The+Coverdale+Bible



** Miles Coverdale and the Coverdale Bible ** Miles Coverdale was born in Yorkshire sometime around 1488. He studied at Cambridge where he received his degree in 1513. He bacame a priest in Norwich in 1514. Here he became a member of the Austin Friars and was influenced by Robert Barnes who was a devout reformationist. Between the years of 1528--1535 he spent a great deal of time on the continent. Here it is possible he met and worked with William Tyndale. It is obvious that Tyndale had some influence on Coverdale since a great portion of his Bible came directly from Tyndale's translation.

** Coverdale's Bible  ** While King Henry VIII had set himself vehemently against Tyndale, his problem was more of a personal and political nature. The King was not against the idea of making an English translation of the Bible available throughout the kingdom. British Bishops and priests took the matter in hand and formed a convocation to address it. After much discussion and argument over such concerns as which words which should or should not be used, it became apparent that the people would not get this "Bishop's Bible" until "sometime after Doomsday." Thomas Cromwell, King Henry's Chief Minister commissioned Coverdale with the translation and publication of the Bible.

This would be the first full Modern English translation, as well as the first full translation to be mass produced.

Coverdale made intensive use of the existong Tyndale translations. All of the New Testament was Tyndale's work, as was the Pentateuch and the Book of Jonah. The rest of work was undertaken by Coverdale himself and at least five assistants. Although Coverdale was proficient in Latin, he did not know enough Hebrew or Greek to make an effective translation. As is shown on the title page of his work, he translated from "Douche (Deutsch--German) and Latyn (Latin)."

The Bible was published in 1535, likely in Antwerp though it is possible it could have been published in Zurich or Cologne. As it spread throughout England it recieved the Royal License, becoming an official Bible, recognized by the crown. King Henry had a copy chained to the bookstand in every church where it could be readily accessible to everyone. Because Coverdale's Bible, and the versions that immediately followed, relied so heavily on Tyndale's outlaw translation, the attitude toward them was tense and Coverdale would eventually continue with his commission becoming an instrumental part of the publication of the Great Bible of 1539.

In 1548 Coverdale became the King's Chaplain to King Edward VI. In 1551 he was named Bishop of Exeter, but he was kicked out of office and forced into exile when Queen Mary ascended the throne in 1553. He returned to England during the reign of Elizabeth, but never took up his office of Bishop again. He served as a rector in London until his death on January 2, 1569.