William Coverdale ( 1488-1569 ), The Great Bible - 911 Words

William Coverdale (1488-1569), The Great Bible The atmosphere changed in England as Rome and Henry the VIII came into conflict. Henry the VII wanted to divorce his Catholic wife, Katherine of Aragon, the Catholic Church refused. When the Pope refused, Henry VII renounced the Catholic Church and appointed himself head of the Church of England. To spite the Catholic Church and unify his kingdom, he ordered the Bible printed and translated into English, and placed in all the churches, the translation they placed in the churches was the Great Bible. Miles Coverdale was the editor behind the Great Bible, which used the Matthew’s Bible as its basis. The size of the Bible, 16 Â ½ inches by 11 inches was the reason it was called the Great Bible. The Geneva Bible (1560) When Mary Tudor (1553-1558) (Daughter of Henry VIII) became Queen of England, she tried to restore Catholicism Protestants were persecuted and killed. Many fled to John Calvin’s Geneva, where another translation of the English Bible was prepared, the Geneva Bible. The Geneva Bible translation (1557, 1560) was done under the direction of William Coverdale and John Knox and influenced by John Calvin. This Bible became popular in England after Mary Tudor’s execution and Protestant persecution stopped. An act of the Scottish Parliament required it compulsory for every householder who had an income above a certain amount, to buy a copy of the Geneva Bible. The popularity of the