Its name refers to its size—huge. It was a pulpit Bible, not an everyday household Bible, and it never became popular with the people as did the later Geneva Bible (see 189).
This 1539 version, authorized by King Henry VIII, had a picture of the king on its title page, plus the inscription “This is appointed to be read in churches.”
Indeed, it was the first time in English history that a Bible in the people’s own language was available in churches.
Most people had never heard the Bible in their own tongue, and they flocked to the churches to read it (or, if they were illiterate, to hear someone read it aloud).
Many adults learned to read just so they could have access to the Word of God.
