Scripture for Today, 3-1-17

Series: History of the Holy Bible in English, Installment #8: Miles Coverdale, 1569 AD

Miles Cloverdale was born in 1488 in Richmondshire, England and he printed the first complete Bible in the English language on October 4, 1535. He made use of Luther's German text and the Latin as additional sources.  He was quoted as saying:
 
"It shall greatly help ye to understand the Scriptures if thou mark not only what is spoken or written, but of whom and to whom, with what words, at what time, where, to what intent, with what circumstances, considering what goeth before and what followeth after."
 
During his long life, he experienced eight decades of crucial importance in religious history. His theological development is a paradigm of the progress of the English Reformation from 1530 to 1552.  In 1528, he had left the Augustinians and, wearing simple garments preached in Essex against transubstantiation [literally the communion bread being the body and blood of the Lord Jesus], the worship of images and the traditional form of confession. Such views were very dangerous in 1528, for the future course of the religious revolution. Reforms proposed by the Lollards and those preached by Luther were being pursued by a vigorous campaign against what the Roman Catholic leadership referred to as 'heresy.' 

Towards the end of 1528, Coverdale fled England to the Continent of Europe.[1] 

​By the time of his death, he had transitioned into an early Puritan, affiliated to Calvin. Apparently he died of natural causes although he was exiled from London three times and was buried in St. Bartholomew's Church in January of 1569. More here

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness:"
2 Timothy 2:16

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