ENGLISH BIBLE CHRONOLOGY: 1380-1611

1382 The Wycliffe Bible was completed. It was the first complete English Bible.

1395 The second Wycliffite Bible was completed by John Purvey with possible help from Nicholas of Hereford.

1516 Erasmus published the Greek New Testament. It was the first printed Greek New Testament available, and was the basis for every English New Testament for over 300 years.

1525 Tyndale's New Testament translation, the first from Greek into English, was completed and the printing started.

1526 Tyndale's New Testament was printed at Worms. It was the first English New Testament printed.

1530 Tyndale finished translating the Pentateuch from Hebrew into English.

1534 Tyndale's first revision of his New Testament was published in November.

1535 Tyndale's second revision of his New Testament was finished.

1535 The Coverdale Bible was completed on October 4.

1536 Tyndale was executed on October 6.

1536 Eight editions of Tyndale's New Testament were printed on the mainland and one (illegally) in England.

1537 The Matthew Bible was completed with the king's approval. It was therefore the first licensed Bible. It was really the first revision of Tyndale.

1537 The Coverdale Bible was revised twice and the second revision was licensed by the king.

1538 In April Thomas Cromwell ordered all clergy to provide Bibles in their churches.

1538 In May printing began on the Great Bible.

1538 The king, Henry VIII, outlawed Bibles with notes in the margins (November).

1539 The Taverner Bible was issued.

1539 The Great Bible was published in April.

1540 The second edition of the Great Bible was issued in April and authorized to be put in churches. This was the first truly authorized Bible.

1541 After the second edition of the Great Bible (1540) five more revisions appeared by December of 1541.

1546 The king, Henry VIII, ordered all English Bibles except the Great Bible burned.

1555 John Rogers (Thomas Matthew) was burned alive on February 4 by Mary Tudor.

1556 On March 21 Thomas Cranmer was martyred. He wrote the preface to the Great Bible which is often called the "Cranmer Bible."

1557 The Geneva New Testament was translated by William Whittingham.

1560 The complete Geneva Bible with a revised New Testament was published. It was the most used English Bible for about 100 years.

1561 Archbishop Matthew Parker proposed the Great Bible be revised. The result was the Bishops' Bible.

1568 The Bishops' Bible was finished after seven years of work.

1569 The last edition of the Great Bible was printed.

1569 The second edition of the Bishops' Bible was printed.

1572 The third edition of the Bishops' Bible was printed.

1579 The Geneva Bible became the first Bible printed in Scotland.

1582 The Rheims New Testament translation from the Latin was finished and published.

1604 The KJV project was recommended and approved at the Hampton Court Conference.

1606 The nineteenth and last edition of the Bishops' Bible was printed.

1606 The KJV translation was started at Oxford, Cambridge, and Westminster.

1609 The KJV translation was completed and editorial work was started.

1609/10 The Douai Old Testament was published.

1611 The King James Bible was finished in February.

1611 A corrected KJV was issued in conjunction with the first press run.