Development of the English Bible – Politics Enters the Process

With the coming, passing and execution of William Tyndale an insatiable thirst for the Bible to be placed into the language of the “common man” was seen.  Jerome’s 4^th century Latin Vulgate was still the most commonly used translation of the day, but to the common man it was considered a “forbidden book.”  The authority of the existing Catholic Church rested in the ignorance of the “laity” or common man with regard to biblical teaching.  There was much abuse and corruption within the religious system. Hebrew, Greek and Latin were to be considered the languages of the aristocrat and scholars. Common Anglo-Saxon English was the language of the middle class, and then there was the rest who had to depend upon the other two to correctly convey to them the teaching of the scripture. Yet, the middle class were not considered “priestly” and thus it fell to the scholars.

Miles Coverdale

Miles Coverdale is the next to appear on the scene. He was an educated Augustinian Monk who attended Cambridge University.  In 1528 Coverdale left this priesthood and embraced Lutheranism. Like Wycliffe and Tyndale before him, he believed that everyone should have right to the scriptures for their own personal study.  Tyndale sought accuracy in a tireless pursuit of perfection. Coverdale though was governed by a desire for scholarly, yet smooth rendering of the scripture into plain common English.  This said Coverdale was not the scholar that Tyndale was, and therefore had to rely heavily on Luther’s German Version and Jerome’s Latin. Coverdale was not as careful with the intended meanings of the original authors of the scripture, favoring a more smooth and stylistic approach. His “translation” was not an improvement over Tyndale’s work, but would have been what many refer to as a paraphrase.  What Coverdale did have was connections and political clout in a time when venturing into biblical translation could mean your head. He was safeguarded by willingness to compromise and maintain political correctness. As a result, he gained some powerful protectors that allowed his rendition of the scripture to be considered historically as the first “Authorized” version of the Bible in English in Britain.  To obtain this, he would have to have support of the king and royal family.  He chose to place an elaborate dedication to Henry the VIII as an introduction in the Bible.  Henry no doubt was politically motivated to keep good status with powerful men, and therefore is supposed to have encouraged through Thomas Cromwell and Thomas More, Coverdale’s work. Coverdale’s gesture of the introduction also mentioned Anne Boleyn, Henry’s then wife who supported Coverdale.  A sign of his political correctness is seen when in subsequent editions of his bible and Henry’s divorce from Boleyn and subsequent execution of her, Boleyn’s name is changed to that of Jane Seymour the new queen.  He also limited his margin references to only contain alternate readings and interpretations or references to parallel passages.  He also separated apocryphal writings (Writings of Baruch, Macabbees, etc.) from the Old and New Testaments, stating that they were not to be accorded the same respect with the other books and not contained in original gatherings of the scriptures.  It had taken a number of years and revisions, but by 1408 Coverdale had produced an English “translation” that met all the requirements of the “Constitutions of 1408” that was approved by royal authority.  It could be read by priest or commoner without fear of reprisal in the English speaking world.  For this reason alone, Coverdale and his translation stands out in history.

Coverdale lived to be 81 years old. His most famous contribution outside of the above accolades was the development of the Great Bible of 1539, called such for its size and elaborate engravings. It pictured the Lord in the clouds with outstretched arms. Below is Henry VIII with all the bishops and nobles sitting on each side of the Lord.  Henry’s divine right is well obvious and propagated.  Coverdale was able to see history go from forbidden bibles to the persecutions of Queen Mary. His life was covered in happiness combined with misery, suffering, and banishment. His accomplishments however, set for the foundations of the Bible as you and I know it today, with verses, chapters, and order of books. He achieved the first “Common English” Version of the scripture.