The Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Bible Collection
at
Bridwell
Library
September 8 - December 12, 2009
The First English Translation of the New Testament
[New Testament. Middle English, Wycliffite version]. Illuminated manuscript on vellum. [England, c. 1400–25].
The first widely circulated English version of the Bible, this
translation from the Latin is attributed to the anonymous followers of John Wycliffe (c. 1330–1384), an English reformer who
rejected many Church rituals and institutions, preferring the scriptures as his sole authority. The popularity of the Wycliffite
Bible grew rapidly despite the fact that it was outlawed in 1407 by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who feared scriptural
misinterpretation by lay readers, the erosion of clerical authority, and the propagation of heresy by unlicensed preachers.
Illuminated on the first page and heavily annotated throughout, the Wycliffite New Testament is Bridwell Library’s earliest
version of the Bible in English.
Previous Item Next Item