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Presbyterian Heritage Center

The History of the English Language Bible

Presbyterian Heritage Center

The History of the English Language Bible

Learning Initiatives SeriesThe Presbyterian Heritage Center (PHC) creates new exhibits each year from its archives and

artifact collections, as well as from loans of materials from individuals and institutions. Onsite, weutilize many different techniques to educate, including the displays, videos, touch screen kiosks andmore. To reach young people, we conduct Confirmation Classes (history), Collegiate Studies & Visitations, Supplemental Club Programs, Youth ConferenceRelated Exhibits, Online & Hands On Activities and YouthSunday School Lessons for all Presbyterian denominations.

In addition to these limited-time exhibits, the PHC seeks toprovide accompanying educational materials, such as learningbooklets, online downloadable materials and DVD resourcedisks for adults and young people.

The Presbyterian Heritage Center (PHC) believes that learning can be exciting, inspiring and transformational.

The PHC has a responsibility to future generations to promote strong learning skills and an awareness of their role asparticipants and guardians of the Presbyterian and Reformedheritage.

The PHC seeks to serve youth and adults through this everexpanding educational series. For more information, go onlineto www.phcmontreat.org or call 828.669.6556.

Learning InitiativesBooklets, Presentations, DVDs

Copyright © 2016. Presbyterian Heritage Center. PO Box 207, Montreat, NC.800.669.6556 www.phcmontreat.org info@phcmontreat.org

Permission is granted for use in non-profit, educational & religious activities.

Front cover photo shows title pages of a 1611first-edition King James Version of the Bible,with insets left-to-right of a Wycliffe manuscriptBible (c. 1388), Queen Elizabeth’s BishopsBible (1568) and a Geneva Bible (1560).

Table of Contents2 Preface

3 The Pre-ReformationFrom early Anglo-Saxon translations 5 Think About It

6 The Dawn of the Reformation —Individual Efforts Individual translators between 1526 —1540s led the English translations effort. 6 William Tyndale7 Myles Coverdale 8 John Rogers & The Matthews Bible9 The Great Bible 9 Think About It

10 Teams of Translators — Geneva, Bishops & King James Scholarly teams tackled newly discoveredoriginal sources to produce Bibles for Presbyterians, Pilgrims, Anglicans andCatholics.10 The Geneva Bible 11 The Bishops’ Bible12 Rheims-Douai Bible12 Think About It

13 King James Version of the BibleSix teams of translators worked for fiveyears on the King James Version. 14 Fifteen Rules for KJV Translators15 Think About It

16 Comparisons of Selected TranslationsA look at Genesis I and Psalm 23 in vari-ous Bible translations from Wycliffe tothe King James Version, as well as familiarsayings coined by William Tyndale. 17 Think About It

18 18th - 20th Century TranslationsMore than 100 new translations were cre-ated for a variety of reasons. 18 Think About It

19 A New Illuminated Bible in the21st CenturyThe first illuminated manuscript Bible inover 500 years was completed in 2011.19 Think About It

20 Glossary & Index

Source: Presbyterian Heritage Center 1

Preface

2

Remaining true to our goal to be independent,innovative and interactive, we are using manydifferent techniques to engage our onsite and online visitors. These techniques include filmsplaying on a large screen television, touch screenkiosks and this educational discussion guide.

And sometimes, we use the low-tech approach,such as displaying these rare Bibles to trace thehistory of English-language translations and influences over the centuries.

This guide is intended to provide additionalmaterials for the exhibit, while teaching compre-hension skills for young people. Among the skillsare analytical, explanatory, research, writing, gen-eralization, reasoning, summarization and more.

I’d like to thank Michael Morgan, Lisa Harrold,Lucy Dusthimer, Betsy Neville, Ann Vinson andDiana Sanderson for their invaluable contributionsto this exhibit, as well as the Montreat ConferenceCenter for arranging the Saint John’s Bible.

We also are grateful to the exhibit advisorycommittee of John Akers, Nancy McGuirk,

Michael Morgan, Richard Ray, Kay Stockdale,and others.

Artifacts, archival documents, photos andmore were donated or lent for the History ofthe English language Bible exhibit by many,including:

Michael MorganThe British Library

Saint John’s UniversityThe collection of the Presbyterian Heritage

Center provided numerous Bibles from the18th through 20th centuries, as well as images,woodcuts and other graphics.

A special thank you is offered to our financial contributors in the past, in the present and the hopefully in the future.

Ronald W. VinsonPHC Executive Director

Source: Presbyterian Heritage Center

How to save souls? There was a long debate during the latter

portion of the Middle Ages among clericsabout reforms needed to convert more people toChristianity.

Early reformers (i.e., challengers to the west-ern Roman Catholic Church) often focused onone goal — translating the Latin Bible or portions of the Bible into the common spokentongue of the country so the populace couldmore easily read it.

Originally the Bible was written in Hebrew,Aramaic and Greek, with a Latin translation attributed to St. Jerome (c. 347 - 420 A.D., also known as Eusebius Sophronius Hierony-mus before sainthood was conferred) made inthe late 4th century. This Vulgate (“commonlyused”) Latin Bible became the standard used bythe Roman Catholic Church for a 1,000 years.

