Church History · 1535 to 1539

Coverdale, Matthew's and the Great Bible

Myles Coverdale printed the first complete Bible in English in 1535. John Rogers' Matthew's Bible followed in 1537, and in 1539 the Great Bible, approved by Henry VIII, was chained in churches across England, only three years after Tyndale's death.

Read it in the Bible: Acts 17:11 Psalm 119:105 Nehemiah 8:1-8 Colossians 3:16

Between 1535 and 1539, England went from burning English Bibles to requiring one in every church. In 1535 Myles Coverdale published the first complete printed Bible in English. In 1537 John Rogers published Matthew's Bible, built mostly on William Tyndale's work. And in 1539 the Great Bible, approved by King Henry VIII, was set up and chained in parish churches all over the country. William Tyndale had been executed in 1536. Within about three years, his prayer for the King of England's eyes to be opened looked a lot like it had been answered.

What Was the Coverdale Bible?

Myles Coverdale was a former friar from Yorkshire who had worked with Tyndale on the Continent. In October 1535 he published the first complete Bible ever printed in English. It was printed overseas, probably in Antwerp or Cologne, and dedicated to Henry VIII.

Coverdale was honest that he was not an expert in Hebrew and Greek. He used Tyndale's New Testament and Pentateuch where they existed. For the rest he worked from Latin and German translations, including Luther's. He had a gift for rhythm, and his version of the Psalms was so loved that the Book of Common Prayer used it for centuries. Anglicans still sing his Psalms today.

Like Luther, Coverdale gathered the Apocrypha into a separate section instead of mixing those books in with the Old Testament.

What Was Matthew's Bible?

In 1537 a new Bible appeared, credited to a man named Thomas Matthew. There was no Thomas Matthew. It was really edited by John Rogers, a friend of Tyndale. Rogers used everything Tyndale had finished, including Old Testament books from Joshua to 2 Chronicles that Tyndale translated before he died but never published. He filled the gaps with Coverdale.

Most historians think Rogers used a pen name because Tyndale's name was still poison at court. It worked. Archbishop Thomas Cranmer liked the Bible, and Thomas Cromwell got the king to license it. So Henry VIII approved a Bible that was mostly the work of the man his agents had hunted. Church history is full of plot twists. Sadly, Rogers was later burned in 1555 under Queen Mary, the first Protestant martyr of her reign.

What Was the Great Bible?

Cromwell wanted one official Bible for the Church of England. In 1538 he issued orders that every parish church must set up a large English Bible where people could read it. He asked Coverdale to revise Matthew's Bible and drop its notes, which some found too Protestant.

The printing began in Paris, where the presses were better. Partway through, French church authorities seized the sheets. Some were reportedly sold off as scrap paper and bought back. The presses and workers were moved to London, and the Great Bible was finished there in April 1539. It was called great because of its size. It was huge, made to sit on a church lectern.

The title page showed Henry VIII on his throne handing out the Word of God to Cranmer and Cromwell, who pass it to the clergy and people, all shouting long live the king. The 1540 edition added a preface by Cranmer, so it is sometimes called Cranmer's Bible.

Why Was the Bible Chained in Churches?

These Bibles were expensive, and the government wanted them to stay where everyone could use them. So they were chained to the reading desk. That sounds harsh, but it was like chaining a pen at the bank. It was not to keep people away from it. It was to keep it there for everyone.

And people came. Crowds gathered around the chained Bibles at Saint Paul's in London to hear someone read aloud. Some got so excited they read loudly during sermons, and the bishop had to post warnings. Imagine a church where the problem was too much Bible reading.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16

Did Henry VIII Let Everyone Read the Bible?

Not for long. Henry grew nervous that common people were arguing about religion in taverns. In 1543 he signed a law that limited private Bible reading to the upper classes and banned most working people and women of lower rank from reading it. Still, the Great Bible stayed in the churches. Once the Word was out, it was not going back in the box.

How Do These Bibles Connect to the King James Version?

The Great Bible was the official English Bible until the Bishops' Bible replaced it in 1568. The King James translators used the Bishops' Bible as their starting point, and they consulted Tyndale, Coverdale, Matthew's, the Great Bible and the Geneva Bible as they worked. So the line runs straight from Tyndale through these Bibles to the King James Version and on to modern translations.

Why It Matters for You Today

Within four years England moved from Bible burning to Bible chaining. God used imperfect people, mixed motives and even a king who changed his mind to put His Word in front of ordinary people.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105

You do not have to walk to a church and read a chained book. But the question is the same one those crowds answered. Will you go read it?

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Questions People Ask

What was the first complete printed Bible in English?

The Coverdale Bible, published by Myles Coverdale in October 1535, was the first complete Bible printed in English. It used Tyndale's translations where available and filled the rest from Latin and German versions.

Who was Thomas Matthew?

Thomas Matthew was a pen name. Matthew's Bible of 1537 was actually edited by John Rogers, who used Tyndale's translations, including some never published before, along with Coverdale's work.

Why is it called the Great Bible?

It was called the Great Bible because of its large size, made for reading aloud in churches. Thomas Cromwell ordered that a copy be placed in every parish church, and it was first finished in April 1539.

Why were Bibles chained in churches?

Bibles were very expensive, and churches chained them to the reading desk so they would not be stolen and would always be there for the public to read. The chain kept the Bible available, not locked away.

Sources

← Henry VIII and the Church of England John Calvin and the Reformed Churches →

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