Cause & Effect
The Bible did not appear in a vacuum. For nearly 2,000 years, ordinary men and women have preserved, translated and shared God's Word. Discover how the message of Jesus spread from Jerusalem to the nations and why it still transforms lives today.
The Empty Tomb
Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and on the third day His followers proclaimed that He had risen from the dead.
Christianity began with the message that Jesus is alive and offers forgiveness, hope and eternal life to all who believe.
Pentecost
The Holy Spirit came upon the disciples in Jerusalem.
The disciples began boldly preaching Jesus Christ, and the Church was born.
Roads, Ships and Witnesses
Apostles, merchants, soldiers and ordinary believers travelled throughout the Roman Empire.
Christian communities spread across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Christianity gradually reached Roman Britain.
The exact date Christianity first reached Britain is unknown, but evidence becomes clear during the third and fourth centuries.
Christianity Comes to Britain
Britain was connected to the Roman world through trade, travel and military routes.
Christian communities grew and survived long after Roman rule ended. Later missionaries helped spread Christianity throughout Britain.
Preserving the Bible
Churches and monasteries carefully copied biblical manuscripts by hand.
God's Word was preserved for future generations. Churches also became centres of education, hospitality and care.
A single handwritten Bible could take many months — or even years — to complete.
The Bible in English
Christian scholars wanted ordinary people to read God's Word in their own language.
The Bible became increasingly available in English through the work of translators such as the Wycliffite movement, William Tyndale and later the King James translators.
Faith Shaping Society
As more people read the Bible, Christian faith influenced education, charity, healthcare and public life.
Christians helped establish and support schools, hospitals, universities, charities and reform movements across Britain, Europe and beyond.
These developments involved many influences, but biblical teaching played a significant role in shaping Western civilisation alongside Greek philosophy, Roman law and other historical traditions.
The Bible in Your Hands
Generation after generation faithfully copied, translated, printed and shared the Scriptures.
Today the Bible is available in thousands of languages through books, audio, apps and digital technology.
This is not simply the story of how the Bible travelled through history.
It is the story of how God has worked through ordinary people to preserve, proclaim and pass on His Word. Every generation has had a choice.
The message reached us. What effect will it have through you?
The Story Continues
For 2,000 years, the Bible has been changing lives — one person at a time. History is still being written, and your story could become part of it.