Efforts to translate the Bible into Old English(i.e., Anglo-Saxon) began in the 8th centurywhen Bishop Aldhelm (639 - 709 A.D.) trans-lated the Psalms. A monk named Bede (673 -735 A.D., also known as Venerable Bede) trans-lated the Gospel of John, which was lost.

In the 9th century, King Alfred (849 - 899A.D.) translated “The Ten Commandments,”

probably thePsalms and someother Biblicalsegments.

Later, EnglishAbbot Ælfric ofEynsham (c. 955 - c.1010) and oth-ers translated the beginning booksof the Bible dur-

The Pre-Reformation

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ing the late 10th and early 11th century.But the Norman Invasion of England in

1066 brought a temporary end to Anglo-Saxontranslation efforts.

Toward the end of the 1300s, Oxford teacherand priest John Wycliffe and his followers begantranslation work on the first complete Bible inMiddle English. These manuscript Bibles weresuppressed. And the next major translation ef-fort would wait until the 1520s and 1530s.

Medieval EnglandOne of the earliest vernacular translations —

Tower of Babel IllustrationOld English Hexateuch (c. 1035 A.D.)

Image courtesy of The British LibraryMS Cotton Claudius B.iv., f. 19

Aelfric of Eynsham

the language spoken by the ordinary people in aparticular country or region — of the first sixbooks of the Old Testament into the Englishlanguage was probably compiled in the secondquarter of the 11th century at St Augustine’sAbbey, Canterbury, circa 1035 A.D.

This text of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,Numbers, Deuteronomy and Joshua was richlyilluminated in a manuscript called The Old English Hexateuch or Old English IllustratedHexateuch. The Tower of Babel Illustration fromthe manuscript accompanies this article on thepreceding page.

The Old English Hexateuch manuscript con-sists of translations and a preface by Ælfric ofEynsham, while the remaining parts were car-ried out by anonymous authors. Another copyof the text, without lavish illustrations but including a translation of the Book of Judges instead of Joshua (hence also called the OldEnglish Hexateuch), is found in the BodleianLibrary in Oxford University.

It is notable that in his translations, Ælfricdid not translate it word for word from theLatin, often paraphrasing to better convey themeaning.

Wycliffe & LollardsJohn Wycliffe (c. 1324 - December 1384),

also spelled Wyclif, Wycliff, Wiclef, Wicliffe, orWickliffe, was a reformer.A priest and an educatorat Oxford, he was a criticof some of the church’spractices. In his latter years,Wycliffe increasingly pro-moted the need to havethe Scriptures in the ver-nacular. He challenged thechurch’s hierarchy and

luxurious living of bishops.4

He also preached that the Eucharist was sym-bolic.

Wycliffe’s followers were derisively called Lol-lards, or “mutterers,” by the Catholic Church.

Wycliffe declared that every Christian hadthe right to read the Bible, and that the Bibleenabled every Christian to learn the importanceof Christ as salvation, without the trappings ofpilgrimages, performed good works and theLatin Mass.

Among Wycliffe’s followers, Nicholas ofHereford apparently finished the Wycliffe Biblemanuscript in Middle English about 1384. Animproved second edition was translated byWycliffe’s secretary, John Purvey, about 1395.These Bibles collectively are known as WycliffeBibles, even though Wycliffe did not do the

1395 Wycliffe Manuscript Bible in Middle English

John Wycliffe

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final translations. Nearly 200 copies of thesetwo manuscript versions have survived.

When John Purvey made his 1395 revision,there were three dialects existing in MiddleEnglish. Purvey chose Midland English, the dialect of London, which was also used byChaucer, a contemporary of Wycliffe.

The Wycliffe or Lollard movement was effec-tively suppressed in England. But his writingsmigrated to Bohemia through students who hadstudied under Wycliffe at Oxford. His causeand teachings were taken up by John Hus.

Forty-four years after Wycliffe’s death (in1428), the Catholic Church showed its linger-ing displeasure with Wycliffe and his followersby disinterring Wycliffe’s bones, burning themand dumping the ashes into a river. The act isdepicted in the accompanying illustration fromFoxe’s Book of Martyrs, PHC Collection.

John Hus and Western Continental Pre-ReformersCzech cleric John (or Jan) Jan Hus (c. 1369 –

6 July 1415), often referred to as John Hus orJohn Huss, was a Czech priest, philosopher,early Christian reformer and Prague professor.Exposed to teachings of John Wycliffe, Hus wasa key forerunner of Protestantism. He exserted astrong influence in Western Europe, most pro-nounced in the approval of a reformist Bo-hemian religion, and, then more than a centurylater, on Martin Luther through his writings.

He was burned at the stake in 1415.

Forty-four years after Wycliffe’s death, the churchcondemned him for heresy in promoting transla-tion of the Bible and exhumed his body, burned itand scattered his ashes in a river.

1 Analyze Cause & EffectWhy did the Norman In-vasion of England in 1066result in a temporary end(some 300 years) of Bibletranslation efforts in thecountry?

