About the Matthew Bible
Written January, 2010, Amended November 2011

Contents:
A Brief History
Who Was “Matthew”?
The Importance of the Matthew Bible:
     •  Uncompromised
     •  “Real Primary Version” of the English Bible
     •  Changes and Losses in Subsequent Versions
     •  Valuable Notes, Commentaries and Introductions
     •  Historical Value
Comparison of Translations
The English Version Most Showing the Divine Hand 

 A Brief History

In the early 1500’s it was illegal to translate the scriptures. It was illegal to own an English Bible.¹ To defy these laws, or even just persevere in any conviction or belief contrary to the teachings of the powerful Church, could mean imprisonment, inquisition, torture, or death by burning alive at a public stake. Nonetheless, in face of such danger and persecution God moved and greatly used three men in the production of the Matthew Bible: William Tyndale (c.1494-1536), John Rogers (c.1500-1555), and Miles (or Myles) Coverdale (c. 1487-1569). Each of these men worked largely alone as to his contribution; interestingly, this is also, of course, how the original scriptures were first given to us in their original tongues.

William Tyndale: England was unsafe for a Bible translator, so William Tyndale worked in exile from hiding places on the continent. There, in difficulty and poverty, he began the great work of translating the New Testament from Greek into English. He believed God had called him to this work,² and history has confirmed his calling. He was a learned man, a top notch grammarian, a lover of God’s word, and fluent in eight languages including German, Spanish, Greek, Latin, Hebrew which he learned later in life, and of course his beloved native English. In translating the New Testament, Tyndale worked largely alone, using the Greek scriptures compared and compiled from original manuscripts by the Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus. He also used a minimal number of other resources including dictionaries, grammars, and Martin Luther’s German translation. His New Testament was first published in 1526³ and the little bibles, so small they could fit in your hand, were smuggled into England in bales of cotton, where people hungry for truth purchased them at great personal risk.

Tyndale later revised his New Testament, making many changes in the 2nd edition that was published in 1534. Some changes involved reverting to Hebrew manners of speech that were contained in the Greek, which he had not fully appreciated until he worked on the Old Testament. He also added prologues and explanatory notes in the margins, which he called “declarations” or "lights". He wrote in his preface to the 1534 edition:

If I perceive either by myself or by the information of others, that anything has escaped me, or might be more plainly translated, I will soon cause it to be corrected. However in many places, it seems better to me to put a declaration in the margin, than to run too far from the text. … (archaic English minimally modernized)

A further New Testament followed in 1535, with minor revisions, and this formed the basis for the Matthew Bible.⁴

As for the Old Testament, the ringing words of the book of Genesis and all the Pentateuch, which we know from the King James Version, are for the most part Tyndale’s. He first published the Pentateuch in 1530 (later revisions followed), and the book of Jonah in 1531. He had apparently progressed to translations of Joshua through Chronicles also, and possibly more,⁵ but these were not published before he was betrayed to his enemies and captured. After his betrayal, Tyndale was imprisoned for 18 months in Vilvoorde on the continent. In 1536 he was condemned for ‘heresy’, and then ‘degraded’ (stripped of priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church), publicly strangled, and his body burnt at a stake. He was about 42 years old.

Thus it was that William Tyndale gave his life for English peoples, to give them the word of God.

John Rogers: After Tyndale's martyrdom, his friend John Rogers took possession of his manuscripts. Tyndale had met Rogers in Antwerp, and was instrumental in converting him from Roman Catholicism. Having Tyndale's work in hand, Rogers set out to publish a complete bible. To make up what Tyndale had not been able to complete, he used the the Old Testament and Apocryphal translations of Miles Coverdale. He added a lengthy Table of Principal Matters, taken almost verbatim, it is reported, from French reformer Olivetan. He added many other badly needed helps for readers who were then almost biblically illiterate. Altogether, it was a colossal job of compiling, editing, and organizing. Rogers then published the complete work under the name "Thomas Matthew" in 1537. It quickly became known as the Matthew Bible, or Matthew's version. In 1549, publishers Raynalde and Hyll issued a reprint, and a final edition appeared in 1551.

