John Wycliff's handwritten Bible was the first in the English language. Eighty years later Gutenberg invented the printing press, and the first book printed was the Bible (in Latin).
William Tyndale was the leader of the English reformers. He translated the Greek Bible into English so the common person could understand it.
In 1517, Martin Luther nailed 95 Theses to the church door. This got people thinking. While all the attention was on Luther, Tyndale was working to complete his New Testament in English. Tyndale had to flee often to hide from those who wished to kill him. In 1525, Tyndale printed the first English New Testament. The Bishop of London tried to confiscate all the Bibles, but they continued to be smuggled in.
Tyndale was burned at the stake in 1536. Tyndale's assistants, Coverdale and Rogers, carried the project forward. Coverdale finished the Old Testament, and the first Bible was completed on October 4, 1535. It was called the Coverdale Bible. In 1537, another Bible came out (produced by Rogers). It was called the Matthew's Bible. In 1539, Thomas Cramner published an English Bible by the king's request. It was called the Great Bible because of its size. They used it in the churches.
Years later, the king died, and Queen "Bloody" Mary came to the throne. She began burning reformers at the stake. Many reformers fled to the church at Geneva. There they decided to produce a Bible. They completed it in 1557. It was known as the Geneva Bible. It became highly popular after Queen Mary died and Elizabeth became queen. The Geneva Bible spoke strongly against the institutional church of the day. Therefore, it didn't rest well with those in authority. So in 1568, the Bishops' Bible was introduced. However, it never won the hearts of the people. The Roman Catholic Church decided to print a Bible in English. So they printed the Rheim's New Testament.
When James I became king, he wanted a "translation to end all translations." Fifty scholars got together and came up with the King James version. It took many years and lives to come up with the English Bible. We should be very thankful.
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