3 Make InferencesWhy do you think the church only wanted to use the Latin language Vulgate Bible?

2 Pose & Answer QuestionThink of a question thechurch leaders would haveasked to John Wycliffeabout why he translatedthe Bible into Middle English.

THINK ABOUT IT!

The followers of Hus religious teachings(known as Hussites) rebelled against theirRoman Catholic rulers and the church, defeatingfive consecutivepapal crusades between 1420 and 1431 — theHussite Wars.

John Hus, Czech reformer.

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When Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses tothe church doors in Wittenburg in 1517, theinternal debates and conflicts within theCatholic Church became highly public — leading to the period called the Protestant Reformation.

Reformers throughout Europe had been busytranslating the Bible into the vernacular —French, Spanish,Czech, Hungarian, English,and others. Printed portions of the Bibles incommon languages began appearing by 1522.

William Tyndale & the first printed English-language New Testament

William Tyndale (1494 - 1536) also spelledTindale, Tindall or Tyndall, was an Englishchaplain, tutor and scholar with a gift for languages.

In 1524, working withhis assistant William Roye,Tyndale left England afterfailing to get permission towork on the English trans-lation of the New Testa-ment.

At upper right is theopening page of the Gospelof John from Tyndale’s1526 New Testament —

the first printed NT English Bible.Tyndale’s NT translation formed the base for

most future translations. His wording featuredsuch well-known phrases as “fight the goodfight” and “the spirit is willing but the flesh isweak.”

Tyndale had 3,000 copies printed, but activesuppression by the Catholic Church in Englandby burning and destroying the book was nearlycomplete. Two copies survive.

Around 1529, Tyndale started translating theOld Testament while in Europe. By 1535, hehad finished the Pentateuch and nine otherbooks of the Old Testament before he was cap-tured outside Antwerp.

Below is an illustration from Foxe’s Book ofMartyrs depicting the strangulation and burningof Tyndale in October 6, 1536. Tyndale’s lastwords were reportedly: “Lord, open the King ofEngland’s eyes,” not realizing that Henry VIIIhad licensed the Coverdale Bible to use in 1535.

The Dawn of the Reformation — Individual Efforts

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Myles Coverdale & the first printed complete Bible in English

Myles Coverdale, also spelled Miles, completedthe printing of the first complete English Biblein 1535. Because of restrictions on importingbound books into England, Coverdale had thepages printed on the Continent and shipped toan English binder.

In the preface to the Bible, Coverdale praisedKing Henry VIII and his new Queen, Anne Boleyn. This was the marriage that had ledHenry to split with the Catholic Church inRome and set up a Church of England.

Formerly a priest, Coverdale was primarily aneditor and translator using other Bibles alreadypublished in Latin and German because he wasnot yet proficient in Hebrew or Greek.Coverdale also used Tyndale’s published andunpublished English translations, includingTyndale’s partial Old Testament.

After its publication, the Coverdale Bible wasthe first Bible licensed by King Henry VIII foruse in England.

The most innovative thing in this Bible wasthat it placed the Apocrypha — those booksthat Roman Catholics accept as canonical, butwhich Protestants would reject — at the end ofthe Old Testament rather than interspersedthroughout the Old Testament. All ProtestantBibles that were to follow, if they included theApocrypha at all, included them as an appendix— just like Coverdale had done.

Coverdale lived overseas for many years, care-fully timing his trips to England when thethreat to Protestant Bible translators was mini-mal. He fled to the Continent again whenQueen Mary assumed the throne and tried tore-institute Catholicism in England.

Coverdale was born in 1488 and died on January 20, 1569. In his formative years, hetrained and became an Augustinian friar. He

was appointed a priest in Norwich in 1514.During the 1520s, he became more of a radicalreformer, having to flee England in 1528. It waswhile at in Antwerp that Coverdale worked on acomplete English Bible.

Coverdalewould later beauthorized totranslate andprint TheGreat Bible ofHenry VIII in1539.

Myles Coverdale(right) and the title

page of his 1535complete Englishlanguage Bible.

John Rogers and the Matthews BibleCoverdale’s work was incorporated into the

Matthews (or Mathews) Bible printed in 1537.Another friend of Tyndale, John Rogers

(c. 1505 – February 4, 1555) edited Tyndale’swork to issue this Bible originally in 1537.

King Henry VIII’s advisors, ArchbishopThomas Cranmer and Chancellor ThomasCromwell strongly pushed the king for his approval of the work, for which they claimed:“There will not be a better English Bible untilthe day after Doomsday.”

The king was not ready to authorize theBible to be read in churches, but did give it hisofficial license as the approved version. It became the second licensed Bible in English. When Archbishop of Canterbury ThomasCranmer and Chancellor Thomas Cromwell finally convinced King Henry VIII to authorizea Bible for use in the Church of England pulpits,Myles Coverdale was selected to prepare “TheGreat Bible,” which was released in 1539.

