio’s De Signis ecclesiae is the first published account, whether accurate or not, to describe Martin Luther’s suicide by hanging. According to Bozio, a servant of Luther found Luther hanged in a tree from a rope. Curiously, it is widely accepted that the cause of Luther’s death remains a mystery, but some scholars believe suicide by hanging was the cause. Bozio’s account is one of the first, if the earliest published account of the legend of Martin Luther’s suicide!

Bibliographic Details

• Title: De signis Ecclesiae Dei libri XXIIII
• Author(s): Tommaso Bosio
• Publisher: Lugduni: sumptibus Petri Landry
• Edition: Edition. Year.
• Binding: Vellum
• Format: (12mo), 3 volumes in 2 tomes
• Size:  7 in x 4.5 in (17.8 cm x 11.4 cm)
• Collation:
  • Vol 1: [48], 1110 (i.e., 1108), [132] pp;
  • Vol 2: [56], 600 pp;
  • Vol 3: 640, [136] pp
• Contents Include:
  • Twenty-four books of theological argument
  • Prefaces and indices
  • Anti-Luther narrative
• Reference(s): USTC 146460

Condition:

Good. Original vellum shows edge loss and staining. Spines are partially worn. Text blocks remain secure. Pages mostly clean and complete.

Why Collect This?

• Early appearance of a controversial, anti-Luther narrative concerning his death
• Valuable for early Reformation studies and ecclesiastical collections

Item Number: # 29800