HISTORY OF THE AUTHORIZED KING JAMES BIBLE : PART 1
Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Org
Last Updated : July 23, 2006
John Wycliffe, Indulgences And Filthy Lucre, Pope's Hatred,
William Tyndale, Erasmus And Textus Receptus, Roman Catholic
Corruption Of The Gospel, Johann Gutenberg's Printing Press,
Gospel For The World, Martin Luther, Saved By Grace Alone,
RCC Persecution Begins, Spiritual Famine, Jesus Is Our Only
Mediator, Screendoor Net Revolving Door, Oriental Religions
And Reincarnation, Pharisees And Mosaic Law, Freed Through
Jesus, Tyndale Is Burned At The Stake Myles Coverdale Bible,
John Rogers, Matthew's Bible, Thomas Crammer And Great Bible
Did you know that the 1611 AKJV, or Authorized King James
Version, was not the very first English version of the Bible,
but that there were several English translations before it?
Allow me to share the story with you. I think that you will
find it to be rather interesting.
According to historical documents, the honor of producing
the first English Bible belongs to a man by the name of John
Wycliffe, (also spelled Wycliff); who was a noted fourteenth
century theologian and world renowned philosopher from Oxford
University. Some people credit Wycliffe with being the very
first of the English Reformers, due to his strong opposition
to the established religious order of his day; that is, the
Roman Catholic Church.
Wycliffe spent many years of his life exposing the false
doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic Church; such
as transubstantiation; that is, the belief that the bread
and wine used during communion is actually converted into
the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ; the subtle lie
that Salvation is only obtainable through the 'Holy Mother
Church', and the erroneous belief that forgiveness can be
purchased through indulgences; that is, paying the church a
sum of money, or bribe, which is totally contrary to what
the Scriptures teach us, as we see in the following verses.
Please note that 'lucre' refers to material gain; to mammon;
in a word, to money:
"Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre;
but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;...Likewise must
the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much
wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;" 1 Timothy 3:3, 8, KJV
"For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not
selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker,
not given to filthy lucre;...Whose mouths must be stopped,
who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought
not, for filthy lucre's sake." Titus 1:7, 11, KJV
"Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the
oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for
filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;" 1 Peter 5:2, KJV
During the early 1380's, which were the final years of his
life, John Wycliffe received his greatest revelation: The
most effective way to fight against the lies of the 'Holy
Mother Church', was simply by placing the Holy Scriptures
into the hands of the common man, so that he could read them
for himself. Thus, while Wycliffe's opposition to the Roman
Catholic Church cost him his prestigious position at Oxford
University, and shook up the Roman Catholic world to its
very foundations, he and his team of dedicated colleagues,
(who became known as the 'Lollards'), became the first ones
to distribute hand-written manuscripts of the complete Bible
in the English language. His translation was based upon the
fourth century Latin Vulgate, which was the common language
of the people of the Roman Empire. From what I have read,
the Greek and Hebrew texts of the Old and New Testaments
were not available to Wycliffe; thus he chose to use the
Latin Vulgate as his source.
While John Wycliffe died a natural death, according to a
biographical video I possess entitled 'John Wycliffe: The
Morning Star', the pope was extremely enraged by Wycliffe's
teachings. Thus, forty-four years after this brave pioneer's
death, the pope ordered that Wycliffe's bones be unearthed,
crushed, and then dispersed in a nearby stream. Such was the
cold hatred of the Roman Catholic hierarchy towards anyone
who dared to question their authority or corrupt doctrines.
The fact that a Roman Catholic Church leader would even go
so far, and stoop so low, as to desecrate a man's grave, in
order to seek revenge, almost defies one's imagination. Yet
sadly, this hatred would only continue to grow, and would
become even more violent, in the years to come, as you shall
see shortly.
According to the historical record, another one hundred and
fifty years passed before the New Testament became available
in English, on a large scale, to the people of Great Britain.
