Overview
This fictitious Web site highlights several significant books of the 1500's. Among these were translations of the Bible from Latin into languages commonly used by people of that time. For centuries, the Vulgate version of the Bible, completed by Saint Jerome in A.D. 405, had been the standard version of the Bible used in the Roman Catholic Church.
The first complete English translation of the Bible appeared in the 1380's. This translation was made by John Wycliffe, an English priest, and his followers. In the 1520's and 1530's, the Englishman William Tyndale translated the Bible into English while living in Germany. The vigorous language of Tyndale's translation greatly influenced most later translations and revisions of the Bible in English.
The most influential English translation of the Bible was made in the early 1600's. In 1604, King James I of England authorized a committee of about 50 scholars to prepare a revision of earlier English translations of the Bible. The new version appeared in 1611 and became known as the King James, or Authorized, Version. The beauty and grace of the translation established the King James Version as one of the great treasures of the English language. In addition to its impact on religion, the King James Bible had enormous influence on language, writing styles, and literature in all English-speaking countries.