Bible Translation Timeline

Eleventh Century 1000-1099

Fourteenth Century 1300-1399

  • c. 1380 John Wycliffe's Bible. First English translation of the Bible.
  • c. 1388 John Purvey's revision of Wycliffe's Bible into more idiomatic English.

Fifteenth Century 1400-1499

  • 1455 - Gutenberg Bible published - First Bible printed using movable type.
  • 1488 - Birth of Myles Coverdale
  • c. 1494 - Birth of William Tyndale

Sixteenth Century 1500-1599

  • 1509 - King Henry VIII ascends the throne.
  • 1514-1517 - Complutensian Polyglot First printed Greek New Testament (not released until 1517)
  • 1516 - Desiderius Erasmus' First published Greek/Latin Novum Instrumentum New Testament - Later editions would be utilized by early translators.
  • 1517 - Beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
  • 1525 - William Tyndale's printing of the New Testament (in English, from Erasmus' third edition) in the city of Cologne is terminated in a raid by Catholic authorities. Tyndale evades capture but loses a portion of his work.
  • 1526 - William Tyndale's translation of the New Testament from the Greek successfully published at Worms.
  • 1530 - William Tyndale's translation of the Pentateuch from the Hebrew published.
  • 1534 - Martin Luther's complete Bible, Biblia das ist die gantze Heilige Schrifft Deudsch published
  • 1534 - William Tyndale's translation of New Testament from the Greek published (first revision).
  • 1535 - William Tyndale's translation of New Testament from the Greek published (second revision).
  • 1535 - Myles Coverdale's version of the Bible. First complete Bible printed in English.
  • 1536 - Death of William Tyndale - 6 October 1536 (Executed by strangling and burning at the stake.)
  • 1537 - Thomas Matthew Bible published. Combination of Tyndale's and Coverdale's translations.
  • 1539 - Great Bible published.
  • 1547 - King Edward VI ascends the throne.
  • 1553 - Queen Mary ascends the throne.
  • 1557 - William Whittingham's translation of the New Testament published (Whittingham also worked on the Geneva Bible).
  • 1558 - Queen Elizabeth I ascends the throne.

Seventeenth Century 1600-1699

  • 1611 - Authorized Version of the Bible published. (Also known as the King James Version).
  • 1625 - King Charles I ascends the throne.
  • 1649 - Execution of King Charles I, beginning of Commonwealth.
  • 1653 - Henry Hammond's A Paraphrase, and Annotations Upon all the Books of The New Testament published.
  • 1660 - Restoration of King Charles II.
  • 1663 - First Bible printed in America by John Eliot - a translation into Algonquian, a Native American Language.
  • 1684 - Woodhead, Walker & Allestrey's A Paraphrase and Annotations upon All the Epistles of St Paul published.
  • 1685 - King James II ascends the throne.
  • 1685 - Richard Baxter's Paraphrase on the New Testament published.
  • 1689 - William & Mary ascend the throne.

Eighteenth Century 1700-1799

  • 1702 - Queen Anne ascends the throne.
  • 1714 - King George I ascends the throne.
  • 1718 - The New Testament Of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Newly Translated out of the Latin Vulgat by Cornelius Nary published.
  • 1727 - King George II ascends the throne.
  • 1729 - Daniel Mace's translation of the New Testament published with a revised Greek text.
  • 1743 - First American Bible in a European Language (German) by Christoph Saur.
  • 1745 - William Whiston's Primitive New Testament published.
  • 1749 - Bishop Challoner's first revision of the Rheims New Testament published.
  • 1760 - King George III ascends the throne.
  • 1764 - Anthony Purver's translation of the Bible published.
  • 1770 - John Worsley's translation of the New Testament published.
  • 1776 - United States Declaration of Independence
  • 1777 - First publication of the King James Version New Testament in America.
  • 1790 - First publication of the Douay Rheims Bible in America.
  • 1790 - William Gilpin's version of the New Testament published. (reprints in 1793, 1798, and 1811)
  • 1791 - First American edition of John Wesley's Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament.
  • 1791 - Gilbert Wakefield's translation of the New Testament published (second edition, 1793)
  • 1792 - Alexander Geddes' translation of the Bible (Volume 1 - Genesis-Joshua) published.
  • 1796 - Bishop Challoner's third revision of the Douay Old Testament published.
  • 1797 - Bishop Challoner's final revision of the Rheims New Testament published.
  • 1797 - Alexander Geddes' translation of the Bible (Volume 2 - Judges-2 Chronicles) published.
  • 1798 - Nathaniel Scarlett's translation of the New Testament published.

Ninteenth Century 1800-1899

  • 1800 - First Greek New Testament published in America.
  • 1804 - British and Foreign Bible Society Founded
  • 1806 - First Greek / Latin bilingual New Testament published in America by S. F. Bradford of Philadelphia.
  • 1807 - Alexander Geddes' translation of the Psalms published posthumously.
  • 1808 - Charles Thomson's translation of the Bible published.
  • 1808 - Thomas Belsham's Improved Version based of Bishop Newcome's Translation published (American edition published 1809).
  • 1820 - King George IV ascends the throne.
  • 1820 - First French Bible (Ostervald's translation) published by the American Bible Society.
  • 1824 - John Power's The New Testament, By Way of Question and Answer published.
  • 1826 - Alexander Campbell's The Sacred Writings of the Apostles and Evangelists of Jesus Christ published.
  • 1830 - John Gorham Palfrey New Testament published.
  • 1830 - King William III ascends the throne.
  • 1833 - Noah Webster's revision of the Authorized Version published.
  • 1833 - New Testament in Ojibwa published (fifth Native American language to have a printed New Testament).
  • 1836 - First modern reprint of William Tyndale's New Testament.
  • 1836 - John Lingard's translation of the Gospels published (second edition 1851).
  • 1837 - First American reprint of William Tyndale's New Testament.
  • 1837 - Queen Victoria ascends the throne.
  • 1839 - First Portuguese New Testament published in American (Antonio Pereira de Figueiredo translation from the Vulgate)

Twentieth Century 1900-1999

Twenty-first Century 2000-2099


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