Translating the Bible

What motivated the men who gave us our Bible in English? Much of the answer lies in the turbulent religious history of the era, but there are clues which can be found in the prefaces published with each new edition.This collection of the prefaces to the main translations of the Bible into English between 1525 and 1611 has been prepared to coincide with the four-hundredth anniversary of the fi rst edition of the Authorised or King James Version.An introductory chapter delineates the key events, and this is followed by each of the texts, with notes indicating the sources of the various quotations and allusions.This collection therefore provides the historical and theological ancestry of a much loved translation, and readers can hardly fail to be challenged by the spiritual concerns of the translators.Gerald Bray is Director of Research for the Latimer Trust. Prior to this appointment he taught church history and historical theology at Beeson DivinitySchool, Samford University from 1993, having previously served as lecturer in theology and philosophy at Oak Hill College in London.