This was due in large part to the dedicated work of another
brave pioneer: William Tyndale. Like Wycliffe before him, he
too was a Catholic who abandoned his religion upon realizing
the depth of its corruption. Tyndale was an extremely gifted
man. He was fluent in eight languages; and was a key driving
force behind our modern English language. The famed English
playwright, William Shakespeare, followed in Tyndale's foot-
steps several decades later. Similar to Wycliffe, Tyndale's
lifelong desire was to see the Scriptures made available in
simple English to the common man; in this particular case,
the Greek New Testament.
Tyndale was able to fulfill his dream as a result of the work
of Dutch scholar and theologian Dessiderius Erasmus. In 1516,
with the help of printer and fellow Reformer, John Froben,
Erasmus published the very first non-Latin Vulgate text of
the Bible. You see, for many centuries, Latin had been the
language of the educated class; while the simple people, who
were obviously in the majority, remained in both scholastic
ignorance and spiritual darkness. Erasmus' Latin was not the
Vulgate translation which had been done by Jerome during the
late third and early fourth centuries. Instead, it was the
result of his own Greek New Testament, which he had compiled
from six or seven partial New Testament manuscripts, which
were available to him at the time. Erasmus' translation has
become known as the 'Textus Receptus', or Received Text; and
as you will see shortly, it is upon this ancient text that
the AKJV is based.
As a result of Erasmus' translation from the Greek, serious
flaws came to light regarding the integrity of the Roman
Catholic Vulgate version. This discovery served to further
convince the scholars of the time, that surely, the days of
the Roman Catholic hierarchy were numbered. Sadly, almost
another five hundred years have gone by since the time of
that revelation, and yet, the Roman Catholic Church remains
as strong as ever; and continues to shape millions of lives
with its erroneous, heretical beliefs and practices, which
are not based upon the words of Jesus Christ, but upon the
corrupt doctrines and whims of very powerful men: the pope
and his school of cardinals. I am reminded of the Apostle
Peter's warning in his second Epistle. How much these verses
sound just like the Roman Catholic Church, which has not
only corrupted the doctrines of Christ, but has also placed
a monetary price on Forgiveness and Salvation:
"But there were false prophets also among the people, even
as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily
shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that
bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of
whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through
covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise
of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and
their damnation slumbereth not." 2 Peter 2:1-3, KJV
Surely, Peter, who the Roman Catholic Church claims they
succeed, would truly grieve if he could see the sad state of
the Lord's Church today!
At this point, I should mention two other important develop-
ments which occurred during the mid-15th century, and early
16th century. The first event was the invention of the first
printing press with moveable type by German inventor, Johann
Gutenberg. This single event would have a tremendous effect
on the spreading of the Gospel for centuries to come. I find
it rather interesting that the first book to ever be printed
on it was the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible; which in my
view, clearly demonstrates the mentality of men during that
age, and the importance which some of them apparently placed
upon God's Holy Word. If we stop to think about this for a
moment, we come to realize that those men could have chosen
to print any book in the world, but something motivated them
to chose the Bible; even if it was the corrupt RCC version.
I am reminded of the following verse from David's 68th
Psalm, as well as Jesus' own words regarding when the End of
the World would come:
"The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that
published it." Psalms 68:11, KJV
"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the
world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end
come." Matthew 24:14, KJV
The second important event also occurred in Germany. In 1483,
a new spiritual beacon was born: Martin Luther. Similar to
Wycliffe and his own contemporaries, Luther was an ex-Roman
Catholic monk and theologian who had grown impatient with the
erroneous doctrines and practices of the 'Holy Mother Church'.
A visit to Rome during the years 1510-11 played a significant
role in turning Luther against the church. While there, he
was witness to the gross abuse which occurred when the sale
of indulgences was used as a means to raise funds in order to
rebuild St. Peter's Cathedral. In 1506, Pope Julius II had
ordered that the original basilica be torn down, in order to
prepare for the construction of the new one. Luther had his
fill of Roman Catholic corruption. Thus, upon returning to
Wittenberg, he began to preach Salvation by Grace alone
through faith in Jesus Christ, and not by good works, as is
so clearly stated in the following verses:
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any
man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9, KJV
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"
Titus 3:5, KJV
"And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise
grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no
more grace: otherwise work is no more work."
