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The
English Bible |
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ca. 1384 Manuscript of the New Testament
copied ca. 1440. 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 The Pentateuch. Antwerp: Johannes Hoochstraten, 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 The Bible and Holy Scriptures conteyned in the Olde and Newe Testament. 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 The holie
Bible, conteynyng the olde
Testament and the newe. 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 New Testament of Iesus Christ, translated faithfully into English, 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. |