ORIENTAL WRITING SYSTEMS IN THE MULTILINGUAL PRINTING OF POLYGLOT BIBLES OF THE SIXTEENTH – NINETIETH CENTURIES

Abstract

Purpose. This study aims to trace the evolution of multiscript printing in Europe during the sixteenth – ninetieth centuries through the lens of polyglot Bible editions, and to analyse the role of non-Latin type systems – Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Greek, and Arabic – in shaping this tradition. Particular attention is paid to the influence of the polyglot heritage on the contemporary design of Oriental typefaces and multilingual typographic practice. The article examines not only the immediate context in which polyglots emerged, but also the deeper preconditions: the development of printing and manuscript culture in medieval Europe and the Middle East. Methodology. The study is grounded in the collection and systematisation of Eastern typeface collections from printing houses across Europe and the Middle East. A comparative description of fifteen polyglot editions has been carried out, taking into account the distinctive features of their printing, editorial concepts, and scholarly-theological foundations. Different multiscript Bibles are examined through inductive reasoning and systematic design analysis. To describe the morphology of typefaces, the calligraphic and palaeographic principles formulated by Gerrit Noordzij in his theory of the stroke are applied, allowing unified analytical criteria to be used across writing systems of different origins. Results. The study establishes that the polyglot Bibles of the sixteenth – ninetieth centuries served as a unique laboratory of multiscript typography: it was here that questions of harmonising typefaces from different writing traditions within a single publication were first addressed in practice. The gradual refinement of Oriental typefaces is traced – from the earliest crude woodcut attempts to the accomplished metal types of Granjon, Caslon, and Bodoni. A reverse influence of polyglot publications on the manuscript traditions of the Samaritans and other Eastern communities is identified. The study demonstrates that despite fundamental differences between the graphemes of Oriental and Latin scripts, printers of various national schools sought common calligraphic grounds for textual harmonisation, drawing on the logic of pen movement and letter structure. Scientific novelty. For the first time in Ukrainian scholarship, a comprehensive study of the phenomenon of multilingual biblical publications has been conducted through the lens of type design and typography. A systematic review of fifteen polyglots from a design-analytical perspective has been carried out for the first time, taking into account typeface morphology, multi-column text layout, and the evolution of Oriental typefaces. A methodology for describing non-Latin typefaces based on Noordzij’s calligraphic and palaeographic principles is proposed, which opens possibilities for comparative research across different writing traditions and can be transferred to contemporary multiscript typeface projects. Practical relevance. The findings of the study are directly applicable to contemporary type design practice and book publishing. The proposed analytical methods provide designers with tools for working on multiscript publications where typefaces from different scripts must be harmonised – particularly for scholarly editions combining Latin, Greek, and Semitic texts. The research materials can be used in courses on typography, book history, and non-Latin type design, as well as in the development of digital typefaces for internet platforms and mobile applications supporting Middle Eastern languages.