The first Bible in the West Low German dialect with Nicholas de Lyra’s glosses is known as the Cologne Bible. 

In circa 1478 –1479, Heinrich Quentel and Bartholomäus von Unkel printed the Bible in Cologne; the publication was funded by the master of the mint and a notary Johan Helman, who was head of the publishing community, which also included a paper merchant Arnold Salmonster and Anton Koberger from Nuremberg. Anton Koberger apparently received engraved boards, which he used for illustrations in his 1483 edition of the Bible. These images brought the Cologne Bible the deserved fame and had a great influence on all of the subsequent pre-Luther illustrated Bible editions in Germany and other European countries. The book is decorated with 123 woodcuts, many of which are recurring. The engravings by an unknown master were created using hand-written Bible miniatures, probably of Dutch origin, kept in storage in Berlin (Mg. Germ. 516). Watercolours were used to paint the engravings.

The church objected to the release of a native language Bible; the inclusion of illustrations also caused suspicion. In all the German early printed Bibles, only the Old Testament and the Apocalypse had pictures; the same is true for the Cologne Bible. Luther’s publications were the first to have evenly distributed illustrations.