Harry Freedman recounts the fascinating and bloody history of the Bible.In 1535, William Tyndale, the first man to produce an English version of the Bible in print, was captured and imprisoned in Belgium. A year later he was strangled and then burned at the stake. His co-translator was also burned. In that same year the translator of the first Dutch Bible was arrested and beheaded. These were not the first, nor were they the last instances of extreme violence against Bible translators. The Murderous History of Bible Translations tells the remarkable, and bloody, story of those who dared translate the word of God.The Bible has been translated far more than any other book. To our minds it is self-evident that believers can read their sacred literature in a language they understand. But the history of Bible translations is far more contentious than reason would suggest. Bible translations underlie an astonishing number of religious conflicts that have plagued the world.Harry Freedman, author of The Talmud: A Biography describes brilliantly the passions and strong emotions that arise when deeply held religious convictions are threatened or undermined. He tells of the struggle for authority and orthodoxy in a world where temporal power was always subjugated to the divine. A world in which the idea of a Bible for all was so important that many were willing to give up their time, their security and often their lives.

By the same authorIntroductionPart One: Before the Violence1 The Legacy of Alexandria2 A Wandering Armenian3 Old Words, New Tongues4 The Sublime BiblesPart Two: The Violence Begins5 Medieval Conflict6 The Murder of Tyndale7 Confound their Strife8 King James's BiblePart Three: Enlightenment9 A New Role10 The Early American Bible11 The Quest of Meaning12 Reworking the Bible13 The Future for the Translated BibleNotesBibliographyIndex