November 2, 2026
THE DATE WAS 24 OCTOBER 1526, 500 years ago, when hundreds of copies of the most dangerous book of the day were gathered, piled up and burnt by Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall on a bonfire at St Paul’s Cross, just outside St Paul’s Cathedral in the centre of London.
Bishop Tunstall first preached a sermon on why no one should read this book, and then the bonfire was lit. The books were copies of the New Testament, translated from the original Greek and printed in English for the first time.
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