The first hand-written English language manuscripts of the
Bible were produced in 1380's AD by Oxford theologian John
Wycliff (Wycliffe). Curiously, he was also the inventor of
bifocal eyeglasses. Wycliff spent many of his years arguing
against the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church which he
believed to be contrary to the Bible. Though he died a
nonviolent death, the Pope was so infuriated by his
teachings that 44 years after Wycliff had died, he ordered
the bones to be dug-up, crushed, and scattered in the river!
Gutenburg invented the printing press in the 1450's, and the
first book to ever be printed was the Bible. It was,
however, in Latin rather than English. With the onset of the
Reformation in the early 1500's, the first printings of the
Bible in the English language were produced...illegally and
at great personal risk of those involved. William Tyndale
was the Captain of the Army of reformers, and was their
spiritual leader. He worked most of his translating years
alone, but had help from time to time as God discerned he
needed it. Indirectly, he had the help of Erasmus in the
publication of his Greek/Latin New Testament printed in
1516. Erasmus and the great printer, scholar, and reformer
John Froben published the first non-Latin Vulgate text of
the Bible in a millennium. Latin was the language for
centuries of scholarship and it was understood by virtually
every European who could read or write. Erasmus' Latin was
not the Vulgate translation of Jerome, but his own fresh
rendering of the Greek New Testament text that he had
collated from six or seven partial New Testament manuscripts
into a complete Greek New Testament.
The Latin that Erasmus translated from the Greek revealed
enormous corruptions in the Vulgate's integrity amongst the
rank and file scholars, many of whom were already convinced
that the established church was doomed by virtue of its evil
hierarchy. Pope Leo X's declaration that "the fable of
Christ was very profitable to him" infuriated the people of
God. With Erasmus' work in 1516, the die was cast. Martin
Luther declared his intolerance with the Roman Curch's
corruption on Halloween in 1517, by nailing 95 Theses of
Contention to the Wittenberg Door. Luther, who would be
exiled in the months following the Diet of Worms Council in
1521 that was designed to martyr him, would translate the
New Testament into German from Erasmus' Greek/Latin New
Testament and publish it in September of 1522.
Simultaneously, William Tyndale would become burdened to
translate that same Erasmus text into English. It could not,
however, be done in England.
Tyndale showed up on Luther's doorstep in 1525, and by
year's end had translated the New Testament into English.
Tyndale was fluent in eight languages and is considered by
many to be the primary architect of today's English
language. Already hunted because of the rumor spread abroad
that such a project was underway, inquisitors and bounty
hunters were on Tyndale's trail to abort the effort. God
foiled their plans, and in 1525/6 Tyndale printed the first
English New Testament. They were burned as soon as the
Bishop could confiscate them, but copies trickled through
and actually ended up in the bedroom of King Henry VIII. The
more the King and Bishop resisted its distribution, the more
fascinated the public at large became. The church declared
it contained thousands of errors as they torched hundreds of
New Testaments confiscated by the clergy, while in fact,
they burned them because they could find no errors at all.
One risked death by burning if caught in mere possession of
Tyndale's forbidden books.
Having God's Word available to the public in the language of
the common man, English, would have meant disaster to the
church. No longer would they control access to the
scriptures. If people were able to read the Bible in their
own tongue, the church's income and power would crumble.
They could not possibly continue to get away with selling
indulgences (the forgiveness of sins) or selling the release
of loved ones from a church-manufactured "Purgatory." People
would begin to challenge the church's authority if the
church were exposed as frauds and thieves. The
contradictions between what God's Word said, and what the
priests taught, would open the public's eyes and the truth
would set them free from the grip of fear that the
institutional church held. Salvation through faith, not
works or donations, would be understood. The need for
priests would vanish through the priesthood of all
believers. The veneration of church-cannonized Saints and
Mary would be called into question. The availability of the
scriptures in English was the biggest threat imaginable to
the wicked church. Neither side would give up without a
fight.
The Tyndale New Testament was the first ever printed in the
English language. Its first printing occurred in 1525/6, but
only one complete copy of the first printing exists. Any
Edition printed before 1570 is very rare and valuable,
particularly pre-1540 editions and fragments. Tyndale's
flight was an inspiration to freedom-loving Englishmen who
drew courage from the 11 years that he was hunted. Books and
Bibles flowed into England in bales of cotton and sacks of
flour. In the end, Tyndale was caught: betrayed by an
Englishman that he had befriended. Tyndale was incarcerated
for 500 days before he was strangled and burned at the stake
in 1536. His last words were, "Lord, open the eyes of the
King of England." Myles Coverdale and John Rogers were loyal
disciples the last six years of Tyndale's life, and they
carried the project forward and even accelerated it.
