1. The Tyndale New Testament of 1526 has 720 Pages front and back in total.

1. The Tyndale New Testament of 1534 has 847 Pages front and back in total. Plus 4 blank pages to the last page. That means that the Tyndale New Testament of 1534 has another 127 more pages.

1. There are no large woodcuts/illustrations in the Tyndale 1526 in The Book of Revelation, but small woodcuts/illustrations, representing the different Evangelists and Apostles, appear at the beginning of the Gospels, and the following Epistles-Romans, 1 Peters, 1 John, Hebrews, James and Jude, and Revelation; The Day of Pentecost.

1. There are 39 woodcuts/illustrations including small illustrations of the Evangelists, the Day of Pentecost, SS. Paul, Peter, and James, and 22 larger woodcuts/illustrations in Tyndale 1534 in The Book of Revelation, all by Albrecht Dürer.

1. The Tyndale New Testament of 1534 is the first instance of the use of the word ‘Elder’ rather than ‘Priest’.

1. Tyndale challenged the hierarchies and structures of the church, replacing words such as ‘Church’ with ‘Congregation’, ‘Penance’ with ‘Repentance’ and ‘Charity’ with ‘Love’.  

1. Three quarters of the King James Version of 1611 is believed to be taken directly from Tyndale New Testament of 1534.

1. The language of Tyndale has shaped and influenced the English language, and many of his words and phrases are still in regular use today, including ‘salt of the earth’, ‘signs of the times’, ‘apple of his eye’ and ‘blessed are the peacemakers’.

1. The Tyndale New Testament of 1534 is the first English translation of the Bible drawn directly from the Hebrew and Greek texts.

1. William Tyndale was greatly influenced by the work of Luther and Erasmus, and longed to see the Bible translated into the language of the English people, professing a desire for ‘the boy that driveth the plow’ to be as familiar with the scriptures as a clergyman.

1. Before Tyndale, Church services were conducted in Latin, with the church assuming the position of mediator between God and man, and the idea of making the scriptures available to ordinary people was considered deeply subversive.

1. The Tyndale 1534 New Testament has 2 Title-Pages one with the date of 1534 in Roman numerals and the month of November, first page.

1. 33 pages later is the second title-page with the printer’s name Marten Emperowr (de Keyser) of Anwerp and year of 1534

1. A surprising number of Tyndale’s phrases are still in common use today, including:-

‘under the sun’, 
‘eat, drink and be merry’, 
‘signs of the times’, 
‘the salt of the earth’, 
‘let there be light’, 
‘my brother’s keeper’, 
‘lick the dust’, 
‘fall flat on his face’, 
‘the land of the living’, 
‘pour out one’s heart’, ‘
the apple of his eye’, 
‘fleshpots’, 
‘go the extra mile’, 
‘the parting of the ways’, 
broken-hearted’, ‘
flowing with milk and honey’.

 

14. “The newe Testament as it was written and caused to be written by them which herde yt. To whom also oure Saveoure Christ Jesus commaunded that they shulde preache it vnto al creatures.”

15. The Tyndale New Testament of 1526 and 1534 lack verses, as they, “Verses” didn’t exist in Bibles until 1550.

16. In the Tyndale New Testament of 1526, there are no long treatises explaining Scripture nor any marginal explanations.

17. The Tyndale New Testament of 1534 there are marginal explanations on every page.  Tyndale, equipped the new edition of 1534 with inflammatory marginal notes; throughout his writings the anti-clerical tone not unnaturally increases in intensity after the burnings of his New Testament of 1526.

18. No man can come to me except the father which hath sent me, draw him. And I will raise him up at the last day.

19. Below are the words of one of the most well-known Scriptures from the New Testament, found in the Gospel of John, chapter 3 and verse 16, and spelled in the English Bibles from early on, until the time modern King James Bible of 1769:

Wycliff (1380) “for god loued so the world; that he gaf his oon bigetun sone, that eche man that bileueth in him perisch not: but haue euerlastynge liif,” 

Tyndale (1534) “For God so loveth the worlde, that he hath geven his only sonne, that none that beleve in him, shuld perisshe: but shuld have everlastinge lyfe.” 

Great Bible (1539) “For God so loued the worlde, that he gaue his only begotten sonne, that whosoeuer beleueth in him, shulde not perisshe, but haue euerlasting lyfe.” 

