Explores the recurrent tension between scholarly approaches to the translation and interpretation of the Bible, and the authority of the Church and the place of the Bible in the life of the Church. 'This book, a landmark study of the subject in my judgment, is an excellent example of scholarship, and, despite its technicality, is incredibly informative. I hope it finds its way onto the shelves of many theological libraries and into the hands of students of the sixteenth-century, the Reformation, biblical authority and biblical scholarship. Absolutely essential !' Theological Book Review 'Jenkins and Preston have provided a clear and detailed account, supplemented by translations of the less accessible documents, of three sixteenth-century controversies about the translation and interpretation of the Bible.' Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 'This study which is accompanied by an extremely useful collection of documents illustrative of each of the disputes discussed, is both full and lucid. It confronts the issues of authority and intellectual honesty head on in a way which has profound cultural significance. The authority of collective memory now has little credibility, but for centuries it held unchallenged sway. It was at this time, and in these circumstances, that it was first seriously challenged in the modern world.' Archiv fur Reformationsgeschichte 'The authors have to be congratulated for their richly documented study...' Sixteenth Century Journal