A Visual History of the English Bible

The Tumultuous Tale of the World's Best Selling Book

(2008)

Donald L. Brake

Finished Reading: 06.2009

Not only is this Visual History of the English Bible a fascinating tale recounting the slow transformation of God's word from rolled parchment to illuminated manuscript to printed book; it is the relating of History itself - told from a unique perspective not centered on war or politics as is often the case, but rather, on the world as seen through the lens of God's sovereign will to reveal his truth through man's devotion, faith and love.

Prior to reading, I thought I knew a little about church history, but it turns out I only knew a little. This book is rich in providing the back story of how the great leaders of the faith, such as Luther and Calvin, were able to rise to their tasks with the printed Bible in hand. It wasn't always available for the hand that would seek it, though we take it for granted in our modern age of online book ordering and bookstores on every corner (OK, I wish there was a bookstore on every corner).

Interwoven with bloody stories of sacrifice and martyrdom are the personal tales of Donald Brake and his search for rare Bibles to add to his impressive collection, often purchased in England. Little did the translators know that their dangerous work would one day be sought after by this collector. There is no lack of promoting the overextending of ones purchasing power to indulge in an expensive collection. Not being a collector of anything rare or noteworthy, it is hard for me to appreciate this enterprise. However, I am a lover of a great many books and my library shelves grow slowly with the cheapest "quality copies" that I can find, preferring older hardcovers to paperbacks.

I realized I have inadvertently begun a Bible collection of my own. My oldest Bible belonged to my grandfather Walter, a King James Version presented to him by his Aunt Edith in 1935 at his confirmation. Also passed down to me are two Service Testaments from WWII, and a Service Prayer Book, which he carried in that war. I also have a Revised Standard Version that belonged to my father Craig, dated 1970; given to him by his parents. I have added my own Bible to that shelf; A New American Standard was presented to me by my Junior High School for achievement in verse memorization, in 1995.

In addition to providing a stepping stone for me to consider my own Bible collection, Brake's book interested me in the history of the English Monarchy as well as the status of various current Bible translations, both of which I subsequently researched for more information. It seems this book is a gateway to a great many thoughts, surely a distinction of a successful publication. I was unaware of the involvement various Monarchs played in approving or disapproving translations at a whim, sometimes resulting in the death of those who chose to favor the Bishop's Bible over the King James Bible, for example. I was also under-informed of the full force with which the Catholic Church used the ignorance of the "man behind the plow" to hold him in its power. It was the very printing of the Bible in a language that the common man could understand that fueled the Reformation and gave birth to the Protestant faith.

The various translations of the Bible have become like "teams," with one person favoring the NIV and another preferring the NASB. I was a little disappointed that Brake doesn't devote many lines to my personal favorite, the English Standard Version (ESV). Of course it hasn't even been in print for a decade yet, and no blood was spilt over it's introduction, so it's history has yet to be written.