Rogers matriculated at the University of Wittenberg in 1540.He became a close friend ofPhilipp Melanchthon and otherearly Protestant Reformation. Onleaving Wittenberg, he spent fourand a half years at a Lutheranchurch in Meldorf, Germany.Rogers returned to England in1548.

John Rogers would be martyredin 1555 during Queen Mary’sreign when she sought to returnEngland to Catholicism.

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Bible translator and minister John Rogers (upper right) producedthe Matthews Bible in 1537. He was burned at the stake (right) in1555 for being a Protestant.

Henry VIII’s The Great BiblePrinted in 1539 by Myles Coverdale, The

Great Bible is the first authorized version of theEnglish Bible. Archbishop Thomas Cranmercommissioned Myles Coverdale to revise the existing Bibles, removing all of the polemicalannotations. Coverdale completed the revisionin less than two years.

The printing began in Paris because at thistime there was no press in England capable ofproducing volume of this size, i.e. “Great.” TheFrench authorities discovered what was beingdone and raided the printing press, butCoverdale succeeded in smuggling the presses,type, labor and completed sheets across theEnglish Channel, and the Bible was publishedin 1539.

The title woodcut is attributed to Hans Holbein. A benevolent Henry VIII is depicted,slightly beneath God, giving the Bible to Archbishop Cranmer and Chancellor ThomasCromwell — with their official coat of arms depicted — and thence to the people.

When Thomas Cromwell fell out of favorwith the king and was executed in 1540, hiscoat of arms was carved out of the woodblockleaving a blank circle on the title page of thesecond printing.

The king authorized it for use in churches,and copies were chained in all cathedrals sothat anyone could come and read — but notremove it.

THINK ABOUT IT!

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The Great Bible, 1539.

Archbishop Cranmer Chancellor Cromwell

1 Analyze Cause & EffectWhat was the effect on thepopulation of translatingthe Bible into commonspeech?

3 Discussion Subjects & Additional Researchr William Tyndaler Henry VIII’s split with

the Catholic Church inthe 1530s.

2 ExplainWith death threats by thechurch and monarchy, whydo you think Bible transla-tors went ahead anyway?How do you think youwould have reacted?

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Teams of Translators — Geneva, Bishops & Douai-RheimsAfter a series of English-language Bibles

translated by individuals from imperfectsources, the next stage of Biblical translationwas led by teams of scholars from original texts.

The first of these team English-languageBibles was the Geneva Bible, the most popularversion during the century from 1560 to 1660.

The Geneva BibleWhen Catholic Queen Mary assumed the

English throne, she started a purge, burningscores of Protestants. It earned her the nickname

of “Bloody Mary.” Hundreds of English andScottish Protestants fled to the continent toProtestant controlled areas in Germany andSwitzerland, especially Geneva.

As one exile to Geneva explained, Geneva was “the store of heavenly learning and discipline,the place where God hath appointed us to dwell.”

One goal was to produce an English languageBible more contemporary than the Great Bible,(1539) and more reflective of the things theywere learning under Reformed theologian JohnCalvin.

The Geneva Bible of 1560 accomplishedmany firsts — the first English languageBible in Roman (modern) typeface; the firstteam of translators to work on a Bible; thefirst English Bible to number verses — an innovation adopted by all following Bibles —and the first Bible to have so many explana-tions or commentaries in the side margins.

Title page of 1560 Geneva Bible (far left) anda Genesis page (left) with a map locating theGarden of Eden in Mesopotamia as well assample of explanatory comments.

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In addition, the Geneva Bible contained maps and illus-trations.

The main translators were William Whittingham andAnthony Gilby; other contributors included ChristopherGoodman, Thomas Cole, John Pullain, Thomas Sampson.

The Geneva Bible became the primary Bible of 16thcentury Protestantism and was the Bible used by WilliamShakespeare, Oliver Cromwell, John Knox, John Donne,Pilgrims, and John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's Progress(1678).

The Bishops’ BibleWhen Elizabeth I succeeded her sister Mary,

to the throne, she strove a middle ground inthe Protestant Anglican Church she headed.

The “Bishops’ Bible” of 1568 was a revisionof the Great Bible done by several bishops ofthe Church of England under the direction ofQueen Elizabeth’s Archbishop of Canterbury,Matthew Parker (1504 - 1575) (image below).

The project was undertaken as an attempt tocreate an official version that could competewith the Geneva Bible. The Geneva Bible wasgenerally acknowledged to be the most accurateversion at the time, and it had become far morepopular than the officially sanctioned GreatBible.

A hand-col-ored title page

of the 1568Bishops Bible.

Archbishop Matthew Parker

But the Geneva Bible was unacceptable tothe bishops on account of its anti-episcopal explanatory notes.

Archbishop Parker launched the new transla-tion to create a more “sober” Bible that wouldreplace the Geneva Bible and update the GreatBible of 1539. Prepared by a panel of bishops,the translation would prioritized “polite” lan-guage and excised all polemical marginal notes.

It was substantially revised in the 1572 (sec-

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ond) edition. The Bishops’ Bible failed toachieve its purpose, however, as the GenevaBible continued to be the most popular versionin England.

