Coverdale, Miles, 1488–1569, b. Yorkshire. English translator of the Bible Bible [Gr.,=the books], term used since the 4th cent. to denote the Christian Scriptures and later, by extension, those of various religious traditions. This article discusses the nature of religious scripture generally and the Christian Scriptures specifically, as
..... Click the link for more information. , educated at Cambridge. Coverdale was ordained (1514) and entered the house of Augustinian friars at Cambridge. After developing an appreciation of Martin Luther he became an advocate of ecclesiastical reform. Forced (1528) to reside abroad for his preaching against confession and images, he worked with William Tyndale Tyndale, Tindal, or Tindale, William (all: tĭn`dəl), c.
..... Click the link for more information. and later published (1535) the first English translation of the entire Bible, probably largely with the aid of the Vulgate Vulgate (vŭl`gāt) [Lat. Vulgata editio=common edition], most ancient extant version of the whole Christian Bible .
..... Click the link for more information. , Tyndale's Pentateuch and New Testament, and German versions emanating from Luther and the translators at Zürich. He collaborated on the Great Bible (1539) and edited Cranmer's Bible (1540). With the passage of the anti-Reformation Six Articles, Coverdale again fled to the continent, returning in 1547 after the death of Henry VIII. He enjoyed high favor under Edward VI, serving as bishop of Exeter from 1551 to 1553. On Mary's accession he lost his bishopric and left England. He returned after Elizabeth's succession, and became widely known for his eloquent sermons and addresses. He was rector of St. Magnus, London Bridge, from 1563 to 1566, but resigned when Archbishop Parker sought to enforce the Act of Uniformity, with which Coverdale was dissatisfied.

Bibliography

See his writings and letters, ed. by G. Pearson (2 vol., 1844–46).

Coverdale, Miles

(born 1488?, York, Yorkshire, Eng.—died Jan. 20, 1569, London) English bishop who issued the first printed English Bible. Ordained in 1514, he became an Augustinian friar at Cambridge, where he adopted Lutheran beliefs. By 1528 he was preaching against graven images and the mass. He lived abroad during 1528–34 to escape persecution, and while in Antwerp he translated the entire Bible into English; his Bible was published in 1535. He returned to England and edited the Great Bible (1539) but was soon forced to flee by the religious policies of Henry VIII. He returned after Henry's death and became bishop at Exeter in 1551. Under the Catholic Mary I, he lost his office but was spared execution.