(Also in 1549, publisher John Daye issued a different version of the Matthew Bible, produced by a man named Edmund Becke. Among other things, Becke substituted many of his own commentaries. He added copious notes to the book of Revelation, where the real Matthew Bible commentaries were sparse indeed. Becke's notes were based on John Bale’s 16th century book, The Image of Both Churches, which, despite railing language at times and a theanthropic view of the Church, contains interpretive insights into the Book of Revelation that are worthy of consideration. It appears to incorporate some of the Reformers’ understandings of that book which have been lost to us. In general, however, having reviewed many of Becke’s notes, we much prefer those of the true Matthew Bible. Becke’s edition contains the infamous “wife-beater’s” note, which is consistent with the sometimes strident nature of the commentaries in Becke & Daye’s edition.⁶ It is Becke's version, not the true Matthew Bible, which has unfortunately been made available in facsimile form by some publishers as "the 1549 Matthew Bible".) 

John Rogers was seized and imprisoned in the Marian persecutions and, in 1555, was burned at the stake for heresy. He was named as using the alias "Matthew". He was the first burning victim of Bloody Queen Mary, who was estimated by John Foxe to have burned alive over 280 men and women. Rogers left behind a wife and eleven children, one still sucking at the breast. 

The Matthew Bible, therefore, is the true fruit of martyrs’ pens—the word of God purchased with blood. And as to Tyndale's portion, it can claim to be the first printed scriptures translated into English from the original Greek and Hebrew tongues.

Miles Coverdale alone survived the persecutions, fleeing to the Continent to work there on Bible translation. He worked on many Bible versions over the years, however his contribution to Matthew 's version was from his first translation of 1535. Bible historian A. S. Herbert (see below) comments that it was his best. It was certainly his most fresh, free, and independent work. (Coverdale's later translations were increasingly compromised by political considerations, among other things.) To read the Psalms and Proverbs from his pen, as contained in the Matthew Bible, is to come into fresh and meaningful light. His renditions of the prophetic books are exemplary for clarity and cohesiveness; perhaps this was due to the immediacy of Martin Luther's influence. 

Some historians report that Coverdale and Tyndale worked together from time to time, especially on the Old Testament Pentateuch in 1529-1530. If so, Coverdale would have learned from Tyndale, and this would have assisted him in his own translations. It is generally agreed that Coverdale's translation of the Old Testament and Apocrypha supplied the Matthew Bible with what Tyndale was unable to finish, except the prayer of Manneseh. Coverdale, not apparently fluent enough in Hebrew to translate directly, worked from Martin Luther's independent German translations, with reference also to the Latin Vulgate and other helps. 

Coverdale is noted for his musical renderings of the Psalms. He also gave us many precious translations of the works of other men from the German language, including Otho Wermullerus. (These are available in Parker Society editions.) Coverdale died at an old age in his home country of England.

Who Was “Matthew”?

In its cover leaf, Matthew’s version of 1537 was stated to be translated by Thomas Matthew. Bible historian A. S. Herbert, in the Historical Catalogue of Printed Bibles, explains:

“Thomas Matthew” is commonly treated as a pseudonym of John Rogers, Tyndale's intimate friend, and the first martyr in the Marian persecution. But as Rogers only edited what is essentially Tyndale's translation, it seems more probable that “Matthew”stands for Tyndale's own name, which it was then dangerous to employ.⁷

Tyndale's name remained “dangerous to employ” for some time to come. In 1543, “Parliament proscribed all translations bearing the name of Tyndale, and required that the notes in all other [Bible] copies should be removed or obliterated.”⁸ His name continued unpopular, and perhaps the 1549 reprint was still published as “Matthew’s Bible” partly to avoid any overt acknowledgment of Tyndale. How or why Rogers chose the pseudonym “Thomas Matthew” remains a mystery, but the Biblical link is obvious. It is noteworthy that when charged with heresy by persecutors during Queen Mary's reign, Rogers was identified as using the "alias Matthew". All things considered, including the number of contributors to the Matthew Bible and the politics of the time, to use the name "Thomas Matthew" as author no doubt served several purposes. However Tyndale, who first published anonymously because he believed that God’s workers must not seek personal glory, would not have complained.⁹

The Importance of the Matthew Bible

The Matthew Bible is important for many reasons, which the editor is still learning to appreciate as the work continues. Its importance is both doctrinal, and therefore edifying for the faith, and historical.