But everyone was at least familiar with theBishops’ Bible because it was the official textused in all Church of England (Anglican)church services.

Rheims-Douai BibleSome 70 years after the appearance of

Protestant English-language Bibles, theCatholic Church finally produced its owncomplete English translation from the LatinVulgate Bible.

Since the church had fought for centuries tomaintain Latin as the only language for theBible other than original sources in Hebrewand Greek, it was difficult to agree to translateit into the vernacular.

The English New Testament translation wasled by Gregory Martin, formerly Fellow of St.John's College, Oxford. He was assisted byWilliam Allen who was the founder of theEnglish College at Douai, Richard Bristow,Thomas Worthington and others.

Part of the Counter Reformation efforts bythe Catholic Church, the New Testament wasprinted in 1582 in Rheims, France (also spelledas Rhemes or Reims). These Bibles were part ofan attempt to re-establish Catholicism in Eng-land where it had been ban under the Protes-

tant rule of Queen Elizabeth I. Known as the Rheims Bible, this New Testa-

ment volume had extensive commentary andnotes along with a Latinate style of English,rendering it sometimes difficult to read. It wasprinted in quarto size, approximately 9 x 11.5.

Twenty-seven years later during 1609-1610,the Old Testament in English was produced atthe Catholic seminary at the University ofDouai (also spelled as Douay) in the SpanishLow Country (now in France).

These translations were significantly revisedby Catholic Bishop Richard Challoner during1749 - 1752.

1 EvaluateWhat was the effect of thelong gap between the firstProtestant English languageBibles and the publicationof a Catholic English language Bible?

3 Discussion Subjects & Additional Researchr Geneva Bibler John Knoxr Protestant Reformationr Counter Reformation

2 Draw ConclusionsHenry VIII’s Great Bibleand Elizabeth I’s Bishops’Bible have few marginnotes and explanations, ascompared to the GenevaBible. Why do you thinkthat was?

THINK ABOUT IT!

Title page of the1582 Rheims version of the

New TestamentBible.

When King James VI of Scotland assumedthe throne of England in 1603 as King James Iof England (at right), there were serious problemsamong Protestants — between the Anglicanbishops in the Church of England and the Separatists and Dissenters (such as Puritans andPresbyterians). At an ecclesiastical conference at HamptonCourt in January 1604 with King James, it wassuggested that a new Bible translation neededto be made to replace Elizabeth I’s Bishops’Bible. James readily agreed and developed 15 rulesto guide the translators, including the edictagainst Geneva Bible type commentaries in thevolume. The translators were to base their workon the Bishops’ Bible, but the other major Eng-lish versions also were considered including theGeneva Bible, and the whole corrected fromoriginal Hebrew, Greek and Early Latin texts. There were forty-seven known translators,divided into six companies (two at Oxford, twoat Cambridge, and two at Westminster). Eachcompany was assigned specific books of theBible. Each company had to agree on a transla-tion, then the books were sent to the othercompanies for review. Then, the Bible was re-viewed by a representative committee sitting inLondon, where Bishop Lancelot Andrewesserved as a general editor. The plans for the King James Version of theBible were the most elaborate that had everbeen devised for any such project. The panel oftranslators was the largest; the rules imposedupon them were the most detailed and themost restrictive. The aim was a scholarly and literary versionthat would both satisfy the leaders of all ecclesi-astical parties and evoke universal affection. In

King James Version of the Bible, 1611

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Above, King James I of England.

Below, Bishop Lancelot Andrewes led the First Westminster Team and acted as the

general editor of the overall translation project.

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15 Guidelines for King James Version Translators1. The ordinary Bible read in the Church, com-monly called the Bishops Bible, to be followed,and as little altered as the Truth of the originalwill permit.

2. The names of the Prophets, and the HolyWriters, with the other Names of the Text, to beretained, as nigh as may be, accordingly as theywere vulgarly used.

3. The Old Ecclesiastical Words to be kept, viz.the Word Church not to be translated Congrega-tion &c.

4. When a Word hath divers Significations, thatto be kept which hath been most commonlyused by the most of the Ancient Fathers, beingagreeable to the Propriety of the Place, and theAnalogy of the Faith.

5. The Division of the Chapters to be altered, either not at all, or as little as may be, if Necessityso require.

6. No Marginal Notes at all to be affixed, butonly for the explanation of the Hebrew or GreekWords, which cannot without some circumlocu-tion, so briefly and fitly be expressed in the Text.

7. Such Quotations of Places to be marginally setdown as shall serve for the fit Reference of oneScripture to another.

8. Every particular Man of each Company, totake the same Chapter or Chapters, and havingtranslated or amended them severally by himself,where he thinketh good, all to meet together,confer what they have done, and agree for theirParts what shall stand.

9. As any one Company hath dispatched any oneBook in this Manner they shall send it to the

rest, to be considered of seriously and judiciously,for His Majesty is very careful in this Point.

10. If any Company, upon the Review of theBook so sent, doubt or differ upon any Place, tosend them Word thereof; note the Place, andwithal send the Reasons, to which if they consentnot, the Difference to be compounded at thegeneral Meeting, which is to be of the chief Per-sons of each Company, at the end of the Work.

