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BACHILER This is an attempt to flesh out and fill in the biographical sketch of Stephen Bachiler done by David Acker, in commemoration of C. W. Bachelder's 75th birthday. To better understand any person you need an understanding of the political, social, economic, and religious environment in which they either exist, or existed. To attain a fuller understanding of the man, Stephen Bachiler, then we must delve into the period of history in England and Europe leading into his life span, 1561-1660. Since this period in English and European history is heavily influenced by the actions of Martin Luther, we start with him. Starting in 1512, after receiving his doctorate, and being appointed professor of theology at the University of Wittenberg, we see at his 1521 appearance at the Diet of Worms, the start of the leverage that Henry VIII used in separating from the Roman Catholic church. Luther, at Worms, refused to bow to Papal authority, and stated that he must obey God not man, when the two were in conflict. In posting his 95 theses on the door of All Saints Church, Luther was the first, since the Apostles, to publicly state that men were justified by faith not by works. Luther from exile began publishing his Luther Bible, 'that everyone should have access'. By the year 1534, under Henry VIII, the Parliaments were writing statutes separating the English Church from Rome. Henry's parliaments were controlled by the Tudor House of Lords and bishops of the Anglican Church, and in the House of Commons control fell to knights of the shire. All of the members of Parliament in one way or another depended on the crown for their continued existence. Since Henry VIII had a penchant for variety in his wives, he was at cross purposes with Rome. His desire to ignore Roman authority was fulfilled in the statutes that Parliament so willingly wrote. By 1537, Thomas Matthew's Bible, a combining of the Tyndale and Coverdale Bibles, was approved by Henry VIII. Thomas Cromwell, who had secured the approval, commissioned Coverdale to develop the Great Bible to be placed in every parish church. After falling out of favor in 1540, Thomas Cromwell was executed. An Act of Parliament in 1543 restricted reading of the English Bible to the upper classes alone. When Henry VIII died in 1547, his ten year old son Edward VI ascended to the throne. Edward VI guided by the Duke of Somerset, his uncle, proceeded more deeply into protestant ways. The Six Articles, that were meant to preserve the essentials of Roman Catholic theology, worship, and church organization were repealed. Cranmer was Archbishop of Canterbury, and through marriage made a very clear symbolic break with Roman Catholicism. Under Cranmer the English became a nation of Protestants. In 1553 when Edward VI died, Protestant intriguers attempted to thwart protestant Edward's catholic sister Mary from ascending to the throne. They attempted to install the Protestant Lady Jane Grey, a great-granddaughter of Henry VII. Even though Lady Jane Grey had no part in the plot, she was executed for it when Mary ascended to the throne. The Catholic Cardinal Pole became Archbishop of Canterbury under Rome, and Cranmer was burned at the stake. In 1553 the persecution of the protestants caused a rush of exiles to Geneva. In Geneva work began on the Geneva Bible, and the New Testament was completed in 1557. Much of the work was done by Calvin's brother-in-law, William Whittington. After a little more than two additional years the entire Geneva Bible was completed. The first Geneva Bible was published in 1560. It was reprinted for at least 140 editions; and for at least 40 years after the King James Version was published the Geneva Bible was the bible for the home. Oliver Cromwell's army read extracts from the Geneva Bible that were in the 1643 edition of the Soldier's Pocket Bible. Some of the commentary in the Geneva Bible imparted Calvinist predestination. The southern and southeastern parts of England were predominantly Calvinist and puritan, while the rest of England was predominantly Anglican. When Mary died in 1558, Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn took the throne as Elizabeth I. A Protestant, she switched England's loyalties, once again, to the Anglican Church from Roman Catholicism. The Anglican Church was firmly established, and the prayer book and Thirty Nine Articles of 1563 became the essential documents, and are yet to this day. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker, commissioned a -1-