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Case 1: The English Bible
Exhibition curators: Hugh Cahill and Jennifer Alder
The development of the Bible in English differs from that of other European vernacular translations. Only England has an "authorised version", issued under the auspices of a king who was also the head of the Church. The vernacular Bible was illegal in England long before the Reformation and so began its development at a great disadvantage, but once England became a Protestant country the translated Bible became a symbol of state.
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| Portrait of Wycliffe, from: The New Testament ... translated out of the Latin Vulgate by John Wiclif ... about 1378. To which is praefixt a history of several translations ... by John Lewis...[et al]. London: [printed by John March], 1731. |
The New Testament ...translated out of the Latin Vulgate by John Wiclif ... about 1378. To which is praefixt a history of several translations ... ; by John Lewis...[et al]. London: [printed by John March]; sold by Thomas Page and William Mount ... and William Parker, 1731.
[Marsden Collection R.6]
The first translation of the whole Bible into English is associated with the name of John Wycliffe (c.1330-1384). The hostility of the Church to his Bible-based teaching was exacerbated by the preaching of his followers, derogatively termed Lollards, and after his ideas were partly blamed for the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 his views were denounced as heretical and he was forced to retire from public life. Wycliffe's Bible came to be so associated with Lollardy that in 1408 an Oxford synod forbade anyone to translate, or even to read, any part of a vernacular Bible without their bishop's permission. This decree was enforced periodically over the following years, but many copies of this work were circulated and read freely until its Wycliffite origin was forgotten and it was regarded as an orthodox text.
Despite the considerable influence exerted by Wycliffe's original manuscript
text, it was not actually printed until 1731. This first edition of his New
Testament was prepared by the Kent clergyman John Lewis (1675-1747) and is preceded
by a scholarly treatise on English versions of the Bible. The frontispiece of
the work is a portrait of the editor, and the work also contains engravings
of the title page of Cranmer's Bible and Wycliffe's portrait, seen here facing
the title page of the New Testament itself.
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| The Breeches passage, from: The Bible: that is, the Holy Scriptures contained in the Olde and New Testament: translated according to the Ebrew and Greeke ... With most profitable annotations. London: imprinted for the deputies of Christopher Barker, 1595. |
The Bible: that is, the Holy Scriptures contained in the Olde and New Testament: translated according to the Ebrew and Greeke ... With most profitable annotations. London: imprinted for the deputies of Christopher Barker, 1595.
[Rare Books Collection BS170.B7]
The Geneva Bible was the result of the labours of men who had fled to Calvinist Geneva, "the most perfect school of Christ", according to John Knox, to escape persecution by the Catholic Queen Mary I. First published in 1560, its impact was profound. Its stylistic influence can clearly be seen in the Authorised Version, and it was an inspiration for many English lyric and dramatic poets, including Shakespeare. The inclusion of annotations allowing every reader to be his own Biblical scholar meant the work was regarded suspiciously by the establishment, and James I felt it was "savouring too much of dangerous and traitorous conceits". Later it was the Bible carried by Cromwell's soldiers, who took strength from the adversarial nature of the translation.
The Geneva Bible is popularly known as the "Breeches Bible" because of the rendering of the word "aprons" by "breeches" in Genesis iii.7, where Adam and Eve sew fig leaves together and make themselves "breeches". The copy here is an example of Laurence Tomson's revision of the text, printed in 1595 by the press of Christopher Barker (1529-1599), who became the Queen's printer in 1578. He was one of the most powerful members of the Company of Stationers and in his patent he obtained the sole right to print the Bible, which was also exercised by his deputies and descendants. The copy is bound with The Revelation of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist, printed by John Windet, who was later the official printer to the City of London.
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| Title page of: The Holy Bible. London: imprinted by Robert Barker, by the assignes of John Bill, 1638-1639. |
The Holy Bible. London: imprinted by Robert Barker, by the assignes of John Bill, 1638-1639.
[Rare Books Collection FOL. BS185.B15]
As a result of a petition from the Puritan clergy at the beginning of his reign, King James I summoned a conference of churchmen and theologians at Hampton Court in January 1604, which resulted in a resolution ...
"that a translation be made of the whole Bible as consonant as can be to the original Hebrew and Greek; and this to be set out and printed, without any marginal notes, and only to be used in all Churches of England in times of divine service."
The work of translation was divided between six committees based in Oxford, Cambridge and Westminster. After the various drafts had been revised the work was seen through the press by Dr. Miles Smith, who wrote the preface, and Bishop Thomas Bilson. The result was the Authorised Version of 1611, also known as the King James Bible, printed by Robert Barker (d. 1645) who had succeeded his father Christopher as the King's Printer. It was a great success, supplanting the Geneva Bible within 50 years and remaining without a real rival for 350 years. It was revised in the 1880s and again between 1946 and 1952, but it was not until the 1960s that the contemporary English style of the New English Bible broke with the values of the Tyndale-King James tradition.
The copy exhibited here is rare edition of the 1611 version, printed in 1638-39. Each page is enclosed within rules, and there are some marginal references. The imprint is interesting as it reflects the outcome of litigation between members of the King's Printing House. Bonham Norton and John Bill had advanced Robert Barker the money for the printing of the Authorised Version and became shareholders in the Printing House, with their names appearing in the imprint. After a disagreement over rights Norton took the case to court, but he lost and his name did not appear in the imprint after 1629. John Bill died in 1630.
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| Moses in the basket, from: The complete family Bible ...;with notes theological, moral, critical, historical and explanatory. By Francis Fawkes ... [et al.] London: printed for the author, and sold by J. Coote ... [et al.], 1761-1762. [Rare Books Collection BS185] |
The complete family Bible ... with notes theological, moral, critical, historical and explanatory. By Francis Fawkes ... [et al.]London: printed for the author, and sold by J. Coote ... [et al.], 1761-1762.
[Rare Books Collection BS185]
The Authorised Version itself was reproduced in an infinite number of permutations. By the late seventeenth century it had become common to bind separate engravings into unillustrated Bibles, and from around 1720 printers who lacked the royal privilege began to publish Bibles disguised as commentaries. "Family Bibles", presented as educational texts and usually including pictures and maps as well as notes, were another device used to evade the copyright laws. This Family Bible was published in sixty weekly parts by Francis Fawkes (1720-1772), vicar of Orpington and St. Mary Cray and one of the lesser eighteenth century poets. It is lavishly illustrated with engravings, including two taken from the Raphael cartoons at Hampton Court. Immensely successful, it rapidly inspired the production of many other similar texts.
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