11. When any Place of special Obscurity isdoubted of, Letters to be directed by Authority,to send to any Learned Man in the Land, for hisJudgement of such a Place.

12. Letters to be sent from every Bishop to therest of his Clergy, admonishing them of thisTranslation in hand; and to move and charge asmany skilful in the Tongues; and having takenpains in that kind, to send his particular Obser-vations to the Company, either at Westminster,Cambridge, or Oxford.

13. The Directors in each Company, to be theDeans of Westminster, and Chester for thatPlace; and the King's Professors in the Hebrew orGreek in either University.

14. These translations to be used when theyagree better with the Text than the Bishops Bible:Tyndale's, Matthew's, Coverdale's, Whitchurch's,Geneva.

15. Besides the said Directors before mentioned,three or four of the most Ancient and Grave Di-vines, in either of the Universities, not employedin Translating, to be assigned by the vice-Chan-cellor, upon Conference with the rest of theHeads, to be Overseers of the Translations as wellHebrew as Greek, for the better observation ofthe 4th Rule above specified.

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for English Protestants during OliverCromwell’s 11 years leading theCommonwealth.

But the restoration of the Englishmonarchy under King Charles II in1660 reignited a public fondness forthings related to kings and queens.So the King James Version of theBible came back into use and gainedwidespread popularity in Englandand in the Anglican Church in theAmerican colonies.

Puritans, Presbyterians and otherdissenters from the Anglican Church continuedto use the Geneva Bible.

these goals, the Bible fell short, butthe King James Bible would even-tually gain prominence. The translation took from 1604to 1609, with printing taking overa year.

The King James Version (KJV)of the Bible was published in 1611.

While the KJV Bible was the official Church of England Bible, itwas not immediately popular. EvenBishop Lancelot Andrewes continue to use the Geneva Bibletranslation in some sermons.

When the monarchy was overthrown in1649, the Geneva Bible was the prefered text

1 Analyze Cause & EffectExplain why you think theKing James Version of theBible became so popular,even today?

3 Discussion Subjects & Additional Researchr Puritans & Presbyterians

coming to the Americancolonies.

2 ExplainWhat do you think of theprocess and organizationused to create the KJVBible translation?

THINK ABOUT IT!

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Comparisons of Selected TranslationsSpelling was not a settled issue in the 14th to early 17th centuries. In addition, printers sometimes

used u for v characters, as well as the reverse. Ye was used to denote a plural pronoun thee (thou wassingular) as well as the sound for “the.” Here are some comparison of various texts. Sometimes it is eas-ier to read aloud to understand the original words.

Genesis 1John Wyclif (or Wycliffe) Bible (Wyclif and his followers produced the first complete manuscriptEnglish Bible). Nicholas of Hereford 1384 (translator; completed first Wyclif Bible translation)

In the firste made God of nouȝt heuene and erthe. The erthe forsothe was veyn with ynne andvoid, and derknessis weren vpon the face of the sea; and the Spiryt of God was born vpon the wa-trys. And God seide, Be maad liȝt; and maad is liȝt.

(Note: nouȝt = nought and liȝt = light)

William Tyndale Bible (OT translation) c. 1529 (first printed English Bible portions)In the beginnyng God created heauen and erth. The erth was voyde and emptye, and

darknesse was vpon the depe, & the spirite of God moued upon the water. Than God sayd: let therebe lighte and there was lighte.

The Great Bible 1539 (first authorized English Bible by Henry VIII, edited by Myles Coverdale)In ye begynning God created heauen & erth. The erth was voyde & emptie and darcknesse was

upo the face of the depe ad ye Sprete of god moued upon the face of the waters. And God sayde:Let there be made lyght, and there was lyght made.

Geneva Bible 1560 (first English language Bible in Roman (modern) typeface; first team of translators;first English Bible to number verses, second such Bible to use verse numbers)

In the beginning God created ye heauen and the earth. And the earth was without forme &voyde, and darkenes was vpon the depe, & the Spirit of God moued vpon the waters. Then Godsaide, Let there be light: And there was light.

Bishops Bible 1568 (authorized English Bible during Queen Elizabeth I’s reign)In the beginnyng GOD created the heauen & the earth. And the earth was without fourme, &

was voyde: & darknesse was vpon the face of the deepe, and the Spirite of God moued vpon theface of the waters. And God said, Let there be lyght: and there was lyght.

King James Bible 1611 (authorized English Bible by King James I (England) & VI (Scotland); sixcompanies of 47 translators and 7 editors worked on this version)

In the beginning God created the Heauen, and the Earth. And the earth was without forme, andvoyd, and darknesse was vpon the face of the deepe: and the Spirit of God mooued vpon the face ofthe waters. And God said Let there be light and there was light.

1 EvaluateWhich version of Genesis Ido you like the best?

Why?

3 EvaluateHow many of the Tyndalephrases had you heardbefore?

2 EvaluateWhich version of Psalm 23do you like the best?

Why?