Geneva (1560) “For God so loueth the world, that he hath geuen his only begotten Sonne: that none that beleue in him, should peryshe, but haue euerlasting lyfe.” 

Rheims (1582) “For so God loued the vvorld, that he gaue his only-begotten sonne: that euery one that beleeueth in him, perish not, but may haue life euerlasting” 

King James (1611) “For God so loued the world, that he gaue his only begotten Sonne: that whosoeuer beleeueth in him, should not perish, but haue euerlasting life.” 

King James (1769) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” 

20. Tyndale’s riposte was direct, and infinitely less tortuous (this is less than half More’s sentence) in its syntax. The conspiracy to prevent men from reading Scripture was ‘not for the love of your souls, which they care for as the fox doth for the geese … insomuch as they permit and suffer you to read Robin Hood, and Bevis of Hampton, Hercules, Hector and Troilus … ribaldry, as filthy as heart can think.’

21. In 1534, too, he turned on his former associate George Joye ( who printed a New Testament) who, Greek-less, had presumed to revise his translation on the basis of Latin and issue it, playing boo peep, or pissing like a fox in a badger’s sett, as Tyndale put it, to assert territorial rights.

22. Tyndale’s translation lies at the base of almost all subsequent English renderings, the Authorised Version of 1611 included, until the 19th and 20th centuries, until the New English Bible and the Revised English Bible of the 1960s and 1989 respectively.

23. Not even Shakespeare, has reached as many readers as William Tyndale, direct or mediated. Tyndale’s English has never been surpassed for simplicity, directness, vigour, vividness, denunciation and – paradoxically – tenderness.

24. It is said that Tyndale was a master of seven foreign languages, but most importantly, he was a master of his native language, English.

25. Translators of the Bible before Tyndale relied on the Latin Vulgate (the official version of the Bible for the Catholic Church), but Tyndale believed that the original Hebrew and Greek of the scriptures were languages more suitably rendered into English than Latin:

26. “Saint Jerome also translated the Bible into his mother tongue [i.e., the Latin Vulgate]:

27. John Wycliffe’s translation of the Bible was made from the Vulgate into Middle English.

28. William Tyndale was the first to translate the New Testament into Modern English from the
original languages of Hebrew and Greek.

29. John Wycliffe was an English scholastic philosopher, theologian, biblical translator, reformer, Catholic priest, and a seminary professor at the University of Oxford.

30. Scholars have noted that William Tyndale was right in sensing the superiority of English to Latin in matters of rendering Hebrew syntax. One scholar has noted that Hebrew and English have similar word orders and that in his English translation Tyndale masterfully rendered the syntax of the original Hebrew into a fluid and rhythmical English prose that in turn influenced English writers.

31. Words are powerful instruments in the transfer of meaning, and thus the translation of words is very tricky. As the old Italian proverb goes, tradutore traditore—“a translator is a traitor.” Any rendering of a text from one language to another inevitably involves interpretation and the changing of meaning.
​
An example;- William Tyndale used atonement in his 1526 New Testament in 2 Corinthians 5:18: “preaching of the atonement” (KJV “ministry of reconciliation”). While this term has become a common theological term in religious discussions, the King James translators continued to use this word in terms of the Old Testament usage but only actually used the term atonement in Romans 5:11. They preferred to use the words reconciliation and propitiation in the New Testament. Nevertheless, this term has become the common designation throughout Christianity for the saving acts of Jesus Christ on behalf of the children of men and the possibility of reconciliation and “at-one-ment” offered through His sacrifice.

I believe that our Tyndale New Testament of 1534 will be the most important book when it is published. Our Tyndale New Testament of 1534 was the first completed translation of the New Testament into English by William Tyndale.

The New Testament contains 27 books written in Greek by 15 or 16 different authors between 50 C.E and 120 C.E. It can be divided into 4 groups: –

a. Gospels,

b.  Acts of the Apostles,

c. Epistles,

d. Apocalypse.

The New Testament contains 4 Gospels:

a. Matthew,

b. Mark,

c. Luke,

d. John.

These books tell the stories about Jesus’ life, ministry, and death. The Gospels were written anonymously and came to be ascribed to disciples (Matthew and John) and associates of apostles (Mark and Luke) sometime in the second century.

