HISTORY OF THE BIBLE – TIMELINE

I. Septuagint (300 B.C.-410 A.D.) Greek translation of the Old Testament. The Septuagint was the Bible read by Christians during the first few centuries AD. Many early Christians spoke and read Greek, thus they relied on the Septuagint translation for most of their understanding of the Old Testament. The New Testament writers also relied heavily on the Septuagint, as a majority of Old Testament scriptures cited in the New Testament are quoted directly from the Septuagint (others are quoted from the Hebrew texts.)

II. Latin Vulgate (410 A.D.-1522 A.D.) Latin translation of the Bible, both Old and New Testament, done by Jerome. The Latin Vulgate was THE official Bible of the Church and would be for over a thousand years. It is still the Bible used by the Catholic Church today and would be the template for future bible translations.

Problem: If the average person in 1000 A.D. had access to the Bible, they would see the following:

“in principio creavit Deus caelum et terram” – Genesis 1:1

“sic enim dilexit Deus mundum ut Filium suum unigenitum daret ut omnis qui credit in eum non pereat sed habeat vitam aeternam” – John 3:16

III. Wycliffe’s Bible (1382) – translated the Bible into English in 1382 by John Wycliffe. He believed the common people should be able to read God’s Word and was extremely critical of the established Church. Included his criticisms in his Bible.

“In the beginning God made of nought heaven and earth” – Genesis 1:1

“For God louede so the world, that he ȝaf his oon bigetun sone, that ech man that bileueth in him perische not, but haue euerlastynge lijf.” – John 3:16

Wycliffe died in 1384. In 1408, it becomes illegal to translate or read the Bible into English. The Church declared Wycliffe a heretic in 1415. It was decreed that his Bible and books he wrote be burned and his remains be exhumed. The exhumation was carried out in 1428 when, at the command of Pope Martin V, his remains were dug up, burned, and the ashes cast into a nearby river. Because the Wycliffe Bible had to be copied by hand, it was extremely expensive. People often paid a “rental fee” to read a copy of the Wycliffe Bible for one hour. Illiterate people would gather a person who could read to hear the Bible being read at the risk of imprisonment or death.

IV. Luther Bible (1534) – German translation completed in 1534 by Martin Luther. It would have a profound impact on future translations of the Bible. Encouraged others to translate the Bible into the common language.

V. Tyndale Bible (1525) – English translation of the New Testament completed by William Tyndale in 1525 during the reign of Henry VIII. Tyndale is called the “Father of the English Bible” because his translation was the basis for all future English translations including the King James Version. Tyndale believed that the only way anyone could truly know God was to be able to read the Scripture for themselves. Moreover, many priests in England were ignorant of the Bible. Tyndale told one priest that if God allowed him (Tyndale) to live long enough, a plow boy will know more of the Scriptures than the priest. The English of the Wycliffe Bible was too antiquated for people to understand, so Tyndale planned to write a new English translation. Problem – In England, it was illegal to translate the Bible into any language but Latin. Tyndale sought the permission of the Church leaders in England to translate the Bible into English but was strongly denied. Tyndale went to Europe where he translated the New Testament into English. Tyndale’s New Testaments were smuggled into England in sacks of corn and flour. It became very popular. The English church burnt every copy of the Tyndale NT it could get its hands on. While Tyndale was working on an English translation of the Old Testament, Henry VIII sent secret agents into Europe to arrest Tyndale for heresy. (The real reason Henry VIII arrested Tyndale was not for his English translation of the Bible. He was angry that Tyndale had publicly denounced the king’s divorce from his first wife Catherine.) In 1536, Tyndale was tried in Belgium and sentenced to death. He was tied to a stake strangled, impaled, and burnt at the stake. Before his death, Tyndale cried out, “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes!” God heard his prayer.

VI. The Great Bible (1539) - Three years after Tyndale’s death, Henry VIII authorized an official English translation of the Bible much of which was based on Tyndale’s Bible. It was called the Great Bible because of its large size. It was designed to fit the large pulpits in English churches. It was not a household Bible. For the first time, English church members could hear the Bible in their own language. Problem – They could not take it home with them to read for themselves. It was chained to the pulpit to prevent it from being stolen. Church leaders did not want the people to be able to read the Bible for themselves. Only the clergy could interpret the Scriptures.

Queen Mary I and the Bible (1553-1558) – Mary was the eldest daughter of King Henry VIII and a staunch Catholic. Soon after ascending the throne following the death of her father, Mary made every effort to return England to Catholicism. In 1555, she banned English translations of the Bible. Anyone caught with an English translation was arrested and burned at the stake. Over 300 men, women, and children were executed during the reign of Mary.

VII. The Geneva Bible (1560-1611) – A revision of the Great Bible made by English Protestant exiles living in Geneva, Switzerland. It’s the first Bible to have verses and use the normal lettering we see today rather than the large, bulky Gothic letters. More importantly, it was a much smaller Bible that anyone could hold. The Geneva Bible was the Bible the Pilgrims brought with them to the New World as well as the settlers of Jamestown, not the KJV.

VIII. The Bishops’ Bible (1568-1611) – Following the death of Queen Mary, her sister Elizabeth becomes Queen of England. Elizabeth and the leaders of the Church of England (bishops) were not thrilled with a translation of the Bible (Geneva Bible) that they did not “authorize” being the most popular Bible in England. Queen Elizabeth had the bishops create a royal approved version of the Bible nicknamed the Bishops’ Bible. It was the Bible used by the Church of England. However, the common people continued to prefer the Geneva Bible.

IX. The King James Version (1611-present) – When King James I ascended the throne in 1603 the Church of England (Anglican) was in turmoil. Primary source of dispute was that many English believed the church was too “Catholic.” They wanted to purify the Anglican Church of all “Catholic” elements. They were called “Puritans.” Another source of contention had to do with the Bible. Church leaders and the nobility preferred the Bishops’ Bible; the laity (common people many of whom were Puritans) preferred the Geneva Bible. Monarchs do not like it when the people are divided. They like unity. Being the king of England also meant James I was the head of the Anglican Church. In this role, James I convened a council of Anglican and Puritan leaders to resolve their differences. The council proposed a new “authorized” version of the Bible that would be used by all Englishmen. The translators used the original Greek and Hebrew texts as well as the Tyndale Bible and other English translations. The result was the King James Version of the Bible completed in 1611. It was not immediately accepted by the laity. They still preferred the Geneva Bible. By 1700, the KJV became the Bible of English speaking people around the world and remained so until the mid-20th century.

X. The New American Standard Bible, The New International Version, and The English Standard Version

One reason for the new translations is the same reason Tyndale wrote his new translation in 1525. Enable people in the current era to read and understand God’s Word in the English that people speak in the present not in 1611.

The ESV translation is more literal than the popular New International Version, but more fluent than the New American Standard Bible.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. – KJV
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. – NASB
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - NIV
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. – ESV