THINK ABOUT IT!

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Psalm 23Geneva Bible, 1560The Lord is my shepherd, I shal not want. He maketh me to rest in grene pasture, & leadeth me bythe stil waters. He restoreth my soule, & leadeth me in the paths of righteousnes for his Names sake.Yea, thogh I shulde walke through the valley of the shadow of death, I wil feare no euil: for thou artwith me: thy rod and thy staffe, they comfort me.

Bishops’ Bible, 1568God is my sheephearde, therfore I can lacke nothyng: he wyll cause me to repose my selfe in pasturefull of grasse, and he wyll leade me unto calme waters. He wyll convert my soule: he wyll bring mefoorth into the pathes of righteousnesse for his name sake. Yea though I walke through the valley ofthe shadowe of death, I wyll feare no evyll: for thou art with me, thy rodde and thy staffe be the thyn-ges that do comfort me.

King James Version of the Bible, 1611The Lord is my shepheard, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in greene pastures: he leadethmee beside the still waters. He restoreth my soule: he leadeth me in the pathes of righteousnes, for hisnames sake. Yea though I walke through the valley of the shadowe of death, I will feare no euill: forthou art with me, thy rod and thy staffe, they comfort me.

Familiar English Language Bible PhrasesBible translator William Tyndale coined many phrases in the early 16th century which entered

the culture and became familiar to generations, such as:

r knock and it shall be opened unto your twinkling of an eye r a moment in timer seek and you shall findr eat, drink and be merryr ask and it shall be given your judge not that you not be judgedr the powers that be

r my brother's keeperr the salt of the earthr a law unto themselvesr it came to passr gave up the ghostr the signs of the timesr the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak r fight the good fight

18

18th — 20th Century Translations

1 SummarizeWrite a short summary of up to 300 words on the translation of Bibles into English and the lessons you have learned.

3 Discussion Subjects & Additional Researchr Reasons for so many

Bible translations over the past 300 years.

r Differences in transla-tions listed between1960 and 1995.

2 Pose & Answer QuestionIf someone proposes a newBible translation to you tomorrow, what questionswould you ask?

THINK ABOUT IT!

Bible translations accelerated in the 18th, 19thand 20th centuries with scores of such efforts eachand every century. Discoveries of new source texts,cultural paraphrasing (Wesley’s 1755 New Testa-ment to Good News Bible, 1976) and various first-times all were causes for recognition. Here aresome interesting translations over the centuries.

18th Century1745, William Whiston, The Primitive New Tes-tament. This revision of the KJV uses three earliest(i.e., primitive) manuscripts then known to scholars— Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis, CodexClaromontanus, and Codex Alexandrinus.

1755, John Wesley, Explanatory notes upon theNew Testament. One printing was titled, TheNew Testament with Notes, for Plain UnletteredMen who know only their Mother Tongue.

1764, Anthony Purver, A new and literal transla-tion of all the books of the Old and New Testa-ment. This volume is often called “The QuakerBible” because Purver was a Quaker.

1768, Edward Harwood, A Liberal Translation ofthe New Testament. This ornate paraphrase repre-sents a style of writing common in the eighteenthcentury, but heavily criticized by Harwood’s contemporaries.

19th Century1808, Charles Thomson, The Holy Bible. It wasthe first Bible printed by a woman, Jane Aitken.

1833, Noah Webster, The Holy Bible, a conserva-tive revision of the KJV, in which obsolete wordsand constructions are replaced with modernequivalents.

1876, Julia E. Smith, The Holy Bible, the firstBible translation by a woman.

20th CenturyThe 20th Century saw a new wave of Biblical

translations into English for many different reasons: accuracy, current idiom and dialect, inclusion and more.

1901, American Standard Version.

1937, Charles Bray Williams, The New Testa-ment in the Language of the People. Published byMoody Institute.

1952, Revised Standard Version.

1960 - 1995, New American Standard Version.

1966, The Jerusalem Bible (Catholic).

1976, Good News Bible.

1989, New Revised Standard Version.

19

A New Illuminated Manuscript Bible in the 21st Century

1 Conceptualize Take one of your favorite Bible verses or select one at random and think about how you would makean illustration to depict it.

3 Discussion Subjectsr Illuminated Manuscriptsr Gutenberg Printing

Press & Its Impact

2 Draw ConclusionsWhy do you think Saint John’s University decide toproduce the first illuminatedcomplete Bible in more than 450 years?

THINK ABOUT IT!

The Saint John's Bible is thefirst completely handwritten andhand-illuminated Bible to havebeen commissioned by a Benedic-tine Abbey since the invention ofthe moveable type printing pressin the West printed the Guten-berg Bible in 1455. A 15-yearproject, the St. John’s Bible wasfinished in 2011.

Using the New Revision Stan-dard Version Catholic Edition ofthe Bible, The Saint John’s Bibleis divided into seven volumes andis two feet tall by three feet widewhen open. The manuscript Biblewas made on vellum with 160hand illuminations.

