With woodcut title-border and decorative initials. “The Obedience of a Christian Man, and how Christen rulers ought to gouerne, wherein also (yf thow marke dylygently) thou shalt fynde eyes to perceave the crafty conueyaunce of all jugglers” was written by English scholar William Tyndale and first published in 1528 in Antwerp. This volume was printed in 1548 in London. In the work, Tyndale encouraged the English translation of the Bible so that households could practice, use, and exercise scripture. He also argued that English society needed to be obedient to Biblical law and scripture.

Tyndale criticized the Catholic Church for abusing its power and distorting scripture to suit their needs. Further, he advocated that the King was the head of a country’s church. This would be the first time the idea of the divine rights of kings was promoted in English. “The Obedience of a Christian Man” was banned, but widely read in England and was mentioned in works by William Shakespeare.