18041804 British & Foreign Bible Society formed
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18161816 Purchase of the first Bible House, 10 Earl Street, Blackfriars |
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1800s1800s Growth of Bible work
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18681868 New home for Bible SocietyIn the 1860s Bible Society needed to find new premises and commissioned a building on Queen Victoria Street in London. The then Prince of Wales, who was to become Edward VII, laid the foundation stone. This building was Bible Society's home for 117 years, from 1868 to 1985. |
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Early 1900sColporteur travels by donkey across the Gobi DesertCourageous colporteur Mildred Cable travelled by donkey several times, all the way across the Gobi desert in Mongolia, China. With her companions, Francesca and Evangeline French, she distributed Scriptures and set up a school. At that time, Chinese girls were only classed as beautiful if they had very tiny feet, so their feet were bound so they could not grow. To counter this, Mildred Cable and the two sisters would not allow girls into their school unless their feet were unbound. They adopted a young deaf and mute girl called Topsy who joined them on their travels. When they returned home to England, Mildred began work with Bible Society. She was particularly involved in the women's side of the work, which was still separate at that time. |
19041904 Centenary celebrationsBy our centenary celebrations in 1904, we had distributed nearly 181 million copies of the Scriptures worldwide. A special Royal Service marked the centenary in a crowded St Paul's Cathedral. Though illness prevented the King from coming, his consort Queen Alexander attended, along with the Prince and Princess of Wales. The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke to the congregation. |
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1915-1918First World War, but Bible work continues
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19231923 Braving a business trip by airMr Haig appears to have been the first member of staff to travel by air on Bible Society business, but the new technology wasn't entirely reliable... His flight from Berlin to London began on 31 August 1923. Mr Haig stated, 'The trip was in a bi-plane with an open cockpit and I was therefore provided with flying clothes. The trip should have taken about eight hours. We followed the Elbe but near Hamburg the engine spluttered to a halt and the pilot had to hastily select the largest field in sight, where he landed safely. We were taken by car to the nearest aerodrome and another plane took me to Schipol (near Amsterdam) where I stayed the night, as no night flying was allowed at the time. The next morning I left in a Dutch plane with a postal official and the mail, reaching Croydon at 11.30 am.' |
1939-451939 Second World WarStaff at Bible House continued their vital work, amid falling bombs and fires during World War II. A report at the time comments, 'Needless to say the Society will continue to carry on its work from headquarters. Our windows will have to be boarded up as a temporary measure, but the electric light is still available and there is not the slightest reason why our activities should be curtailed.' In 1943, Nazi authorities closed the Bible Depot in Prague and the circulation of Scriptures was prohibited. However, the Superintendent, the Revd B Cernohorsky, continued to organise the production of Bibles in Prague despite the official ban. He found printers who were willing to take the risk and a binder who was at the same time officially employed by a notorious Nazi General on Government publications! |
1946Formation of the United Bible SocietiesTo co-ordinate the work of the growing number of national Bible Societies, |
1948A Royal Charter for Bible SocietyThe Royal Charter governing the Bible Society's work was originally granted by King George VI on 27th November 1948. It details how the Society should operate and includes 'Bye-laws' relating to the aims of the Society, the appointment of the Board of Trustees and the accounts. The current Royal Charter, recognising the changing role of the Society was granted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1984. The Society regards its recognition as a charter body as a real privilege. |
19541954 The Queen Mother and Enid BlytonThe Queen Mother visited Bible House on 4 May and the Queen sent a special message to greet Bible Society on its 150th anniversary. In the same year, Enid Blyton wrote a children's book about Bible Society, entitled The Greatest Book in the World, in honour of our 150th anniversary. This was published in March 1954. Punch marked the anniversary with a drawing by Fougasse, symbolising the Society's work. |
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1976Good News Bible published
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1977Beginnings of Bible a MonthThe idea was simple - to invite supporters to make regular gifts so that, every month someone new receives the Bible. The idea has gone round the world. Find out more |
19821982 New Bible House in SwindonRenowned American Evangelist Billy Graham opened the first part of the new Bible House in Swindon in 1982, and in 1986 the Queen Mother officially opened the completed new building, finalising our historic move from London to Wiltshire. |
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1986Opening of historic scripture collectionPrince Philip opened Bible Society's historic Scripture collection. The earliest piece in the collection is a 4th century manuscript. It also includes Tyndale, Wycliffe and Luther Bibles. There are Bibles with embroidered, jewel encrusted and wood carved covers, Bibles no bigger than a man's thumbnail and even a Bible in Pittman shorthand! |
1987Chinese Bibles roll off the pressesThroughout the Cultural Revolution in China (1966-76) Bible work was impossible. However, in the 1980s, there were the first signs of a new openness. An understanding was reached between the Amity Foundation, a Chinese Christian initiative, and the United Bible Societies, to establish a printing press for the production of Bibles and New Testaments. The first Bibles rolled off the press in 1987, since then over 30 million copies have been distributed. |
1990s1990s Communism crumblesAs Communism in Eastern Europe crumbled, Bible Society was quick to respond by helping fund the supply of Bibles to countries that had been without them for two generations. In the closing decade of the last millennium Bible Societies were set up or re-established in Russia, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. |
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1995Launch of Faith comes by hearing
