Gregory Martin (c. 1540-1582) was a Roman Catholic priest and scholar. He was the primary translator of the Douai-Rheims Bible, the first English translation specifically for Catholics. His work has long been heralded as an important contribution to biblical scholarship.

The significance of Martin's life must be judged in relation to the historical time and place in which he lived. In England, the sixteenth century was marked by political and religious turbulence. When King Henry VIII's wife Catherine of Aragon did not bear a son to inherit the throne, Henry began looking for means by which he could annul the marriage. The reason was not hard to find, but in the entanglement of politics and religion, the situation became problematic. Catherine had been previously married to Henry's brother Arthur, since deceased. Because it was against church law, based on the teachings of the book of Leviticus, for a...