Great Bible

The Great Bible (English Great Bible ) of 1539 was the first authorized English translation of the Bible and replaced the Matthew Bible.

Background

In 1538 Henry VIII decreed a royal decree after acquiring an English Bible, and exhibit them in a suitable place all English communities had ' for all to see and read .' It existed with the Matthew Bible indeed already a Bible in English, the translation was based obviously but mostly on the work of William Tyndale, who was burned as a heretic in 1536. At the instigation of Thomas Cranmer Thomas Cromwell initiated, 1st Earl of Essex, therefore the pressure of a new Bible, which was called because of their size Great Bible. Miles Coverdale, who had already in 1535 published the so-called Coverdale Bible, oversaw the translation work. Although the newly formed in this way Bible translation was now no longer be placed directly in connection with William Tyndale, his Bible translation was still clearly visible in the biblical text, and so it is in this Bible basically just a revision of his translation.

Pressure

1538 began the official aspirations Great Bible to be printed. Since the English printing industry was still at that time in its infancy, it should be printed in France. The project came in France but to suspicion and hostility, and even sparked a police raid from. Only parts of the printed work could be saved to England, the rest was confiscated. In 1539, the Bible was finally printed in England and was a milestone in the development of the English printing industry. There followed six editions with a circulation of more than 9,000 by the year 1541st