Early English Version of the Bible

 Early English Bible translations trace back to handwritten Anglo-Saxon manuscripts in the 10th century, but the first complete English Bible was produced by John Wycliffe in 1384. The true foundation of the modern English Bible, however, was built during the Protestant Reformation. [1, 2, 3]

The most significant early English versions mark a fascinating timeline of risk, revolution, and eventual royal authorization:

1. Wycliffe's Bible (1384)

• Details: Hand-written by Oxford scholar John Wycliffe and his followers.
• Significance: The first complete translation of the Bible into English. Because it was translated from the Latin Vulgate rather than the original Hebrew and Greek, it was considered illegal by the Catholic Church. [1, 2]

2. Tyndale's New Testament (1525)

• Details: Translated directly from original Greek to English by William Tyndale.
• Significance: The first printed English New Testament. Tyndale was ultimately betrayed and burned at the stake in 1536, but his brilliant work formed the foundation for nearly all subsequent English translations (including 83% of the King James Version). [1, 2, 3]

3. Coverdale Bible (1535)

• Details: Compiled by Miles Coverdale, a friend and fellow translator of Tyndale.
• Significance: The first complete printed Bible in the English language. [1, 2, 3]

4. The Great Bible (1359/1539)

• Details: Prepared by Coverdale and commissioned by King Henry VIII.
• Significance: The very first English-language Bible legally authorized for public use in churches. [1, 2, 3, 4]

5. The Geneva Bible (1560)

• Details: Translated by English refugees in Geneva, Switzerland, fleeing the persecutions of England's Catholic Queen Mary.
• Significance: The first English Bible to be translated entirely from the original Hebrew and Greek. It was also the first to include numbered verses and chapter divisions. [1, 2, 3]

6. The King James Version (1611)

• Details: Commissioned by King James VI and I for the Church of England.
• Significance: It became the most widely printed and read book in history. You can explore the historical text or compare it to other translations using tools like Bible Gateway or YouVersion. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]