Coverdale finished translating the Old Testament, and in
1535 he printed the first complete Bible in the English
language, making use of Luther's German text and the Latin
as sources. Thus, the first complete English Bible was
printed on October 4, 1535, and is known as the Coverdale
Bible.
John Rogers went on to print the second complete English
Bible in 1537. He printed it under the pseudonym "Thomas
Matthew," as a considerable part of this Bible was the
translation of Tyndale, whose writings had been condemned by
the English authorities. It is a composite made up of
Tyndale's Pentateuch and New Testament (1534-1535 edition)
and Coverdale's Bible and a small amount of Roger's own
translation of the text. It remains known most commonly as
the Matthews Bible.
In 1539, Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canturbury, hired
Myles Coverdale at the bequest of King Henry VIII to publish
the "Great Bible." It became the first English Bible
authorized for public use, as it was distributed to every
church, chained to the pulpit, and a reader was even
provided so that the illiterate could hear the Word of God
in plain English. It would seem that William Tyndale's last
wish had been granted... just three years after his
martyrdom. Cranmer's Bible, published by Coverdale, was
known as the Great Bible due to its great size: a large
pulpit folio measuring over 14 inches tall. Seven editions
of this version were printed between April of 1539 and
December of 1541.
The ebb and flow of freedom continued through the
1540's...and into the 1550's. The reign of Queen Mary
(a.k.a. "Bloody Mary") was the next obstacle to the printing
of the Bible in English. She was possessed in her quest to
return England to the Roman Church. In 1555, John Rogers
("Thomas Matthew") and Thomas Cranmer were both burned at
the stake. Mary went on to burn reformers at the stake by
the hundreds for the "crime" of being a Protestant. This era
was known as the Marian Exile, and the refugees fled from
England with little hope of ever seeing their home or
friends again.
In the 1550's, the Church at Geneva, Switzerland, was very
sympathetic to the reformer refugees and was one of only a
few safe havens for a desperate people. Many of them met in
Geneva, led by Myles Coverdale and John Foxe (publisher of
the famous Foxe's Book of Martyrs, which is to this day the
only exhaustive reference work on the persecution and
martyrdom of Early Christians and Protestants from the first
century up to the mid-16th century), as well as Thomas
Sampson and William Whittingham. There, with the protection
of John Calvin and John Knox, the Church of Geneva
determined to produce a Bible that would educate their
families while they continued in exile.
The New Testament was completed in 1557, and the complete
Bible was first published in 1560. It became known as the
Geneva Bible. Due to a passage in Genesis describing the
clothing that God fashioned for Adam and Eve upon expulsion
from the Garden of Eden as "Breeches" (an antiquated form of
"Britches"), some people referred to the Geneva Bible as the
Breeches Bible.
The Geneva Bible was the first Bible to add verses to the
chapters, so that referencing specific passages would be
easier. Every chapter was also accompanied by extensive
marginal notes and references so thorough and complete that
the Geneva Bible is also considered the first English "Study
Bible." William Shakespeare quotes thousands of times in his
plays from the Geneva translation of the Bible. The Geneva
Bible became the Bible of choice for over 100 years of
English speaking Christians. Between 1560 and 1644 at least
144 editions of this Bible were published. Examination of
the 1611 King James Bible shows clearly that its translators
were influenced much more by the Geneva Bible, than by any
other source. The Geneva Bible itself retains over 90% of
William Tyndale's original English translation. The Geneva
in fact, remained more popular than the King James Version
until decades after its original release in 1611! The Geneva
holds the honor of being the first Bible taken to America,
and the Bible of the Puritans and Pilgrims.
With the end of Queen Mary's bloody rein, the reformers
could safely return to England. The Aglican Church, under
Queen Elizabeth I, reluctantly tolerated the printing and
distribution of Geneva version Bibles in England. The
marginal notes, which were vehemently against the
institutional Church of the day, did not rest well with the
rulers of the day, however. Another version, one with a less
inflammatory tone was desired. In 1568, the Bishop's Bible
was introduced. Despite 19 editions being printed between
1568 and 1606, the version never gained much of a foothold
of popularity among the people. The Geneva may have simply
been too much to compete with.
