A brief visit to any Christian bookstore soon reveals a multitude of different versions of the English Bible. But today is not the first time in history in which various translations have vied with each other for the Bible-reading public. Elizabethan England also saw competing Bibles; and now a seminary professor has published a fascinating account of this important period in the story of the English Bible. Dr. Cameron MacKenzie, Professor of Historical Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary (Ft. Wayne), has written The Battle for the Bible in England, 1557-1582, in order to show how various versions of the English Bible reflected the beliefs and practices of the Christian communities that produced them. Protestant exiles during the reign of ³Bloody Mary² published the first Geneva version in 1557. Anglican bishops produced a version of their own in 1568. And in 1582, Catholic exiles under Queen Elizabeth published a New Testament. MacKenzie's book tells the story of these various versions and the people behind the versions­translators and printers, scholars and entrepreneurs, a broad array of individuals all committed (but for widely varying reasons) to putting the Bible into English. MacKenzie¹s work also analyzes the material that accompanied the Biblical text­introductions, notes, illustrations, indexes, and the like­as well as the controversial literature surrounding Bible translations to uncover the beliefs and values of those who produced the various versions. Although the major fault lines of the period lay between Protestants and Catholics, this "battle of the Bibles" reveals significant fractures on both sides of the debate. Published by Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., The Battle for the Bible in England, 1557-1582, is available from Concordia Theological Seminary Bookstore, The Church Resource and Supply Center (Ft. Wayne), Amazon.com, and other bookstores.

From Volume 5, Issue 2, Fall, 2002