By Clara Newkirk

Title	The Bible, that is the Holy Scripture of the Old and New Testament, faithfully translated into English.
Contributor(s)	Myles Coverdale (Translator), Merten de Keyser (Printer)
Date	1535
Location	Antwerp
Language	English
Source	https://bibles-online.net/flippingbook/1535 (facsimile)

The Coverdale Bible is the first fully printed English translation of the entire bible, translated by Myles Coverdale (c. 1488 – 20 January 1569). Coverdale was from the time of the Reformation, and was exiled as well as imprisoned for preaching certain ideas. While the Wycliffian Bibles were several manuscripts that created a full English translation, Coverdale was the first to produce a complete printed version, which is highly notable. For many years, the printer of this edition was unknown. However, it is know known that this edition is was printed in 1535 by Merten de Keyser in Antwerp, and it was the first printing of the Coverdale Bible. It includes both Old and New Testaments, including the Apocrypha. It is set in black-letter type and contains woodcut decorative initials and illustrations throughout the text.

When the Coverdale Bible was published in 1535, England was at a religious and political turning point. The theological movement of Jansenism was causing great controversy, as members of the movement emphasized the importance of free will and came to oppose royal absolutism. This had caused there to be a demand for vernacular scripture for a more general readership. Since previous English versions, such as the version by William Tyndale, were not complete versions of the bible, Coverdale made a great impact by producing the first complete Bible in modern English. Coverdale was careful with his translation of the bible, as even though he drew form Tyndale’s partial translation, Tyndale had been imprisoned and later executed for heresy as King Henry VIII condemned his translation. Therefore, this translation of the bible did undergo censorship, and it is not meant to be an as accurate as possible translation of the original German and Latin bibles that Coverdale primarily used as sources.

By making the bible accessible in everyday English, the Coverdale Bible contributed to democratizing religious knowledge, which was a goal of the Reformation. Its availability meant that ordinary people could read and reflect on important stories from the bible, such as the death of the firstborn in Egypt in the book of Exodus, which historically were interpreted and preached by church leaders, who often answered to the king.

This bible is from an earlier time period than the Sacy Bible, which is clear when looking at the two copies. The Sacy Bible is much neater and easier to read, with less blurred ink. Both bibles hold cultural significance, but one impacted the anglophone world while the other had more impact on the francophone one. This bible was less bold that Sacy’s, but both pushed for freedom of speech in eras of censorship by the authorities.

Illustrations

This bible does contain 40 illustrations, which were created using wood engravings, as well as illuminated letters throughout the text at the beginning of chapters. Hans Holbein the Younger is attributed for the woodcut used for the title page, although the origin of the other woodcuts are attributed to other artists. It should be noted that many of the woodcuts are not original to this bible, as they had been used in previous works, such as a 1534 Bible printed in Frankfurt by Christian Egenolff. This bible is not illustration heavy, with only some chapters beginning with an illustration above the text, as well as a few included throughout the text. There are no illustrations that directly reflect the prophetic message that God gives to Moses, foretelling the Ten Plagues of Egypt. However, as Moses is an important prophet in the bible, he is depicted in other images. The illustration on the title page is a collage of scenes, including one on the bottom left, which shows Moses receiving and reading the Ten Commandments. Above the image is the text, “These are the lavves that thou shalt laye before them,” giving context to the illustration. There are a few small woodcuts within the text depicting various scenes, such as the drowning of the Pharaoh’s army.

References/Further Reading

• A. S. Herbert, Historical Catalogue of Printed Editions of the English Bible 1525–1961, London: British and Foreign Bible Society; New York: American Bible Society, 1968.
• Peritz, Ismar J. “The Coverdale Bible 1535.” Journal of the National Association of Biblical Instructors, vol. 3, no. 2, 1935, pp. 102–09. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1455777.
• Sotheby’s London, 12 July 2006, lot 1. https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2016/bible-collection-of-charles-caldwell-ryrie-n09539/lot.46.html?
• Tyndale Journal. https://tyndale.org/journals/tsj08/latre.html
• Images sourced from digital bible at https://bibles-online.net/flippingbook/1535/78/