The Murderous History Of Bible Translations

Harry Freedman, author of The Talmud: A Biography, recounts the fascinating and bloody history of the Bible. In 1535, William Tyndale, the first man to produce an English version of the Bible in print, was captured and imprisoned in Belgium. A year later he was strangled and then burned at the stake. His co-translator was also burned. In that same year the translator of the first Dutch Bible was arrested and beheaded. These were not the first, nor were they the last instances of extreme violence against Bible translators. The Murderous History of Bible Translations tells the remarkable, and bloody, story of those who dared translate the word of God. The Bible has been translated far more than any other book. To our minds it is self-evident that believers can read their sacred literature in a language they understand. But the history of Bible translations is far more contentious than reason would suggest. Bible translations underlie an astonishing number of religious conflicts that have plagued the world. Harry Freedman describes brilliantly the passions and strong emotions that arise when deeply held religious convictions are threatened or undermined. He tells of the struggle for authority and orthodoxy in a world where temporal power was always subjugated to the divine, a world in which the idea of a Bible for all was so important that many were willing to give up their time, security, and even their lives.

In 1535, William Tyndale, the first man to produce an English version of the Bible in print, was captured and imprisoned in Belgium. A year later he was strangled and then burned at the stake. His co-translator was also burned. In that same year the translator of the first Dutch Bible was arrested and beheaded. These were not the first, nor were they the last instances of extreme violence against Bible translators. The Murderous History of Bible Translations tells the remarkable, and bloody, story of those who dared translate the word of God. The Bible has been translated far more than any other book. To our minds it is self-evident that believers can read their sacred literature in a language they understand. But the history of Bible translations is far more contentious than reason would suggest. Bible translations underlie an astonishing number of religious conflicts that have plagued the world. Harry Freedman, author of The Talmud: A Biography describes brilliantly the passions and strong emotions that arise when deeply held religious convictions are threatened or undermined. He tells of the struggle for authority and orthodoxy in a world where temporal power was always subjugated to the divine. A world in which the idea of a Bible for all was so important that many were willing to give up their time, their security and often their lives.

Since the Greeks first translated the Hebrew Bible (the Septuagint version), each new translation has been colored by theological assumptions and marked by controversies. Using documents by the translators themselves, early material about Bible translations, and contemporary justifications (and criticisms) of various existing and proposed translations, this book looks at numerous prominent Bible renderings, including Hebrew to Greek, post-Septuagint, European, and English translations. Introductory essays set each extract in historical context.

The English Bible Translations and History, Millennium Edition, is a study of the translations of the Bible from the time of Jerome (404 A.D.) to the publication of the Authorized Version in 1611. This book covers the Reformation in England, the reigns of King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth, and legislation during this time (1534-1662) frame. It is also a study (604-1750) of the historical, political, and the theological problems relating to Rome, the popes, councils, changes in England and Europe, and the rise of the Protestants and Non-Conformists (1382-1517). Many problems relating to the translations of the Bible into English, and Doctrines of the Roman Church, are also discussed in this book. This study covers (1382-1750) the development of the Vulgate, the translations of John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, Martin Luther, the Coverdale Bible, the Great Bible, the Bishops' Bible, the Geneva Bible, the Matthew's Bible, the Rheims-Douay Bible, and the Authorized Version. Related Bible translations, problems, and history are also discussed in this work. This study also explains the Inquisition (1184), the Great Schism of the Catholic Church (1309-1417), the Index (1557), the rise (1382-1689) of the Reformers, St. Bartholomew Day's Massacre (1572), the printing of various Bibles (1526-1750) in English for Catholics and Protestants and movements in education and reform in England. the Reformers (1382-1611) faced many theological and political problems in trying to bring vernacular translations of the Scriptures to church members; this study explains many of these theological and historical issues. a bibliography is listed for further study on the subject. Cover photo by Author.