By the 1580's, the Roman Catholic Church saw that it had
lost the battle to supress the will of God: that His Holy
Word be available in the English language. In 1582, the
Church of Rome surrendered their fight for "Latin only" and
decided that if the Bible was to be available in English,
they would at least have an official Roman Catholic English
translation. And so, using the Latin Vulgate as a source
text, they went on to publish an English Bible with all the
distortions and corruptions that Erasmus had revealed and
warned of 75 years earlier. Because it was translated at the
Roman Catholic College in the city of Rheims, it was known
as the Rheims (or Rhemes) New Testament. The Old Testament
was translated by the Church of Rome in 1609 at the College
in the city of Doway (also spelled Douay and Douai). The
combined product is commonly referred to as the "Doway/Rheims"
Version.
In 1589, Dr. Fulke of Cambridge published the "Fulke's
Refutation," in which he printed in parallel columns the
Bishops Version along side the Rheims Version, attempting to
show the error and distortion of the Roman Church's corrupt
compromise of an English version of the Bible.
With the death of Queen Elizabeth I, Prince James VI of
Scotland became King James I of England. The Protestant
clergy approached the new King in 1604 and announced their
desire for a new translation to replace the Bishop's Bible
first printed in 1568. They knew that the Geneva Version had
won the hearts of the people because of its excellent
scholarship, accuracy, and exhaustive commentary. However,
they did not want the controversial marginal notes
(proclaiming the Pope an Anti-Christ, etc.) Essentially, the
leaders of the church desired a Bible for the people, with
scriptural references only for word clarification when
multiple meanings were possible.
This "translation to end all translations" (for a while at
least) was the result of the combined effort of about fifty
scholars. They took into consideration: The Tyndale New
Testament, The Coverdale Bible, The Matthews Bible, The
Great Bible, The Geneva Bible, and even the Rheims New
Testament. The great revision of the Bishop's Bible had
begun. From 1605 to 1606 the scholars engaged in private
research. From 1607 to 1609 the work was assembled. In 1610
the work went to press, and in 1611 the first of the huge
(16 inch tall) pulpit folios known as "The King James Bible"
came off the printing press.
A typographical error in Ruth 3:15 rendered the pronoun "He"
instead of the correct "She" in that verse. This caused some
of the 1611 First Editions to be known by collectors as "He"
Bibles, and others as "She" Bibles.
It took many years for it to overtake the Geneva Bible in
popularity with the people, but eventually the King James
Version became the Bible of the English people. It became
the most printed book in the history of the world. In fact,
for around 250 years...until the appearance of the Revised
Version of 1881...the King James Version reigned without a
rival. Although the first Bible printed in America was done
in the native Algonquin Indian Language (by John Eliot in
1663), the first English language Bible to be printed in
America (by Robert Aitken in 1782) was a King James Version.
In 1791, Isaac Collins vastly improved upon the quality and
size of the typesetting of American Bibles and produced the
first "Family Bible" printed in America...also a King James
Version. Also in 1791, Isaiah Thomas published the first
Illustrated Bible printed in America...in the King James
Version.
In 1841, the English Hexapla New Testament was printed. This
wonderful textual comparison tool shows in parallel columns:
The 1380 Wycliff, 1534 Tyndale, 1539 Great, 1557 Geneva,
1582 Rheims, and 1611 King James versions of the entire New
Testament...with the original Greek at the top of the page.
(Hexaplas are available on our Book Vault Page). Consider
the following textual comparison of John 3:16 as they appear
in many of these famous printings of the English Bible:
1st Ed. King James (1611): "For God so loued the world, that
he gaue
his only begotten Sonne: that whosoeuer beleeueth in him,
should not
perish, but haue euerlasting life."
Rheims (1582): "For so God loued the vvorld, that he gaue
his
only-begotten sonne: that euery one that beleeueth in him,
perish not,
but may haue life euerlasting"
Geneva (1557): "For God so loueth the world, that he hath
geuen his
only begotten Sonne: that none that beleue in him, should
peryshe,
but haue euerlasting lyfe."
Great Bible (1539): "For God so loued the worlde, that he
gaue his
only begotten sonne, that whosoeuer beleueth in him, shulde
not
perisshe, but haue euerlasting lyfe."
Tyndale (1534): "For God so loveth the worlde, that he hath
geven his
only sonne, that none that beleve in him, shuld perisshe:
but shuld
have everlastinge lyfe."
Wycliff (1380): "for god loued so the world; that he gaf his
oon
bigetun sone, that eche man that bileueth in him perisch
not: but haue
euerlastynge liif,"
It is possible to go back to manuscripts earlier than
Wycliff, but the language found can only be described as the
"Anglo-Saxon" roots of English, and would not be easily
recognizable as similar to the English spoken today.
