Biblical Church History

Following the Hand of God and the Hand of Satan

Church Reference Approx. date

Meaning

Ephesus Rev. 2:1-7 90 – 200 AD Fully purposedSmyrna Rev. 2: 8-11 200-325 AD Bitterness and

death Pergamos Rev. 2: 12-

17325-500 AD Much marriage

Thyatria Rev. 2: 18-29

500- 1000 AD

Oder of affliction

Sardis Rev. 3:1-6 1000- 1500 AD

Red ones

Philadelphia

Rev. 3: 7-13 1500- 1900 AD

Brotherly love

Laodicea Rev. 3:14-22

1900- Rapture

Civil rights

THE 7 PERIODS OF CHURCH HISTORY

Revelation 3:7-13c.1500-1900 A.D.

“Brotherly Love”

ThyatIra

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Basic Understanding of the Philadelphian Church Period:• It is really nothing more than the King James Bible getting into the hands of the Bible believers, and them taking it to the ends of the world.•Whereas the domination of the RCC during the Thyatira and Sardis Church periods threw the world into utter darkness, with the entrance of the King James Bible into the world, it threw the world into blazing light!

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THE

REFORMERS

THE CONTINUED PERSECUTION OF BIBLE

BELIEVERS BY THE REFORMERS

Lutheran Persecution:

In 1536, Philip Melancthon, Luthern’s “right hand man” in the Reformation, composed a memorandum that inflicted the death penalty against all Anabaptist. It was signed by Martin Luther.

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Zwinglian Persecution:

Zwingli was an unmerciful exterminator of BaptistZwingli said, “Let those who talk of going under, go under indeed!”Robert J. Sargent, Landmarks of Church History (Oak Harbor, WA: Bible Baptist Church Publications), Vol. 1, 229

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Calvinist Persecution:Calvin said, “Anabaptist and reactionist should alike be put to death.” J.T. Christian, A History of the Baptist (Texarkana, Ark) Vol. 1, 198

“Calvin’s fiercest theological conflicts were with..Servetus..the Anabaptist, the Socinians, etc..heresy he could away with, and he soon decided that the only efficient argument against it was the fagot or the sword.”A.H. Newman, A Manual of Church History, Vol. 2, 223

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A. The Purifying

of the English Bible

“Brotherly love”

Philadelphia

(Psa 12:6-7) The words of the LORD are pure

words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt

keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve

them from this generation for ever.

1ST ENGLISH BIBLE

The Wycliffe Bible

John Wycliffe

“The morning Star of the

reformation” 1382

Is known as the “Morning Star of Reformation”

In the 1300’s the Roman Catholic Church dominated the people and nations of England.

Upon his conversion, Wycliffe began to speak out against the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic hierarchy and doctrines.

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He concluded that the only thing that could really break the grip that the Roman Catholic Church used to enslave the people of England was to get the Bible into the hands of the people.With the help of friends, by 1380 the New Testament was complete, and by 1382 the Old Testament was complete.Note: Wycliffe’s translation was made from the Old Latin bible.

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Copies were obviously made by hand. It took 10 months just to make 1 copy! Copies were therefore expensive and rare.Wycliffe trained young men to preach the Word of God throughout England, called “Lollards”The attacks against Wycliffe and his bible…43 years after he died, the Pope commanded his body to be exhumed from the grave and to be burned at the stake. For 143 years, this was the only English bible.

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THE INVENTION OF THE PRINTING PRESS

The printing press was invented by Johannes GutenbergHis boyhood “accident”In 1450, he actually invented the printing pressIn 1454, he invented movable typeIn 1455, the first book came off the Gutenberg Press..A Bible!This invention would facilitate the spread of the Word of God like nothing before or since!

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THE PRODUCTION OF THE GREEK TEXT BY ERASMUS

The production of the Greek Text of New Testament: Desiderius Erasmus.The real reason he’s such a controversial subject in the “versions” issue- if you can find a way to discount him, you can find a way to discount the Kings James Bible.He was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands sometime between 1466 and 1469.He receives a quality education in an Augustinian Monastary in Stein, Germany.

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He was one of the most learned men who ever lived.It was said he could do 10 hours work in one

Some attacks against Erasmus:•Concerning his scholarship•That he didn’t have the “best” manuscripts•That he didn’t come out of the RCC

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He didn’t however, disagree with the RCCHe longed to get the Bible into the hands of the common manConcerning the Scriptures, Erasmus wrote

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Concerning the Scriptures, Erasmus wrote,“I would have those words translated into all languages, so that not only Scots and Irishman, but Turks and Saracents might read them. I long for the plowboy to sing them to himself as he follows the plow, the weaver to hum them to the tune of his shuttle, the traveler to beguile with them the dullness of his journey.”Other unfounded attacks (Gay etc)

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The answer to Erasmus’ longing:•Marin Luthers German Bible (1534)• French Versions-Lefevre (1534) and Olivetan (1525)•Biestkens Dutch Bible (1558)•Swedish Uppsala Bible (1541)•Spanish translation by Cassiodoro de Reyna (1569)•Danish Christian III Bible (1550)•Czech version (1602)• Italian translation by Diodati (1607)•Tyndale Bible (1525)•King James Bible (1611)

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2nd ENGLISH BIBLE

The Tyndale Bible

William Tyndale

1525

William Tyndale was born in Gloucestershire, England in 1484By 1502, he had been ordained to the Roman Catholic PriesthoodBy 1515, he had acquired his M.A. from Oxford.He was skilled in 7 languages.While at Cambridge, one of his professors was Erusmas.Tyndale was converted, and began to speak out against the RCC.

