Assess the history of English Bible.
The
fascinating story of how we got the Bible in its present form actually starts
thousands of years ago, as briefly outlined in our Timeline of Bible Translation History. As a background study, we recommend that you
first review our discussion of the Pre-Reformation History of the Bible from 1,400 B.C. to 1,400
A.D., which
covers the transmission of the scripture through the original languages of
Hebrew and Greek, and the 1,000 years of the Dark & Middle Ages when the
Word was trapped in only Latin. Our starting point in this discussion of Bible
history, however, is the advent of the scripture in the English language with
the “Morning Star of the Reformation”, John Wycliffe.
The first hand-written English language Bible manuscripts were produced in the 1380's AD by John Wycliffe, an
Oxford professor, scholar, and theologian. Wycliffe, (also spelled “Wycliff”
& “Wyclif”), was well-known throughout Europe for his opposition to the
teaching of the organized Church, which he believed to be contrary to the
Bible. With the help of his followers, called the Lollards, and his assistant
Purvey, and many other faithful scribes, Wycliffe produced dozens of English
language manuscript copies of the scriptures. They were translated out of the
Latin Vulgate, which was the only source text available to Wycliffe. The Pope
was so infuriated by his teachings and his translation of the Bible into
English, that 44 years after Wycliffe had died, he ordered the bones to be
dug-up, crushed, and scattered in the river!