For example, the Anglo-Saxon pre-English root language of
the year 995 AD yields a manuscript that quotes John 3:16
as: "God lufode middan-eard swa, dat he seade his
an-cennedan sunu, dat nan ne forweorde de on hine gely ac
habbe dat ece lif."
QUESTION:
Is the King James Bible inspired or preserved?
ANSWER: The original Scriptures (in Hebrew, Arabic,
and Greek) were inspired (II Tim. 3:16 and II Peter 1:21).
The King James Bible is those same Scriptures preserved up
to today, in English. There were other Translations prior to
the King James Translation of 1611 that also "preserved
God's word'. There are also other Translations in other
Languages which "preserve" the Word of God. Are we so
foolish to believe that God left his people without his Word
until 1611 AD? What Bible did the great preachers of God's
word use prior to 1611? Are we so foolish to believe
that God has preserved his Word only in the English
language? While the Originals have long been lost, decayed
or faded away, the INSPIRED Word of God has always been
"preserved" for his people.
EXPLANATION: The best way to distinguish between inspiration
and preservation of the Scriptures is as follows:
Inspiration is when God takes a blank piece of paper
(papyrus, vellum, or ROLL, etc. - Jere 36:2) and uses men to
write His words.
Preservation is when God takes those words already written
and uses men to preserve them to today. See Jeremiah
36:27-28.
Both of these actions are DIVINE and are assured by God as
recorded in Psalms 12:6, 7. Verse 6 "The words of the LORD
are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth,
purified seven times. Verse 7 "Thou shalt keep them, 0
LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for
ever."
In Psalms 12:6 God assures us that His originals are
perfect. Even though penned by fallible men with the heinous
sins of; murder (Moses and David), adultery (David),
idolatry (Solomon), and denial of the lord (Peter), the
chiefest of sinners, Paul. God's words are untainted by the
sins of those whom he inspires to pen them.
That the originals were inspired perfect in their entirety
is an undisputed belief among Bible Believers today.
Psalms 12:7 plainly states, thou shalt keep them, O LORD,
thou shalt preserve them from this generation for
ever." Thus we have God promising to preserve the same words
that He inspired. This is not too much of a feat to
overwhelm our omnipotent God.
The King was for appointing fifty-four
learned men to this great and good work; but the number
actually employed upon it, in the first instance, was
forty-seven. Order was also taken, that the bishops, in
their several dioceses, should find what men of learning
there were, who might be able to assist; and the bishops
were to write to them, earnestly charging them, at the
king's desire, to send in their suggestions and critical
observations, that so, as his Majesty remarks, "our said
intended translation may have the help and furtherance of
all our principal learned men within this our kingdom."
Seventeen of the translators were to work at Westminster,
fifteen at Cambridge, and as many at Oxford. Those who met
at each place were divided into two companies; so that there
were, in all, six distinct companies of translators. They
received a set of rules for their direction.
The first instructed them to make the
"Bishop's Bible," so called, the basis of their work,
altering it no further than fidelity to the originals
required…
The second rule requires that the mode then used of spelling
the proper names should be retained as far as might be.
The third rule requires "the old ecclesiastical words to be
kept," such as "church" instead of "congregation."
The fourth rule prescribes, that where a word has different
meanings, that is to be preferred which has the general
sanction of the most ancient Fathers, regard being had to
"the propriety of the place, and the analogy of faith."
The fifth rule directs that the divisions into chapters be
altered as little as may be.
The sixth rule, agreeably to Dr. Reynolds's wise suggestion
at Hampton Court, prohibits all notes or comments, thus
obliging the translators to make their version intelligible
without those dangerous helps.
The seventh rule provides for marginal references to
parallel or explanatory passages.
The eighth rule enjoins that each man in each company shall
separately examine the same chapter or chapters, and put the
translation into the best shape he can. The whole company
must then come together, and compare what they have done,
and agree on what shall stand. Thus in each company,
according to the number of members, there would be from
seven to ten distinct and carefully labored revisions, the
whole to be compared, and digested into one copy of the
portion of the Bible assigned to each particular company.
The ninth rule directs, that as fast as any company shall,
in this manner, complete any one of the sacred books, it is
to be sent to each of the other companies, to be critically
reviewed by them all.