Romans 11:6, KJV
In 1517, Luther basically declared war on the church when he
nailed his 95 Theses of Contention to the door of the Castle
Church in Wittenberg. Among other things, he denied that the
pope, (Leo X), had the authority to forgive sins. It was this
act of joining his voice to those of William Tyndale and John
Calvin, and daring to proclaim the doctrine of Salvation by
Grace alone, and not by dependence upon the Roman Catholic
Church, which raised Rome's ire the most. A Papal Bull was
issued against Luther in 1520 in which the ex-monk was given
sixty days to recant his 'heretical' beliefs, but Luther
defiantly burned the document, along with a number of other
papal books and papers, in front of an audience of doctors,
students and local citizens.
In the months following the Diet of Worms in 1521, which had
been convened by Emperor Charles V for the express purpose of
finding Luther guilty of heresy, (being as the RCC knew that
Luther would never recant his new-found beliefs), Luther was
excommunicated and forced into exile. It was during that time
while hiding at the fortress Wartburg, and assuming the false
identity of 'Junker JÁrg', (or Knight George), that Luther
translated the New Testament into German from Erasmus' Greek
and Latin New Testament. He published it in September, 1522.
Twelve years later, in August, 1534, Luther completed the
first edition of his complete German Bible, which is known as
the Wittenberg Bible. Luther died at the age of sixty-three
during the early morning hours of February 18, 1546, as the
result of a combination of infirmities which had plagued him
for many years. He was buried under the pulpit in the Castle
Church of Wittenberg. Luther's work was carried on in large
part by his friend and fellow Reformer, Philip Melanchthon.
Returning to William Tyndale; with the Textus Receptus in
hand, and in spite of the threats of inquisitors and bounty
hunters alike, working along side of Martin Luther in the
German towns of Cologne and Worms, Tyndale succeeded in
printing the first English New Testament in 1525-26. One
historical commentary states that Tyndale's New Testament
contained some of the very same marginal notes as Luther's
German New Testament, which reveals what influence Luther
must have had on Tyndale. Please notice that whereas the
work which had been performed by Wycliffe and his colleagues
was all hand-written, and thus probably reached a smaller
body of people, and at a slower pace as well, Tyndale's work
was the first printed version of the New Testament; and that
is why it has reached a much wider audience from that time
until now.
Given the hatred and arrogance of the Roman Catholic Church
leaders, it should not surprise us that the Bishop of London
sought to confiscate and burn the Tyndale New Testaments
which were arriving from Germany; however, in spite of his
best efforts, the wonderful flow of God's Word into England
could not be fully stopped; and copies of Tyndale's work
continued to be smuggled into the land. I imagine that prior
to the arrival of Tyndale's New Testaments, in a spiritual
sense, Great Britain must have been very much like ancient
Israel during the period of silence between the Old and the
New Testaments; of which time the Prophet Amos is believed
to have prophesied when he wrote:
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send
a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst
for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they
shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the
east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the
LORD, and shall not find it. In that day shall the fair
virgins and young men faint for thirst." Amos 8:11-13, KJV
Bishop Tunstal was infuriated! He ranted that Tyndale's
translation contained thousands of errors, as they burned
hundreds of New Testaments which had been confiscated by the
clergy. Such was the RCC's hatred towards Tyndale and his
translation, that one risked being burned at the stake if
the book was found in his possession. Remember; Tyndale had
been a Catholic; so he was obviously viewed as a traitor to
his own faith. How much this reminds me of Roman Catholics
today; who in their arrogance, still claim to possess the
'one true faith'. Indirectly, what they are really saying,
is that faith in the 'Holy Mother Church' is more important
than direct faith in Jesus Christ. Let me make it perfectly
clear: Salvation can only be achieved through Jesus Christ,
and not through the church; any church; regardless of its
false claims. If you as a reader doubt this point, then I
ask you to please consider the following Scriptures, which
clearly show that we have, and need, only one Mediator, not
two; and that is Jesus Christ:
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
John 14:6, KJV
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none
other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved." Acts 4:12, KJV
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus;" 1 Timothy 2:5, KJV
"But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how
much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was
established upon better promises." Hebrews 8:6, KJV
"And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament,
that by means of death, for the redemption of the
transgressions that were under the first testament, they
which are called might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance." Hebrews 9:15, KJV
"And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the
blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that
of Abel." Hebrews 12:24, KJV
Now, if you still do not quite understand why it is that the
Roman Catholic Church had such animosity towards the work of
William Tyndale, and those who had come before him, allow me
to explain it in the simplest way that I can.