1.   Uncompromised Scriptures

For one, the Matthew Bible is the uncompromised English Bible. We do not say it was or is a perfect Bible, because no man can do a perfect work.¹⁰ But we say “uncompromised” because Tyndale, and Coverdale at the first, were bound to no ruler or authority, no denomination, no requirement for consensus, but God only. Indeed compromise was not an option either to assist in publication or distribution or to earn the translators any favour with men, especially those in power, most of whom were opposed. No doubt this ensured purity; the Lord brought His word forth in English through chosen vessels at a time and in circumstances when He would stand alone in their concerns and affections, conscience and the Holy Spirit alone constraining them as they sought accurate expression. It is truly a separated work.

No decrees or guidelines limited the work of Tyndale, Coverdale, or Rogers.¹¹ They were not bound by any outside restraint, but only the restraint of unimpeded conscience. They had no politics to worry about. They wrote for the love of God’s truth only, sought God’s approval only, and were subject to His word only.

When we search the Old and New Testaments we see that it is most often the lowly and the separated whom God raises up to do His greatest works (consider Luke 9:48). Such were the fishermen and tax collectors who became God’s Apostles. And, in a different sense of course, such were the authors of the Matthew Bible. 

2.  “Real Primary Version” of the English Bible

A. S. Herbert’s Historical Catalogue of Printed Bibles says of the Matthew Bible:

This version, which welds together the best work of Tyndale and Coverdale, is generally considered to be the real primary version of our English Bible.¹²

That later translators were largely content with the Matthew Bible scriptures as the unacknowledged base for their Bible versions, demonstrates its great worth and merit. Thus, thanks be to God, both the Geneva and King James Bibles were in considerable measure taken from the Matthew Bible. It has been estimated that the KJV New Testament is 83% Tyndale’s. Professor David Daniell reports:

The aim of [the KJV], stated in the 1611 preface, The Translators to the Reader, was “to make a good one better”. That this refers to the Geneva Bible—though for political reasons it could not be stated—is clear from the fact that whenever in that long preface the Bible is quoted (fourteen times) the authors do not do so from their own translation, nor from the Bishops’, but from the Geneva. Moreover, though nowhere do they acknowledge it, they took over a great deal of Geneva’s text verbatim, and in doing so they were taking over much of Tyndale, though they clearly went directly to him [Tyndale] as well.¹³

Professor Daniell adds:

William Tyndale's Bible translations have been the best-kept secrets in English Bible history…Astonishment is still voiced that the dignitaries who prepared the 1611 Authorized Version for King James spoke so often with one voice—apparently miraculously. Of course they did: the voice (never acknowledged by them) was Tyndale's.¹⁴

As to how much of the KJV was Tyndale's:

Though in the New Testament, and particularly in the Epistles, King James’s revisers made many changes, and though their base was Bishops’, the truth is that the ultimate base was Tyndale. A computer-based American study published in 1998 has shown just how much Tyndale is in the KJV New Testament. New Testament scholars Jon Nielson and Royal Skousen observed that previous estimates of Tyndale's contribution to the KJV “have run from a high of up to 90% (Westcott) to a low of 18% (Butterworth)”. By a statistically accurate and appropriate method of sampling, based on eighteen portions of the Bible, they concluded that for the New Testament Tyndale's contribution is about 83% of the text, and in the Old Testament 76%.¹⁵

Therefore we see that the men who used Tyndale’s work in later Bible versions did not acknowledge their debt. Professor Daniell again:

Why, then, the silence? If so much of the later translation work is taken from Tyndale, why couldn’t his name be mentioned? The short answer is that he was thought to be a Lutheran, and thus a heretic. Indeed, all his writings (and his translations and other major works are all of a piece in this) press his joyous discovery that the Bible, and especially the New Testament, and particularly the Gospels and the Epistle to the Romans, tell of God’s responding to an individual’s faith without the paraphernalia, and repression, of the Church.¹⁶