Copyright 2011. The Saint John’sBible, Saint John’s University,Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. Gospelof Mathew scripture quotations arefrom the New Revised Standard Ver-sion of the Bible, Catholic Edition,Copyright 1993, 1989 NationalCouncil of the Churches of Christ inthe United States of America. Used bypermission. All rights reserved.

20

Apocrypha - (a-pakre-fa), noun, biblical or related writ-ings not forming part of the accepted canon of Scripture;.Counter Reformation - noun, the Catholic Church’sresurgence against Protestants during the 16th - 17thcenturies beginning with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) and ending at the close of the Thirty Years’ War(1648).Eucharist - (yook-a-rest), noun, the Christian ceremonycommemorating the Last Supper, in which bread andwine are consecrated and consumed.evangelize - (e-van-ge-liz) verb, to proclaim the goodnews of Jesus Christ, so that others may believe.Hexateuch - (heksa-toook) noun, first six (6) books ofthe Old Testament Bible collectively.Hussites - noun, followers of reformer John (or Jan)Hus.illuminate - (e-looma-nat), verb, decorate (a page orinitial letter in a manuscript) with gold, silver, or colored designs.Lollards or Lollardy - noun, referring to followers ofBible teacher and translator John Wycliffe. The MiddleEnglish word lollen, meaning to mutter.martyr(s) - (mahr-ter) noun, a person who willingly suffers death, rather than renounce his or her religion.

Glossarymanuscript - noun, a book, document or piece of musicwritten by hand rather than typed or printed.Pentateuch - (heksa-toook) noun, first five (5) books ofthe Old Testament Bible collectively.Protestant Reformation - noun, also known as the Reformation, this is religious movement of the 16thcentury that began as an attempt to reform the RomanCatholic Church and resulted in the creation of Protes-tant churches. Those who protested the CatholicChurch became known as Protestants.quarto - (kwor-doo), noun, a size of book page resultingfrom folding each printed sheet into four leaves (eightpages). While the size varies, it is about 9½ × 12 inches.Reformation - see Protestant Reformation.vernacular - (ver-nak-ku-lar), noun, the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particularcountry or region. Adjective, (of language) spoken asone's mother tongue; not learned or imposed as a sec-ond language.Vulgate - noun, the principal Latin version of the Bible,prepared mainly by St. Jerome in the late 4th century,and (as revised in 1592) adopted as the official text forthe Roman Catholic Church. Another meaning is common or colloquial speech.

IndexJames I, King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13King James Version Bible . . 13 - 15Knox, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Lollards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Luther, Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Mary, Queen (Mary Tudor) . . 8, 10Martin, Gregory. . . . . . . . . . . . 12Matthews Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Nicholas of Hereford . . . . . . . . . 4Parker, Archbishop Matthew . . 11Purvey, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 - 5Rheims-Douai Bible. . . . . . . . . 12Rogers, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Saint John’s Bible. . . . . . . . . . . 19Tyndale, William . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Wesley, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Whittingham, William. . . . . . . 11Wycliffe, John. . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 5

To Order Booklets:Contact the Presbyterian

Heritage Center for information onthese booklets and DVDs. (videoand/or data). Call 828.669.6556 oremail to info@phcmontreat.org

r Missions to Japan: 1859 - Todayr The History of the English

language Bible r John Knox & The Scottish

Reformation

Coming in Fall 2016r Congo: 125 Years of the

American Congo Presbyterian Mission

r Reformation 500

Ælfric of Eynsham . . . . . . . . . . . 3Alfred, King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Aldhelm, Bishop . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Andrewes, Bishop Lancelot . . 13, 15Bede, Venerable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Bishops’ Bible . . . . . . . . . . 11 - 12Coverdale, Myles . . . . . . . . . 7 - 9Bishop Richard Challoner . . . . 12Charles II, King . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Cranmer, Thomas. . . . . . . . . 8 - 9Cromwell, Oliver . . . . . . . . . . . 15Cromwell, Thomas . . . . . . . . 8 - 9Elizabeth I, Queen . . . . . . . . . . 11Geneva Bible . . . . . . . . . . 10 - 11Gilby, Anthony . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Great Bible. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Henry VIII, King . . . . . . . . . 8 - 9Hus, John (Jan) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Board of Directors, 2016 — Presbyterian Heritage Center

Analyze Cause and Effect 5, 9, 15Conceptualize 19Discussions 5, 9, 12, 15, 18, 19Draw Conclusions 12. 19Evaluate 12, 17Explain 9, 15Make Inferences 5Pose and Answer Questions 5. 18. 19Research 5, 9, 12, 15, 18, 19Summarize 18Write 18 Back cover photo shows an illuminated

page from John 1:36 from The SaintJohn’s Bible. The illumination is entitledCall of the Disciples, by Donald Jackson,Copyright 2002, The Saint John’s Bible,Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Educational Skills Used In This Booklet

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Presbyterian Heritage CenterPO Box 207Montreat, NC 28757

John 1:36 Illuminated Page — Call of the Disciples, Donald Jackson, Copyright 2002, The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University, Collegeville,

Minnesota USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Booklet copyright, 2016, January. Presbyterian Heritage Center.