Sadly, in this sinful world of ours, there is a basic law of
life which states that if I possess something which you want
or need, then I have power over you. That is an easy concept
to understand, isn't it? In this particular case, the common
people were taught, and rightly so, that they were sinners,
and doomed to damnation. But, where the demonic error was
introduced, is in that while they were told that there was a
solution to their problem; while they were told that there
was a way to achieve forgiveness, and a way to avoid the fire
of hell, they weren't shown the right solution; instead, they
were shown the wrong one; and they were pointed to the Roman
Catholic Church, with its multitude of stiff laws and special
requirements which had to be observed, in order for one to
obtain Salvation. In other words, through a combination of
fear and deceptive doctrines, the Church of Rome absolutely
gained power over the masses, because the people wanted
forgiveness, and they wanted Salvation; and the RCC was
more than happy to offer it to them . . . for a price!
Allow me share a rather profound revelation which just came
to me as I was writing this paragraph. Thank the Lord for
His faithfulness to reveal things to us when we are hungry
for the truth. Jesus plainly stated the following in the
Gospels:
"...Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the
sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers:
but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any
man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out,
and find pasture." John 10:7b-9, KJV
The truth cannot be more plain than that. Jesus is the Way,
the Truth, the Life and the Door to Salvation, the Door to
Heaven. He is the only Door; there are no others. So what
did the Roman Catholic Church do? In their craftiness, (and
I must admit that it has been very subtle), they didn't just
do away with the Door, (meaning Jesus), as their sin would
have been too obvious; but what they did decide to do, was
to place a screendoor in front of the Door. The Real Door is
still there; however, in order to get to it, you have to go
through the screendoor first. Exactly what is the purpose of
a screendoor? Basically, it is meant to act as a filter. On
hot days, you can open the main door in order to allow the
fresh breeze blow through your home, while still keeping the
bugs out by means of the screendoor.
If you look closely at a screendoor, you will notice that it
is actually a fine woven mesh. Decades ago, before plastics
became so widespread, the screen mesh was made out of metal,
such as aluminum; however, now most of them are made out of
nylon, or some other type of manmade durable fiber. Again,
that mesh acts as a filter to keep the bugs out. In fact, we
could even refer to that mesh as a net, because it catches
the bugs, and prevents them from entering your home. Now,
here is the gist of this matter. Consider what Jesus said:
"...Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Matthew 4:19b, KJV
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was
cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when
it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered
the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be
at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and
sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them
into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and
gnashing of teeth." Matthew 13:47-50, KJV
So we are clearly told by the Lord that we have been called
to be fishermen, whose job it is to catch fish, or people,
in the Net of God's Kingdom. The Roman Catholic Church has
decided that instead of doing that, they only want to draw
people into their own Earthly kingdom of power and wealth;
so they set up a double-door, double-net system. They put a
false door, (meaning the pope), in front of the Real Door,
(meaning Jesus), and they put a phoney net, (their worldly
system of power, wealth and glitzy cathedrals and churches),
in front of the Real Net, (God's Eternal Kingdom).
