'Wicked Bible' Encouraging Adultery Discovered in New Zealand

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A rare copy of the so-called "Wicked Bible" that encourages adultery has been discovered in New Zealand, the University of Canterbury in Christchurch said on Monday.

The artifact is one of the few surviving copies of a 1631 printing, which had "not" omitted in one of the Ten Commandments, resulting in the "thou shalt commit adultery" rule.

"Until now it was thought that the handful that did were all to be found in the libraries of the British Isles and North America. But the University of Canterbury can now reveal a previously unknown copy of this remarkable book, discovered in Christchurch!" the university said in a statement.

According to The Guardian, this copy was uncovered in 2018, but the university chose to keep quiet in order to give scholars and book conservators enough time to preserve and study the tome.

Chris Jones, an associate professor of History at the University of Canterbury, says it was brought to him by a former student whose family had acquired it two years prior at an estate sale of a deceased UK bookbinder.

The reason behind the "Wicked Bible" existence is still unclear, with theories ranging from sabotage to negligence. Although many such bibles contain detailed bloodlines as well as dates of owners' births and deaths, this particular copy has just one unreadable name.