Acts of the Apostles, written by the author of the third Gospel (“Luke”), describes the spread of the Christian church from Jesus’ death to the death of the apostle Paul.

Following Acts are 21 epistles or letters. Most of these New Testament books are records of correspondence between a church leader and a Christian community; the New Testament epistles address issues of Christian belief, practice, and ethics.

13 of these books claim to be written by Paul.

The last book in the New Testament is Revelation, a Christian apocalypse. The author of this book, John, describes the events leading up to the destruction of this world and the appearance of the world to come.

Our New Testament of 1534 translated by William Tyndale, consists of 46 Books of the New Testament translated into English, by William Tyndale.

The previous New Testament of 1526 had only 18 Books of the New Testament. When the British Library decided to republish Tyndale’s New Testament of 1526, they should have told people that all the New Testament Prologues, were missing.

William Tyndale’s New Testament of 1526 did not include the New Testament Prologues, which are spread out over 100 pages. The New Testament Prologues were eventually published separately as
“A Pathway into the Holy Scripture”by William Tyndale- Published in 1530

The importance of the Prologues is that they are an introductory section of  The New Testament that provides vital background information about the early Christian affirmations concerning the identity of Jesus, the central subject of the Gospel. All 18 of the Prologues of The New Testament of 1526 are missing. It is like selling a new car without the brakes.

William Tyndale successfully completed the printing of the translation of the New Testament at the press of Peter Schoeffer, in Worms, Germany, probably early in 1526. It was a simple, small, octavo, without marginal notes, with simple chapter-breaks, printed in exceptionally clear Bastarda Type (the earliest font, similar to those made by Gutenberg for his Bible in the 1450s) with small illuminations at the start of each book. Tyndale’s New Testament of 1526 has 720 pages only.

Our Tyndale New Testament of 1534 has 847 Pages front and back in total, plus 4 blank pages to the last page.

1. W. T. Unto the Reader2. William Tyndale, yet once more to the Christian Reader

3. Second Title – Page

​4. The Books Contained in the New Testament

5. A Prologue to the Epistle of Paul to the Romans

6. The Prologue upon the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians

7. The Prologue upon the Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians

8. The Prologue upon the Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians

9. The Prologue upon the Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians

10. The Prologue upon the Epistle of St. Paul to the Philippians

11. The Prologue upon the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians

12. The Prologue to the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians
​
13. The Prologue to the Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians

