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Bible — 100 lei. New Testament — 60 lei (1980)

On 20 November 1980, the Suceava Archpriesthood (Archdiocese of Iași), no. 1016/1980, replied to the Militia. The Holy Synod had fixed the prices earlier: Bible — 100 lei, order no. 2160/1968; New Testament — 60 lei, order no. 1640 T. of 1972.

Source: my father Gheorghe Hofman’s file at CNSAS, file P 039192, vol. 1, folio 33 (the Archpriesthood’s reply). Working photograph, not a certified copy.

Archival photograph of the Suceava Archpriesthood’s reply and the BNR heading; names and signatures are blurred. — On 20 November 1980, the Suceava Archpriesthood (Archdiocese of Iași), no. 1016/1980, replied to the Militia. The Holy Synod had fixed the prices earlier: Bible — 100 lei, order no. 2160/1968; New Testament — 60 lei, order no. 1640 T. of 1972.

The film, about 39 seconds. The pictures are made for the page. They are not the photographs from the file. The words on the film follow the page. The last sentence is the hypothesis, not a fact proved by this sheet.

What this document shows

The Suceava Militia, criminal investigations, requested the official prices of the Bible and New Testament in letter P./3781 of 14 November 1980, cited in the reply.
The Suceava Archpriesthood / Archdiocese of Iași, no. 1016/1980, replied on 20 November 1980: Bible — 100 lei, by Holy Synod order no. 2160/1968; New Testament — 60 lei, by order no. 1640 T. of 1972.
Above it is the visible heading of a BNR Suceava letter, no. 15245, dated 22 November 1980. The body is read on the letter’s separate sheet: one ruble — 8.30 lei.

What this document does not show

The document does not show that the state set these prices. The orders named in the reply are from 1968 and 1972, not from 1980. The body of the BNR letter is read on the letter’s separate sheet, not from this heading: one ruble — 8.30 lei.

Hypothesis, not a confirmed fact: the prices may have been requested to value Bibles seized during the investigation. This reply alone does not prove that they were used for that purpose.