The Latin Vulgate
Translation of the Old Testament is the bible used by Roman Catholic Christians.
The King James bible written in the mid 1600s is the bible used by most
Protestant Christians.
This bible history presents the evolution of the bible from the Old
Testament through the ages to today’s King James Bible.
Bible Explained
This bible history presents the evolution of the bible from the Old Testament through the ages to today’s King James Bible.
Hebrew Bible History
The various Hebrew Scriptures which were originally copied by hand on animal skins and parchment scrolls and were the laws, the writings of prophets, psalms and various other writings and it is accepted these were completed by 500 BC and written in the Hebrew language. This is considered as the Old Testament in bible explained.
Septuagint Bible History
This bible is the Greek translation of the previous Hebrew bible and is thought to have been written by Jewish scholars who resided in Alexandria, Egypt and were completed by 250 BC and written in the Greek language.
New Testament Bible History
This bible consists of the writings of Paul which were provided to churches around the Mediterranean and are accepted as the earliest writings of the New Testament. Paul’s writings are in the Greek language and are thought to have been completed between 50 to 65 AD.
By 200 AD the accepted gospels and other writings that form the New Testament are translated into Latin as stated in bible explained.
Latin Vulgate Translation
During this period with Rome as the accepted head of the western church and became the accepted language of Christian bibles. The Vulgate of the fifth century was the church standard accepted and used for a thousand years. The Vulgate translation is thought to have been done between 380 and 405 AD.
In the fourth century the bible was translated into the languages of the middle east such as Coptic and Syriac.
Alcuin Bible
At this time a Roman Emperor Charlemagne orders that the Vulgate Translation be standardized into what is known as the Alcuin bible. This bible was completed by 800 AD and is written in Latin.
Paris Bible
This document was produced in an attempt to correct the purity of the Latin bible but was considered as a flawed document and has disappeared from history as no known copy exists. This document was completed in 1200 AD and was written in Latin.
Wycliffe Bible
This interpretation is the first English interpretation of the bible. John Wycliffe was considered to be a dissident theologian by the Roman Catholic Church. This version was in English and was presented in 1382 AD.
Gutenberg Bible
This bible is noted more for how it was produced and printed than any changes in content. His moveable press allowed bibles to be printed quickly and were then able to be afforded by the masses.
It should be noted that in this period, 1408 AD the Roman Catholic Archbishop of England forbids anything but Latin translations of the bible. The intent of this was to preserve the authority of the church.
Erasmus Translation
Erasmus, a Dutch scholar, provides Latin and Greek translations of the bible. This was done in 1516.
Luther Bible
A version of the bible, by Martin Luther after breaking with the Roman Catholic Church. Written in and around 1516.
Tyndale Translation
William Tyndale who translated the New Testament into English in 1526 and is executed by the church for his efforts.
Coverdale Bible
This was the first interpretation of the bible with modern English translation which was printed with Royal assent in 1535.
In 1534 Henry V111 breaks with the Roman Catholic Church and declares himself the leader and head of the Church of England.
Matthew Bible
The Matthew Bible was produced in 1537 by John Rogers using the pseudonym “Thomas Matthews” and used the three sources of inspiration, much of the old testament, the writings of William Tyndale and Myles Coverdale.
Great Bible
The Great Bible was produced in 1539 as authorized by Henry V111 of England. It was the first authorized edition of the bible in English and used for Church of England services. It was prepared by Myles Coverdale and commissioned by Sir Thomas Cromwell.
Geneva Bible
The Geneva Bible was published in 1560 by both English and Scottish protestants who lived in Switzerland.
Bishop’s Bible
The Bishop’s bible is an English translation of the bible authorized by the Church of England in 1568 with a revision in 1572. This bible is the base bible used for the King James Bible of 1611.
Douai-Rheims Bible History
The Douai-Rheims bible was produced from 1582 to 1610 and is a translation of the Latin Vulgate bible into English. It gives an English translation of both the Old and New Testament and has not been in print for a very long time.
King James Bible History
Queen Elizabeth 1 dies in 1604 and her successor James 1 commissions a new English translation of the bible which is completed in 1611. In 1769 the bible was modernized in both spelling and punctuation and to this day has been updated many times to reflect modern language. It is still in use.
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