The tenth rule prescribes, that if any company, upon
reviewing a book so sent to them, find any thing doubtful or
unsatisfactory, they are to note the places, and their
reasons for objecting thereto, and send it back to the
company from whence it came. If that company should not
concur in the suggestions thus made, the matter was to be
finally arranged at a general meeting of the chief persons
of all the companies at the end of the work. Thus every part
of the Bible would be fully considered, first, separately,
by each member of the company to which it was originally
assigned; secondly, by that whole company m concert;
thirdly, by the other five companies severally; and
fourthly, by the general committee of revision. By this
judicious plan, each part must have been closely scrutinized
at least fourteen times.
The eleventh rule provides, that in case of any special
difficulty or obscurity, letters shall be issued by
authority to any learned man in the land, calling for his
judgment thereon.
The twelfth rule requires every bishop to notify the clergy
of his diocese as to the work in hand, and to "move and
charge as many as, being skilful in the tongues, have taken
pains in that kind, to send his particular observations" to
some one of the companies.
The thirteenth rule appoints the directors of the different
companies.
The fourteenth rule names five other translations to be
used, "when they agree better with the text than the
Bishop's Bible." These are Tyndale's; Matthew's, which is by
Tyndale and John Rogers; Coverdale's; Whitchurch's, which is
"Cranmer's,'' or the "Great Bible," and was printed by
Whitchurch; and the Geneva Bible. The object of this
regulation was to avoid, as far as possible, the suspicious
stamp of novelty. To the careful observance of these
injunctions, which, with the exception of the first five,
are highly judicious, is to be ascribed much of the
excellence of the completed translation.
To these rules, Which were delivered to the Translators,
there appears to have been added another, providing that,
besides the directors of the six companies, "three or four
of the most ancient and grave divines in either of the
Universities, not employed in translating be designated by
the Vice-Chancellors and Heads of Colleges, to be overseers
of the Translation, as well Hebrew as Greek, for the better
observation of the fourth rule."
The learned Selden says, that when the Translators met to
compare what they had done, each of them held in his hand a
Bible in some language. If any thing struck any one as
requiring alteration, he spoke; otherwise the reaqing went
on. The final revision was made, not by six men, as the
tenth of the above rules would seem to indicate, but by
twelve. At least, such was the statement made in the Synod
of Dort in--1618, by Dr. Samuel Weird, who was one of the
most active of the Translators. It seems to have been
carried through the press by Dr. Miles Smith and Bishop
Bilson, aided perhaps by Archbishop Bancroft and other
prelates. All the expense of making and printing the
translation was defrayed by Robert Barker, "Printer to the
King's most gxcellent Maiestie." The copyright thus cost him
three thousand five hundred pounds; and his heirs and
assigns retained their privilege down to the year
1709…Popery, apparently believing that Ignorance is the
mother of devotion, and especially ignorance of the Word of
God, would fain have supplanted it by priestly inventions
and monkish corruptions…
The printing of the English Bible has proved to be by far
the mightiest barrier ever reared to repel the advance of
Popery, and to damage all the resources of the Papacy.
Originally intended for the five or six millions who dwelt
within the narrow limits of the British Islands, it at once
formed and fixed their language, till then unsettled; and
has since gone with that language to the isles and shores of
every sea. And now, during the lapse of almost two and a
half centuries, it has gladdened the hearts, and still
gladdens the hearts of millions upon millions, not only in
Great Britain, but throughout North America and the Indies,
in portions of Africa, and in Australia. At the present day,
the English is probably the vernacular tongue of more
millions than of any other one language under heaven; and
the English Bible has brought and still brings home the
knowledge of God's revealed truth to a myriad more of minds
than ever received it through the original tongues. The
Translators little foresaw the vast results and immeasurable
influence of what they had thus done, both for time and for
eternity. Venerated men! their very names are now hardly
known to more than a few persons; yet, in the providence of
God, the fruits of their labors have spread to far distant
climes; have laid broad and deep the foundations of mighty
empires; have afforded to multitudes strength to endure
adversity, and grace to resist the temptations of
prosperity; and only the revelations of the judgment-day can
disclose how many millions and millions, through the
instrumentality of their labors, have been made wise unto
salvation. *Report of the Committee on
Versions, made to the Board of Managers of the American
Bible Society, and adopted May Ist, 1851.
Surely it is time, that the names of these venerated men
were rescued from such unjust oblivion; and that at least
some considerable part of those who have received such
incalculable benefits at their hands, should know to whom
they are so deeply indebted. The sensation of gratitude is
one of pleasure; and it is hoped that this little book may
serve to awaken it in many a bosom, both toward the men who
wrought so good a work, "and made all coming ages their
own," and toward Him who gave them their skill, and the
opportunity to exert it in thus widely diffusing his saving
truth.
