James Bell (reformer) facts for kids
James Bell was an English reformer who lived in the 1500s. He was known for translating important religious writings from Latin into English. His work helped spread new ideas during a time of big changes in the church. He was active between 1547 and 1596.
About James Bell
James Bell was born in the Bath area of Somerset, England. He went to Oxford University, studying at Corpus Christi College, Oxford around 1547. He earned his first degree in 1551. Later, in 1556, he became a fellow at Trinity College, Oxford, where he taught rhetoric.
Some people wondered if he was the same person as another James Bell, a Catholic priest who was executed in 1584. However, it was later confirmed that they were different people. Our James Bell was a strong supporter of the Protestant Reformation. This was a big movement in Europe that changed how many people practiced Christianity.
His Writings and Translations
James Bell was a translator. This means he took books and documents written in one language and changed them into another. He mostly translated Latin works into English.
In 1564, he wrote a special report for Queen Elizabeth I. It was about Princess Cecilia of Sweden traveling to England. This report is now kept in the British Museum. It seems likely that Bell traveled with the princess himself.
He also translated several important books, including:
- A sermon by John Foxe about the christening of a Jewish person in London (1573).
- Another sermon by John Foxe called Sermon of the Evangelical Olive (1578).
- A book by Martin Luther called Treatise touching the Libertie of a Christian Man (1579). Luther was a very important leader in the Reformation.
- A book by John Foxe that argued against the Pope (1580).
- An answer to a critical writing by Hierome Osorius, written by Haddon and Foxe (1581).
Later Life
Later in his life, James Bell received positions in the church. In 1595, he became a prebend of Holcombe in the church of Wells. A prebend is a type of church official. The next year, in 1596, he received another prebend position in the same church. We do not know exactly when or where James Bell died.