As I point out in the series 'Gargoyles: Satan Loves Church
Buildings!', during the era of the Byzantine Empire, when
Emperor Constantine and his successors ruled from the city
of Constantinople, the 'Holy Mother Church' was not only
convinced, but in fact taught, that the Christian world was
already enjoying the Millennial Rule of Christ on Earth, via
the church, which had its many beautiful and richly decorated
cathedrals and churches spread across the empire. This was a
commonly accepted view at the time, which you can research
for yourself on the web. Whether or not they have forsaken
such a heretical view I honestly do not know.
To continue then, as we have seen, God has called us to be
fishers of men, right? As the Lord's fishermen, we use the
Word as a lure to draw people into the Net of God's Kingdom.
On the other hand, the Roman Catholic Church uses its false
doctrines, laws and traditions, and outward beauty to draw
people into its Earthly, false, self-enriching kingdom.
Let us return to the screendoor analogy for a moment. There
is an interesting thing about screendoors. As you approach a
screendoor, depending on how clean or dirty it is, you may
be able to see the real door on the inside, but, you must
still pass through the screendoor, in order to get to the
real door. In a similar fashion, when people become members
of the Roman Catholic Church, they may be allowed to catch
glimpses of the Real Door, and the Kingdom within, but they
aren't allowed to get past the screendoor.
Why does this happen? Quite simply, it is because they don't
realize that the false door they have entered is actually a
trap door; in fact, it is a revolving door. They just keep
going around and around, caught up in the Church of Rome's
false doctrines, laws and traditions, sacraments and special
requirements, so that some of them, and perhaps even most of
them, never make it to their final destination; they never
make it through the Real Door and into God's Kingdom!
When you get caught in a real revolving door, such as at a
huge department store, isn't that what sometimes happens?
You know where the store entrance is, and you can observe
the interior of the store each time that the revolving door
spins around, but as long as someone behind you is pushing
the revolving door, you can't get out. You are caught in a
vicious cycle. Other false religions operate in exactly the
same manner, such as some of the oriental religions which
promote the big lie of reincarnation. Those poor people are
caught in the very same kind of vicious cycle. They want to
make it to Nirvana, but they simply aren't good enough yet.
So whether it is Roman Catholicism, or eastern religions, or
some other deceptive false cult, they all basically operate
in the same way. They thrive by preying upon people's hope
and belief that someday, perhaps after they've been through
enough reincarnations, or perhaps after they have paid the
church enough indulgences, or perhaps after they have done
enough good works, or perhaps after they have said enough
rosaries, or perhaps after they have made enough trips to
the cathedral on bloodied knees, they will finally make it
into their chosen paradise.
What often amazes me, is how the Lord always confirms these
little revelations to me by His Word, in order to encourage
my faith, so that I have the confidence to share them with
you. Consider the following words of the Lord, which hit me
like a ton of bricks, right after I got the picture in my
mind of the revolving door. They are so right on the mark;
they are so fitting to this revelation:
"But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye
shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go
in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to
go in." Matthew 23:13, KJV
So they are caught in a revolving door!
Isn't that really amazing?! Isn't that just powerful?! Now
can you understand why sometimes I just sit here and go
'Wow, Lord, that is really heavy!' I know that this is not
me; it is only Him. I couldn't possibly make these Biblical
connections on my own. Sometimes I even have to get up out
of my chair and walk around my room a bit, because I am just
so excited by these things. God's Spirit is just that heavy!
What is so interesting about everything I have just shared
with you, is that it directly links to the distant past. You
see, the Scribes and the Pharisees did the very same thing!
As I point out in other articles, their screendoor, their
false net, was the Mosaic Law and all of the interpretations
and traditions which they attached to it; which they used,
as Jesus said in the previous verses, to prevent the common
people from entering the Kingdom of God; just like the Roman
Catholic Church with its sacraments, and strict rules, and
indulgences, and all of the other nonsense which they have
created during the past sixteen hundred years or so.
So that is why the Roman Catholic hierarchy hated Wycliffe,
William Tyndale, Martin Luther, and all of the rest of the
sixteenth century Reformers; and that is why they purposely
kept the people in gross spiritual darkness and ignorance.
