Trial By Fire

TRIAL BY FIRE is a presentation by Dr. Rawlings on the little known but riveting account of how the English Bible came to be. He uses a portion of his amazing collection of ancient Bibles to illustrate his presentation. Here are some of the rare Bibles you will see:

• Latin Vulgate, (circa A.D. 1200). Hand written on vellum; the basis for the first English Bible.


• Wycliffe New Testament (A.D. 1382 facsimile). The first complete Bible in English.


• Gutenberg Bible page (facsimile, circa A.D. 1454/1455). “The Book that changed the world.”


• Erasmus’ Greek/Latin New Testament, 1535 edition. The first published Greek New Testament.


• Tyndale New Testament, 1551 edition. The first printed English New Testament.


• Coverdale Bible, 1553 edition. The first complete, printed English Bible.


• Matthew’s Bible, 1549 edition. The basis for future English Bibles for over three centuries.


• Taverner’s Bible, 1551 edition. We owe to Taverner the word “parable.”


• Great Bible, 1541 edition. The first authorized English Bible.


• Chained Bible, 1582 edition. Bibles were once chained to the podium in English churches.


• Geneva Bible, 1603 edition. The first English Bible brought to the New World.


• Bishops’ Bible, 1602 edition. The Bible used as a basis for the King James Version.


• King James Bible, 1611 first edition. The most popular English Bible for over 350 years.


• Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, first edition, 1563. Still in print after more than four centuries.


• World’s smallest printed Bible.