The translation of the Bible into English in the 16th century was one of the most important events in English history. Previously, the sacred text had been accessible only to a tiny minority, now anybody could read or listen to it. This study explores some of the effects of the Bible - on English literature during its greatest century, on social, agrarian, foreign and colonial policies. During the 17th-century Revolution, the Bible was used to justify both resistance to and defence of the King, and it called into question all established institutions and practices. But the Revolution revealed the impossiblity of agreeing on what the Bible said. This book should help a better understanding of England's most controversial century.