14. The Prologue upon the First Epistle of St. Paul to Timothy

15. The Prologue to the Second Epistle of St. Paul unto Timothy

16. The Prologue unto the Epistle of St. Paul to Titus

17. The Prologue to the Epistle of St. Paul unto Philemon

18. The Prologue to the First Epistle of Saint Peter

19. A  Prologue to the Second Epistle of St. Peter

20. The Prologue upon the Third Epistle of St. John

21. The Prologue to the Epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews

22. The Prologue upon the Epistle of St. James and Judas

23. The Pistle taken out of the Old Testament

24. The Table of the Epistles and Gospels
​
25. Tyndale’s Notes

1. First Title – Page

2. W. T. Unto the Reader

3. William Tyndale, yet once more to the Christian Reader

4. Second Title – Page

5. The Books Contained in the New Testament

6. The Gospel of St. Matthew

7. The Gospel of St. Mark

8. The Gospel of St. Luke

9. The Gospel of St. John
​
10. The Acts of the Apostles

11. A Prologue to the Epistle of Paul to the Romans

12. The Epistle of the Apostle St. Paul to the Romans

13. The Prologue upon the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians

14. The First Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians

15. The Prologue upon the Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians

16. The Second Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians

17. The Prologue upon the Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians

18. The Epistle of St. Paul unto the Galatians

19. The Prologue upon the Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians

20. The Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians

21. The Prologue upon the Epistle of St. Paul to the Philippians

22. The Epistle of St. Paul unto the Philippians

23. The Prologue upon the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians

24. The Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians

25. The Prologue to the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians

26. The First Epistle of St. Paul unto the Thessalonians

27. The Prologue to the Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians

28. The Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians

29. The Prologue upon the First Epistle of St. Paul to Timothy

30. The First Epistle of St. Paul unto Timothy
​
31. The Prologue to the Second Epistle of St. Paul unto Timothy

32. The Second Epistle of St. Paul unto Timothy

33. The Prologue unto the Epistle of St. Paul to Titus

34. The Epistle of St. Paul unto Titus

35. The Prologue to the Epistle of St. Paul unto Philemon

36. The Epistle of St. Paul unto Philemon

37. The Prologue to the First Epistle of Saint Peter

38. The First Epistle of St. Peter the Apostle

39. A  Prologue to the Second Epistle of St. Peter

40. The Second Epistle of St. Peter

41. The Prologue upon the Third Epistle of St. John

42. The First Epistle of St. John the Apostle

43. The Second Epistle of St. John

44. The III. Pistle of St. John

45. The Prologue to the Epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews

46. The Pistle of St. Paul unto the Hebrews

47. The Prologue upon the Epistle of St. James and Judas

48. The Pistle of St. James

49. The Pistle of Saint Judas

50. The Revelations of St. John the Divine

51. The Pistle taken out of the Old Testament

52. The Table of the Epistles and Gospels
​
53. Tyndale’s Notes

William Tyndale was an English scholar who became a leading figure in Protestant reform in the years leading up to his execution. He is well known for his translation of the Bible into English. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther. While a number of partial translations had been made from the seventh century onward, the spread of Wycliffe’s Bible resulted in a death sentence for any unlicensed possession of Scripture in English—even though translations in all other major European languages had been accomplished and made available.

​Tyndale’s translation was the first English Bible to draw directly from Hebrew and Greek texts, the first English one to take advantage of the printing press, and first of the new English Bibles of the Reformation. It was taken to be a direct challenge to the hegemony of both the Church of England and the laws of England to maintain the church’s position. In 1530, Tyndale also wrote The Practyse of Prelates, opposing Henry VIII’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon on the grounds that it contravened Scripture.

In 1535 Tyndale was arrested and jailed in the castle of Vilvoorde outside Brussels for over a year. In 1536 he was convicted of heresy and executed by strangulation, after which his body was burnt at the stake. His dying prayer that the King of England’s eyes would be opened seemed to find its full-filament just two years later with Henry’s authorisation of the Great Bible for the Church of England—which was largely Tyndale’s own work. Hence, the Tyndale Bible, as it was known, continued to play a key role in spreading Reformation ideas across the English-speaking world and, eventually, to the British Empire.

In 1611 the 54 scholars who produced the King James Bible drew significantly from Tyndale, as well as from translations that descended from his. One estimate suggests the New Testament in the King James Version is 83% Tyndale’s and the Old Testament 76%. With his translation of the Bible the first to be printed in English, and a model for subsequent English translations.

William Tyndale, before being strangled and burned at the stake, cries out,

“Lord, open the King of England’s Eyes”.

Books by William Tyndale

1. 1525-The New Testament Translation (incomplete) Cologne. 

1. 1526- The New Testament Translation (first full printed edition in English)     Worms Germany.     

1. 1526- A compendious introduction, prologue or preface into the epistle of Paul to the Romans.

1. 1528- The parable of the wicked mammon Antwerp. 

1. 1528- The Obedience of a Christen Man (and how Christen rulers ought to govern…) printed in    Antwerp by Merten de Keyser. 

1. 1530-The five books of Moses [the Pentateuch] Translation (each book with individual title page). Printed in Antwerp by Merten de Keyser.

1. 1530- The Practice of Prelates. Printed in Antwerp by Merten de Keyser.

1. 1531- The exposition of the first epistle of saint John with a prologue before it . Printed in Antwerp by Merten de Keyser

1. 1531? –    The Prophet Jonah Translation. Printed in Antwerp by Merten de Keyser. 

1. 1531- An Answer into Sir Thomas More’s Dialogue. 

1. 1533? – An Exposicion Upon the. v. vi. vii. Chapters of Mathew. 

1. 1533- Erasmus: Enchiridion Militis Christiani Translation. 

1. 1534- The New Testament Translation (thoroughly revised, with a second foreword against George Joye’s unauthorised changes in an edition of Tyndale’s New Testament published earlier in the same year).     Printed in Antwerp by Merten de Keyser.

1. 1535- The Testament of Master Wylliam Tracie Esquire, expounded both by W. Tindall and J. Frith. 

1. 1536?- A Path Way into the Holy Scripture .