Let It Go Among Our People: An Illustrated History of the English Bible from John Wyclif to the King James Version - Hardcover

Ryrie, Charles C.; Price, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0718830423 ISBN 13: 9780718830427

Publisher: James Clarke and Co Ltd, 2004

Synopsis

In 1604, when the Authorized Version was commissioned, there were already many English translations of the Scriptures, which King James' scholars freely consulted. Because of the new translation's stunning success, these predecessors are not widely known today. Price and Ryrie have compiled a political and literary history highlighting the treasury of English Renaissance Bibles, both those officially sanctioned, such as the Bishops' Bible, and others which emerged from the shadows of illegal movements.

About this title

Synopsis:

The history of the English Bible - fundamental to the development of the English language - is not widely known. "Let It Go among Our People" tells the story of the birth of the English Bible, the development of its literary style, and its tumultuous political history. In England, unlike almost every other country, it was illegal in the late Middle Ages to translate the word of God into the vernacular. This ban lasted one hundred and twenty-seven years. Overcoming the political and ecclesiastical resistance to an English Bible was a dangerous and difficult task. Lives were lost not only for producing English Bibles, but also for the act of owning or reading them. The authors analyse the language used in the Bible, viewing the whole as literature, whilst studying its translation, and comparing important passages in different versions. Such close study of the text itself is warranted because the English Bible has had a profound effect on English language, literature, politics and ideas and has left a lasting impression on the language we speak today.

No other language, save perhaps German, can boast that its vernacular translation of the Bible is a literary masterpiece in its own right. This in-depth and fascinating study is finely illustrated from manuscript, incunabula and other early books to help to trace the development of this religious, literary and historical masterpiece.

About the Author:

David Price is a specialist in Renaissance Studies with a PhD from Yale University; he currently teaches at Southern Methodist University. Charles Ryrie received doctorates from Dallas Theological Seminary and the University of Edinburgh, and spent his career teaching Bible and Theology; the study of the history of the Bible has been a serious vocation for him for over four decades.

About this edition

• Publisher: James Clarke and Co Ltd
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0718830423
• ISBN 13: 9780718830427
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160