Abstract

This study examines some of the salient linguistic features of the New Testament translated into Tuscan by the Florentine Benedictine monk Massimo Teofilo ("editio princeps" printed in Lyon, 1551). The first two paragraphs present the historical and cultural background against which the translation was prepared, followed by an examination of its vocabulary. In order to highlight the greater expressivity and literary quality of Massimo Teofilo's text, notable lexical choices are compared with the vocabulary used in other contemporary translations. Finally, the study focuses on the syntactic and textual aspects of the translation, highlighting Massimo Teofilo's humanistic quest to translate the Holy Scripture in a clear and worthy vernacular.