Great Bible

Great Bible
Title page of the 1539 edition.
Full name	The Byble in Englyſhe, that is to ſaye the content of all the holy ſcrypture, bothe of yͤ olde and newe teſtament, truly tranſlated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by yͤ Dylygent ſtudye of dyuerſe excellent learned men, expert in the forſayde tonges. (In modern orthography: The Bible in English, that is to say the content of all the holy scripture, both of the old and new testament, truly translated after the verity of the Hebrew and Greek texts, by the Diligent study of diverse excellent learned men, expert in the foresaid tongues.)
Other names	The King's Bible
NT published	1525 (Tyndale Bible)
Complete Bible published	1539
Authorship	Myles Coverdale
Textual basis	Textus Receptus, Vulgate
Religious affiliation	Protestant
Genesis 1:1–3 In the begynnynge God created heauen and earthe. The earth was voyde and emptye: and darcknes was vpon the face of the depe: and the sprete of God moued vpon the face of the waters. And God sayde: let there be made lyght, and there was light made. John 3:16 For God so loue the worlde, that, he gaue is only begotten sonne, that whosoeuer beleueth in him, shulde not perisshe, but haue euerlastyng lyfe.

The Great Bible of 1539 was the first authorised edition of the Bible in English, authorised by King Henry VIII of England to be read aloud in the church services of the Church of England. The Great Bible was prepared by Myles Coverdale, working under commission of Thomas Cromwell, Secretary to Henry VIII and Vicar General. In 1538, Cromwell directed the clergy to provide "one book of the Bible of the largest volume in English, and the same set up in some convenient place within the said church that ye have care of, whereas your parishioners may most commodiously resort to the same and read it."

The Great Bible includes much from the Tyndale Bible, with the objectionable features revised. As the Tyndale Bible was incomplete, Coverdale translated the remaining books of the Old Testament and Apocrypha from the Latin Vulgate and German translations, rather than working from the original Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic texts. Although called the Great Bible because of its large size, it is known by several other names as well: the King's Bible, because the King Henry VIII of England authorized and permitted it; the Cromwell Bible, since Thomas Cromwell directed its publication; Whitchurch's Bible after its first English printer; the Chained Bible, since it was chained to prevent removal from the church. It has less accurately been termed Cranmer's Bible, since although Thomas Cranmer was not responsible for the translation, a preface by him appeared in the second edition.^[1]