The Contested History of a Book

This paper explores the common misconception that vernacular translations of the Bible were not available prior to Luther. Voices of more radical Lutheran ideology praise their founder as a pioneer, but Luther may have relied on prior vernacular Bibles to accomplish his own work toward what became the more preferable translation. Those dated earlier had a reputation for inaccuracies and poor diction. Gow provides a detailed history of the Luther Bible's esteem.