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In an historic dialogue between a Roman Catholic priest and Tyndale, the priest said, “It were better for us to be without Gods laws, than to be without the Popes.” Tyndale responded, “I defy the Pope and his laws; if God spares my life ere many years, I will cause a boy that driveth the plough to know more of the Bible than you do!”

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Taking Erasmus’ Greek New Testament, Tyndale set out to provide English-speaking people a translation of the Bible from the original language.

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The sequence of events leading to his translation..• Realizing if he stayed in England to complete the work it would mean his death• 1524 he set sail for Hamburg, Germany• By 1525 thousands of copies are being printed• By 1524 they are being smuggled back into England• By 1530 he translated the Penteteuch.• By 1535 he was arrested and imprisoned• In prison he finished the O.T.

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On Friday, October 6, 1536, Tyndale was led out of prison to be executed. His final words were a simple prayer, prayed with fervent zeal..“God, open the King of England’s eyes”

Note: The next two English Bibles would be officially sanctified by the King of England. Within 75 years, God’s preserved Word for the English speaking people for the next 400 years would be named after the King of England!

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3rd ENGLISH BIBLE

The Coverdale Bible

Myles

Coverdale 1535

It derives its name from a man by the name of Myles CoverdaleHe was a personal friend of William Tyndale and served as a proof-reader for Tyndale’s BibleCoverdale’s Bible was actually a revision of Tyndale’s New Testament and PenteteuchBecause Coverdale was not knowledgeable of the original languages, the remainder of the translation was made from Luther’s German translation, the Latin Bible, and the Swiss Zurich Bible.

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The Bible was dedicated to King Henry VIII of England, and was personally licensed and sanctioned by the King himself.

On October 4, 1535, it became the first complete Bible printed in the English language.

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4th ENGLISH BIBLE

The Matthew Bible

John Rogers

1537

This Bible derives its name from a man by the name of Thomas Matthew.That name, however, was really a pseudonym for John Rogers.John Rogers was also a friend of William Tyndale, and shortly before his martyrdom, Tyndale asked him to complete the translating of the BibleRogers went by the pseudonym of Thomas Matthews because he felt it would have the possibility of publication if it were not associated with Tyndale.

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Though 2/3 of the Matthew Bible was actually Tyndale’s work, King Henry VIII, who ordered Tyndale’s execution, licensed it with his approval to be sold and read. John Rogers was the first victim of martyrdom serving the reign of “Bloody Mary” in 1555

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5th ENGLISH BIBLE

The Great Bible

Myles

Coverdale 1539

This was another Bible produced by Coverdale.It is called “great” because of size of the pages it was printed on 16 ½ x 11 inches per page.This Bible was really a 2nd revision of Tyndale’s Bible (Matthew’s Bible being the 1st)King Henry VIII issued a royal proclamation commanding that the Great Bible be read publicly in every church in England.

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Note:Within a short three year period after Tyndale’s prayer, some amazing changes had taken place! The Bible had gone from being…

Forbidden (Tyndale’s Bible)Tolerated (Coverdale’s Bible)Licensed (Matthew’s Bible)Commanded by the King to be read (Great Bible)

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6th ENGLISH BIBLE

The Geneva Bible

William Whittingham

1557-60

In 1553, Henry VIII and Catherine’s daughter Mary came to the throne. She became known as “Bloody Mary”She was a strong Catholic, and started the fires of martyrdom in England once again.Geneva, Switzerland became a place where many sought refuge.It was here, that John Calvin’s brother in law, William Whittingham translated the Geneva Bible.

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It is significant for several reasons:It was the first translation to divide the text into verses.

Most editions were small, and easily handled, and relatively inexpensive.(The common man could now own his own Bible!)

It quickly became the most loved and most popular Bible of English speaking of that time.

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It contained marginal notes against the doctrines of the RCC.

This was the Bible of William Shakesphere and John Bunyan.

This was the Bible the pilgrims brought with them on the Mayflower when they arrived in Plymouth.

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7th ENGLISH BIBLE

The Bishops’ Bible

9 Bishops

1568

This Bible was produced for several reasons:The Church of England didn’t like the marginal notes of the Geneva Bible.

The Bishops in the Church of England thought that the popularity of the Geneva Bible had caused them to begin to lose authority with the people.

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The Bishops also thought the Geneva Bible had become more authoritative than the great Bible, which was the Bible being used in the churches.The Bishops sought to counter the effects of the Geneva Bible, and re-establish their authority with the people by developing their own translation. In 1564, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker, organized a revision committee comprised of 9 Bishops.

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The Bishop’s Bible never gained acceptance with the people, and was really an unsatisfying translation. Nonetheless, it became the official church Bible of England for the next 43 years. All the way up to the year 1611!

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8th ENGLISH BIBLE

The Authorized

Bible

King James1611

(Psa 12:6-7) The words of the LORD are pure

words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth,

purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O

LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this

generation for ever.