In 1532 the synod of the Waldensian Church met at Chanforan, a grassy meadow on the side of a mountain in the Valley of Angrogna, and there took its stand with the Reformation after 15 years of strong consideration and prayerful deliberation by Waldensian pastors and laymen. By joining the Reformation, the Waldensians gained a vast network of Protestant sympathizers who would provide spiritual encouragement as well as financial and fighting support during the devastating years of persecutions to come. As a capstone for the event, the Waldensians pledged funds to give the Reformation the first translation of the entire Bible into French from the Greek and Hebrew texts. The Olivetan Bible, published in 1535, became the authorized version of French Protestantism, a literary milestone as significant for the French-speaking world as the King James translation into English.