The clergy of Rome realized that having God's Word available
to the people in common English, would mean disaster for the
Roman Catholic Church; as more people would become aware of
the truth of the Scriptures. In other words, they would come
to understand that Salvation was a free Gift of God's Grace,
which was easily obtainable through faith in Jesus Christ
alone; and thus they would be freed from the heavy bondage
of the so-called 'Holy Mother Church' with all of its burden-
some doctrines, rules and requirements. As Jesus said:
"...If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples
indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall
make you free...If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye
shall be free indeed." John 8:31b-32, 36, KJV
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed
me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal
the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives,
and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them
that are bruised," Luke 4:18, KJV
Sadly, as I noted a moment ago, despite the fact that the
true Gospel of Jesus Christ has been preached for literally
hundreds of years now, the worldwide Roman Catholic Empire
continues to have a smothering grip on millions of people to
this very day. Given the dangerous spirit of compromise and
ecumenism which has infected many of the Protestant churches,
I sense that things may get even worse, as the RCC gradually
achieves its goal of bringing all of the 'stray' churches
back into its smothering embrace!
The campaign of hatred against Tyndale was very effective.
Only two complete copies of the first printing of his New
Testament are known to have survived the wrath of the Roman
Catholic hierarchy. Pre-1570 editions are both rare, and
valuable; particularly pre-1540 editions and fragments. As
a result of the persecution he suffered at the hands of the
Roman inquisitors, William Tyndale was unable to finish his
translation of the Old Testament, which would have enabled
him to publish a complete English Bible. After eleven years
of being hunted by his enemies, Tyndale was finally caught;
betrayed by an Englishman whom he had befriended. He was
forced to endure five hundred days of incarceration, before
he was publicly strangled, and burned at the stake, in 1536.
According to historical records, his last words were, 'Lord,
open the eyes of the King of England'.
Between the release of William Tyndale's New Testament, and
the appearance of the 1611 Authorized King James Version of
the Bible, a number of inspiring, and yet sad things, were
happening in Great Britain. Prior to, as well as following
Tyndale's martyrdom, religious freedom in England continued
to wax and wane. During this time, Myles Coverdale, a loyal
assistant to Tyndale during the last six years of his life,
and fellow Reformer, John Rogers, carried forward the work
which had been initiated by Tyndale. Coverdale completed
translating the Old Testament, and on October 4, 1535, he
printed the first complete Bible in the English language.
He made use of Luther's German text, and the Latin text, as
sources. This Bible is referred to as the Coverdale Bible.
Following the publication of the Coverdale Bible, John
Rogers went on to print the second complete English Bible
two years later in 1537. Rogers printed this second edition
under the pseudonym of Thomas Matthew, being as a large part
of his work embraced the outlawed 1534-35 edition of William
Tyndale's Pentateuch, (the five books of Moses), as well as
Tyndale's New Testament, plus Coverdale's Bible, as well as
a small amount of Roger's own translation of the text. For
this reason, this version of the Bible is commonly known as
the Matthew's Bible.
This was not the end of these two men's contributions to our
English Bible. In 1539, under the orders of King Henry VIII,
Thomas Crammer, who was then the Archbishop of Canterbury,
hired Myles Coverdale to publish yet another Bible. This new
edition was referred to as the Great Bible, due to the fact
that it was over fourteen inches high. Unlike Coverdale's
original version, the Great Bible became the first official
English Bible authorized for public use. By King Henry's
decree, it was distributed to every church, and chained to
the pulpit; and a reader was provided so that the poor and
illiterate could hear the Word of God in their own tongue;
in effect fulfilling the very dream of William Tyndale, who
had been martyred three years earlier. Seven editions of the
Great Bible were printed between April of 1539 and December
of 1541.
As we continue this article in part two, you will discover
that the tide would soon turn against the brave Reformers of
the early sixteenth century. Yet in spite of the evil which
was to come, you will also see how God's Spirit was moving
in a great way all across the European continent. I trust
that you will join me.
[ Click Me ] Go To Part Two . . .