The Wild, TRUE History of the English Bible

A quirky printing mistake in the 1700s leads us into one of the most remarkable stories in church history: how the Bible made its way into the English language.

We start with the strange tale of the “Vinegar Bible,” a beautifully printed 1717 Bible filled with errors that accidentally labeled Luke 20 “The Parable of the Vinegar.” From there, we trace the long and costly journey that brought Scripture from its original languages into the hands of ordinary English readers.

Along the way we explore the people who played pivotal roles in that story:

• Jerome, whose Latin translation (the Vulgate) became the Bible of the Western church for over a thousand years.

• John Wycliffe, who made the first attempt to translate the Bible into English—so controversial that his bones were later dug up and burned.

• Desiderius Erasmus, whose compilation of the Greek New Testament (the Textus Receptus) unlocked a new era of translation.

• William Tyndale, who translated the New Testament from Greek into English and ultimately paid for it with his life.

• And finally King James I, who commissioned the translation that would become the most widely distributed English Bible in history.

What we hold today—whether in a printed Bible or an app on our phone—is the result of centuries of scholarship, courage, political drama, and deep conviction that ordinary people should be able to read God’s Word in their own language.

The story of the English Bible isn’t just interesting history. It’s a reminder that countless believers sacrificed so that we could open the Scriptures anytime we want.

And the best way we can honor that gift is simple: open the Bible and read it.