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The
English Bible before the Invention of Printing |
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700-1000 |
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ca. 1384
Earliest English translation of
the complete Bible. Prepared by John Wycliffe (ca. 1320-1384) and his
followers, including William Middleworth, John Trevisa, and John Purvey. This
Bible was based on the Latin Vulgate. It circulated in manuscript throughout
the fifteenth century and was first printed in 1850. |
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The
First Printed English Bibles |
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1526-1530
First printed editions of the
English New Testament (1526) and Pentateuch (1530). The translation was
prepared by William Tyndale (ca. 1494-1536) based on the original Greek and
Hebrew texts. Revisions of the New Testament by Tyndale himself appeared in
1534 and 1535; the revised Pentateuch was published in 1534. Before his
execution for heresy, Tyndale had completed the translation of the historical
books of the Old Testament, from Joshua to 2 Chronicles. These were included
in Matthew's Bible of 1537 and were used by the translators of the King James
Version in 1611. |
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1535
Biblia. The Bible: that is, the
holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to
Englyshe. First printed edition of the
English Bible. Translated by Miles Coverdale (1488-1568), this version was
based on the Latin Vulgate and several sixteenth century German and Latin
versions. The Psalm Book was included in the Great Bible of 1539 and through
it in the Book of Common Prayer. |
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1537
The Byble which is all the holy
Scripture … truly and purely translated into Englysh by Thomas Matthew First edition of "Matthew's
Bible." Thomas Matthew, credited as translator on the title page of this
Bible, is probably a pseudonym for John Rogers (ca. 1500-1555), who was
Tyndale's associate and an early victim of the Marian persecution. About two
thirds of Matthew's Bible represents Tyndale's translation. The New Testament
and the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) are taken from the
revised editions of 1534-1535. The books from Joshua to 2 Chronicles are based
on Tyndale's manuscripts now lost. The remaining part of the Old Testament,
from Ezra to Malachi, and the Apocrypha are based on Coverdale's translation. |
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1539
The thirde parte of the Byble,
contaynynge these bokes … Richard Taverner (ca. 1505-1575)
prepared a new edition of Matthew's Bible. Most of the changes made by
Taverner remain at the lexical level: spokesman for advocate, parable
for similitude, etc. |
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1539
The Byble in Englishe … truly
translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes First edition of the "Great
Bible," a revision of Matthew's Bible prepared by Miles Coverdale. The
Old Testament shows the influence of Münster's Latin Old Testament and
Erasmus' Latin New Testament. Thomas Cromwell, who had financed the printing
of the book, had requested a "Bible of the largest and greatest
volume." The second edition of this text, issued in 1540, includes a
prologue by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) and is sometimes called
"Cranmer's Bible." Copies of the Great Bible were displayed in all
the churches of England. It was not reprinted after 1569. |
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1557-1560
First editions of the Geneva Bible
version: New Testament (1557) and the complete Bible (1560). It was prepared
by a group of English exiles living in Geneva, including William Whittingham
(ca. 1524-1579), who was the only translator of the 1557 New Testament,
Anthony Gilby, Thomas Sampson, and others. The Geneva Bible attained
immediate popularity, particularly among the Puritans and was the earliest
English Bible in roman type. It was also the first to include verse
divisions. Known as the "Breeches Bible" because of its wording of
Genesis 3:7. At least 160 editions of the Geneva Bible were printed between
1560 and 1640. In copies printed after 1578 one
often finds a New Testament revised by Laurence Tomson (1539-1608), who was
secretary to Sir Francis Walsingham. The first edition of the Tomson New
Testament was published in 1576. |
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1568
First publication of the
"Bishops' Bible," a revision of the Great Bible prepared by Matthew
Parker (1504-1575), Archbishop of Canterbury, and a group of bishops and
scholars, including W. Alley, W. Barlow, T. Bentham, and many others. Though
not formally dedicated to Queen Elizabeth, the Bishops' Bible includes a
portrait of the queen on its title page. The clergy generally used this
version. However it did not replace the Geneva version as a home Bible and
was not reprinted after 1602. The translators of the King James Version were
instructed to follow the Bishops' Bible whenever possible. Like the Great
Bible, the Bishops' has very few marginal notes. Of particular interest is
the note to Psalm 45:9, which refers to Ophir as the "Iland … founde by
Christopher Columbo." |
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1582-1610
The first Catholic translation of
the Bible into English, prepared by members of the English College in Douai.
The project was sponsored and directed by the founder of the college, William
Allen (1532-1594), but Gregory Martin (ca. 1540-1582) was responsible for
most of the actual translation. The New Testament was first published in 1582
in Rheims, while the Old Testament was issued in Douai almost thirty years later,
in 1609-1610. The translation was based on the Latin Vulgate. It was issued
with many notes, the work of Richard Bristow (1538-1581) in the New Testament
and of Thomas Worthington (1549-1627). In revised forms, the Rheims-Douai
version remained the standard Roman Catholic English Bible until the
twentieth century. |
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1611
The Holy Bible, Conteyning the Old
Testament, and the New: The King James or Authorized
Version, prepared at the proposal of James I by six companies of scholars,
numbering about fifty, under the direction of Launcelot Andrewes (1555-1626),
John Harding (died 1610), and Edward Lively (ca. 1545-1605). The preface,
titled The Translators to the Reader, was the work of Miles Smith (died
1624), who also saw the Bible through the press. The translators used the
best available editions of the Hebrew and Greek texts, and consulted the
principal French, Spanish, German and Italian versions. Other Bibles also
consulted include: the Bishops' Bible, the Rheims New Testament, Tyndale's
and Matthew's versions, the Great Bible, and the Geneva Bible. Fourteen
editions of the King James Bible were published before the end of 1614. After
that, several were issued every year. However, it took forty years, for the
King James Version to surpass the popularity of the Geneva Bible. By the
middle of the seventeenth century, it became the standard Bible for many
English Protestants. In a slightly modernized form, this Bible of 1611 became
the most widely used version of the English language. |