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1997Sir Cliff Richard and Steve Chalke become Vice President |
1998The Open Book ProjectThe Archbishop of Canterbury's idea for a Year of the Bible took shape when Bible Society and Churches Together in England launched The Open Book project. The aim was to open the book - the Bible - for today's generation through the arts, media, politics and education, using an array of methods from drama to debate and storytelling to music. |
2001Gearing up for the challenges of the 21st CenturyBible Society repositions itself to take on the challenges of the 21st century as it seeks to make the Bible heard by everyone, everywhere. |
20032003 First Campaign to Culture in NottinghamBible Society's first major campaign to culture took place in Nottinghamshire. The campaign used billboards, bus shelter posters and radio adverts, to make connections between TV soaps and themes first dealt with in the Bible, in order to encourage people to take a fresh look at the biblical story. Find out more |
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2004Celebrating our BicentenaryOur celebrations for 200 years of making the Bible heard included a service at St Paul's Cathedral on 8 March 2004, an international day of prayer and an exhibition of Bible Society Scriptures at the Guildhall in London. |
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20052005 Bristol Campaign to CultureWe live in a media-savvy, fast-moving world. In order to get the general public to notice the media campaign and engage with it, we chose to use an approach that is both familiar and of interest to most people, and one which stands a chance of getting people's attention ... something which is already a major part of daily life ... soap operas! Find out more |
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20062006 Campaigning against Bible povertyThat's the reason for this wake up call. Bible Society's 8:32 campaign is a plea to open our eyes - and our hearts - to Bible poverty. At its root are language barriers, blindness, illiteracy and people simply being too poor to own a Bible. Others are Bible-poor because they live in a 'sophisticated' culture where the Bible is written off as irrelevant. Bible poverty is robbing millions of the truth that Jesus can set them free. We are praying you will catch our vision for a day when the Bible is shaping the lives and communities of people everywhere. This stark reality of global Bible poverty is a scandal as great as global poverty. Both break the heart of God. How can they not touch our hearts too? Find out more at www.its832.org |
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20072007 Greater Manchester Campaign to CultureIn May and June 2007, we unleashed The Riddle of Life campaign across the whole of Greater Manchester. Working in partnership with over 250 churches in the area Bible Society helped people re-engage with the Bible in a positive way. The Riddle of Life competition was based on solving 7 biblical riddles. Each riddle featured the headline of a biblical story - but also contained a missing word to solve. Find out more |
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Laying the foundations
Hearing of plans to provide Bibles at reduced prices for Welsh speakers, at a Religious Tract Society meeting, the Revd Joseph Hughes asked, 'If for Wales, why not for the kingdom, and if for the kingdom, why not for the world?'
This meeting - held on 7 December 1802 in London - lay the foundation for the formation of the British and Foreign Bible Society the following year. The Society was launched on 7 March 1804, in the London Tavern, Bishopsgate, in the presence of around 300 people.
The story of Mary Jones
The story of a young Welsh girl who was so determined to buy a Bible that she trekked over 20 miles of mountain paths when she heard copies were available in a nearby town. When she got there, there was only one Bible left. Stories of people like Mary Jones helped inspire the formation of Bible Society.
William Wilberforce and other members of the Clapham Sect were instumental in founding Bible Society in 1804
The 18th century was marked by a number of powerful movements which weakened the influence of Christianity in society. This widespread indifference to biblical values, like justice and freedom, was such that no one was willing to tackle evils such as the slave trade. In 1787, seven years after he became an MP, Wilberforce wrote in his diary: 'God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the slave trade and the Reformation of Manners'. What Wilberforce actually intended was to make 'goodness fashionable' and to cause people to fall in love with the Bible - the inspiration for that goodness. Wilberforce was associated with many societies and campaigning groups, including the British and Foreign Bible Society.
International growth
Bible Society auxiliaries and other independent national Bible Society formed to conduct Bible work throughout the world - in many cases with the active encouragement and financial backing of the British and Foreign Bible Society.
A network of agents
A network of agents began to emerge, reinforced by permanent depots and the employment of traveling salesmen - called "colporteurs" - who sold Bibles all around the world. Using reindeer sledges, camels, boats and horses to reach the most remote places, the colporters often put themselves at great personal risk and braved the threat of fever, rejection, abuse and even imprisonment as a spy.
The Scriptures were sold, not given away, but as some people couldn't afford them, a barter system was adopted - instead of money, some colporteurs finished a day's sale, clutching eggs, rabbits, fans, chopsticks and even monkeys!
Click here for one of the many stories that illustrate the influence the colporteurs had...
A growing Christian Church
1850 to 1914 - a time of phenomenal expansion for the Christian Church worldwide. Missionaries of many Societies began pioneering translation work, editing, publishing and distributing Scriptures.
Circulation
1,500 colporteurs continued their work in countries outside the main areas of battle during World War 1. In 1916 a quarter and in 1917 a third of Bible Society's total circulation was achieved in China, where three million copies of the Bible were circulated in 1917.
Translation
Despite all the hazards associated with traveling and delays in communication during the war, thirty four new languages were added to Bible Society's Bible translation lists between 4 August 1914 and 11 November 1918, an average of one for every seven weeks of the war.
Newspaper reports
An article in the Daily Telegraph early in 1918 remarked, "Few indeed realise how great have been the activities of this learned and uncontroversial [Bible] Society since the first days of the war."