To this we might add that Tyndale was, in a sense, ‘anti-clerical’; that is, he was of the conviction that no man should lord it over the faith or conscience of another. Elders or preachers, he believed (and as the Bible teaches - see for example 1 Corinthians 4:1) were to be servants of, the congregation, not lords of it. To be sure, he exhorted all to appropriate obedience, and to know and respect those who might oversee the congregation. But he condemned any who attempted to, as he put it, “sit in the conscience” of others. Therefore men who wished to dictate to others in matters of faith would not be inclined to appreciate Tyndale. Nor would those who failed to understand the deeper mysteries as he did. There were other reasons why Tyndale's work was suppressed or ignored, all of which cannot be explored here, but no doubt one more was his condemnation of all manner of persecutions, which were widespread in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Reformed Churches¹⁷ during the 16th century and even later.

But it would have pleased Tyndale that Matthew’s version was used in later Bibles, even though he was not acknowledged. His ambition was not his own glory but for God’s word, which was sufficiently preserved that it could continue to bless Christians in the following centuries.

As the Bible that formed the basis for all that followed, a good case can be made for bringing the Matthew Bible forth again so people can compare with later texts and see what has been changed or lost. And that it has been increasingly eroded, for example by criticism of the underlying text and by proliferating, ill-inspired revisions, also argues for its restoration.

3.  Changes and losses in subsequent versions

Although later revisions preserved much that was in the Matthew Bible, there were changes—some subtle, some not so subtle, and some with far-reaching implications. Some were no doubt improvements, which Tyndale would have welcomed. But others were not, and the makers of the Matthew Bible would have regretted some of them. One example of a significant change made to Matthew’s version is the substitution of “church” for “congregation” to translate the Greek word ecclesia. This is discussed in our article Tyndale’s Doctrine of Antichrist and His Translation of 2 Thessalonians 2.  

A small example is at Matthew 10:29. Tyndale put “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And none of them doth light on the ground, without your father.”  The newer versions do not place God actually with one of His little creatures. The NIV has “…Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your father”, and the Living Bible “Not one sparrow…can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it”. The NIV and LB portray a God more distant from His creatures.

An example of superior sense is at Acts 8:33 where the eunuch was reading from Isaiah 53, a prophecy about Jesus, which Tyndale rendered “Because of his humbleness he was not esteemed”. How simple and clear. But the KJV is befuddling: “In his humiliation his judgement was taken away”. This is discussed at greater length in our article Humble Messiah: Tyndale's Translation at Acts 8:33

See also Martyr, or Witness: Any Liar Can Be a Faithful Martyr, a discussion of the translation of the Greek martys, or martus, in the New Testament. Tyndale translated it consistently by witness, which is its correct meaning. However, later revisers substituted martyr in places, thus changing the Greek and, in our view, obscuring the text.

In conclusion on this point, the spiritual understanding and clear view of doctrine of the Matthew Bible translators, as demonstrated by superior translation work, makes it a better Bible—we say the best English Bible. And that alone is sufficient reason to bring it forth again.

4.  Valuable notes, commentaries and introductions

There are many things worthy to be called treasures in the notes to the Matthew Bible. And we sometimes find answers to the more difficult questions that are rarely, if ever, answered by modern commentators—or perhaps, not well answered. Some examples:

• For discussion of Tyndale's commentary on Acts 8:33, why Jesus was not esteemed by men, we refer again to our paper, Humble Messiah: Tyndale's Translation at Acts 8:33.
  
  
• Have you ever wondered who is the “fool” referred to so often in the book of Proverbs? A note to Proverbs 12:15, transposed in modern English (not necessarily as it will be finally rendered in the New Matthew Bible): “For the most part, “a fool” in the Proverbs means one who, in following his own counsel, defends infidelity and the ignorance of God as truth and high wisdom, and will by no means hearken to and obey the word of God.”
  
