The First Complete Printed Bible in English, AD 1535
The task which William Tyndale had begun was completed by Miles Coverdale. Born in Yorkshire (like Wycliffe) in 1488, and educated at Cambridge, Coverdale was soon in touch with the “new learning”. He left England in 1528 and, probably in Germany, prepared an English version of the whole Bible, using Tyndale’s work on the New Testament and the Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy) and also referring to a number of versions in Latin and German. This was therefore not a direct translation from Hebrew and Greek texts, but a compilation of the work of many great translators. This first printed English Bible was published in either Zurich or Marburg, on October 4, 1535. Despite the persecution and imprisonment of Tyndale, this translation circulated in England quietly and without much difficulty. There is even some evidence that Anne Boleyn, King Henry’s second wife, may have persuaded Henry to have the English Bible placed in every church, although this command was not issued.
Coverdale’s style lacked the vigour and originality of Tyndale’s, but it is often much smoother. Many of his expressions, particularly in the Old Testament, were eventually retained in the King James Bible.
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