English Bible

The Bishops' Bible　A facsimile of the 1568 edition

(English Book)

A facsimile of the 1568 Edition with an English introduction by Bin Hamajima Cloth, with Pull-Case, Sized 28cm (w) x 42cm (h), 1632ps US$ 1,890.- ISBN4-900394-19-X Limited Edition

The study of the Bible in its orignal languages associated with the Reformation resulted in the production of many vernaclular versions which had been prohibited by the Roman Church. The first of these translations was Luther's September New Testament of 1522, which became the standard German language Bible,By the end of the sixteenth century, most of the European languages had their Bible or at least the New Testament. 　In English, in 1525, only three years after Luther's New Testament, Tyndale began printing his first Quarto edition of the New Testament in Cologne to smuggle into England, where the vernacular versions were still banned. This edition had a long introduction and detailed marginal notes translated mainly form Luther's New Testament. However, Tyndale had to move to Worms to finish his work, because the authorities stopped him printing it. It appeared the following year in the smaller Octavo edition with a very short introduction and without any marginal notes. He translated parts of the Old Testament, but his martyrdom prevented him from finishing the whole Bible. His assistant, Coverdale, completed the first printed English Bible in 1535. In 1537, John Rogers published “Matthew's Bible”, the first Bible to have the royal license, under the pseudonym of Thomas Matthew. Coverdale revised it in 1539 at the command of Thomas Cromwell. This is the famous Great Bible, so called because of its big size. 　Refugees from Mary, the Catholic Queen, translated another English version in Geneva. This masterpiece, the Geneva Bible, was published in 1560 with a dedication to Queen Elizabeth, the then queen. It was well received by the public, but it was filled with very strong Calvinistic notes. Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, who sought after the media via did not like it, and ordered the revision of the Great Bible for the use the Church of England. Fourteen bishops and some scholars were nominated and Parker himself worked on it. This version, the Bishops' Bible, was completed in 1568. The first copy was presented to Queen Elizabeth by Archbishop Parker through Lord Cecil, Parker himself being unable to do so in person because of illness. It is said to be one of the most sumptuous English Bibles ever produced, in typography and illustration, the size itself being greater than that of the Great Bible. In 1571 the Convocation of the Province of Canterbury ordered the Bible to be placed in every cathedral, and as far as possible in every church. This did not stop the circulation of the Geneva Bible, but the 1602 edition of the Bishops' Bible became the source of the Authorized Version, masterpiece of all the English Bibles. 　I am confident that this Facsimile edition of the 1568 Bishops' Bible will provide scholars, not only of the English Bible, but of English as a whole, with materials of the greatest value and interest.

Bin Hamajima   Professor Shikoku Gakuin University