  
• This explanation is offered in the Psalms about the oft-occurring word “Selah”: This word…was a sign or token of lifting up the voice, and also a monicion [warning] and advertisement [instruction, notice] to cause the thought and mind to earnestly give heed to the meaning of the verse to which it is added. Some would say it signifies ‘perpetually’ or ‘verily’.
  
  
• What about the difficult verses at 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 about signs and wonders that deceive the unrighteous? Tyndale's marginal note says: “Lying miracles testify to a false faith. Where there is no love for the truth, God lets false prophets slip in to deceive.” For more discussion on this, see our article, William Tyndale on the Miracles of Satan.
  
  
• At Romans 16:17-19 Tyndale had, "I urge you, brethren, to mark those who cause division and give occasion to evil, contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, and avoid them. For they serve not the Lord Jesus Christ, but their own appetites, and with sweet preaching and flattering words they deceive the hearts of the innocents. For your obedience extends to all men." What does it mean, that obedience “extends to all men”? The word 'obedience' has greatly changed its sense over the years, but Tyndale explains in a marginal note:

  Paul wants the lay people to learn to judge prophets and teachers, and obey them according to knowledge only [that is, not swayed by rank, degrees, etc]; for God disapproves of all obedience that does not follow true knowledge.

In other words, we must not be so intimidated by the apparent authority of men that we fail to judge their teaching and practices. For the word of God must be our final authority. To let any man dictate to us in matters of faith is to put him where the Lord should be. For there is but one shepherd, and to Him we are to be obedient; this obedience means holding all up to the measure of His word.

• At Matt 2:16 there is a note of historical interest on King Herod’s slaughter of all infant boys under two years of age, which apparently included his own child:

  Macrobius [Latin writer]…[mentions that] Augustus Caesar, hearing Herod had likewise killed his own son, said, “It is better to be Herod's swine than his son.

There is a wealth of learning in the notes and commentaries of the Matthew Bible.

5.   Historical Value

The Matthew Bible has significant historical value. From it we learn about the struggles of faithful men who challenged apostasy and false teaching. We face the same issues today as they did, though we are not in such dire straits, in that life and limb are not threatened—at least not for those of us in the Western countries at the present time. Nevertheless, the issues remain important for understanding the scriptures correctly. The notes to the Matthew Bible that relate to the historical struggles of Reformation times are not frequent, and should not be considered distracting; rather, by adding to our understanding of history they also assist in understanding biblical doctrine about apostasy and persecutions.

Comparison of Translations

The Christian reader can satisfy himself about the value of the Matthew Bible only by reading it for himself.  Below are but some small excerpts from the Psalms and Proverbs, mostly for interest and comparison's sake, since these are not available in modern-spelling editions.  (Spelling and punctuation are updated in the Matthew Bible texts.)

It is interesting, in view of how men have historically regarded the shape of the world, to see that in Matthew’s version it is described as round, but not in the KJV. (This is not intended as a criticism; we simply note that the world is sometimes described as round in Coverdale's Old Testament where the KJV is silent. We have not investigated the reason for the discrepancy.) 

At verse 1 in the Matthew Bible, the Psalmist asks the Lord to show Himself. But in the NKJV, the prayer is to “shine forth”, as if with some sort of radiance. These are different images. Then, at verse 5, the Psalmist laments the “smiting of the people”, meaning all people who are oppressed by men: the innocent of whatever race or nationality. This is confirmed by the inaugural summary at the beginning of the Psalm in Mathew’s version. But in the NKJV the reference is to “the breaking in pieces of Your people”, who could be either Israel, or, in popular dispensational thought, the “Church”.   

In the following comparison we see how the KJV committee departed from the Matthew Bible translation. The Matthew Bible was written by men who had separated from the Church, which they felt had become apostate. But separation from the Church was considered heresy in previous centuries. We have identified several verses in the KJV that could be used against “heretics” like William Tyndale, who separate themselves, and who, what is more, dare advance wisdom that might be different. Proverb 18:1 is such a verse:

It is difficult to believe the translators were dealing with the same Hebrew text in Proverbs 18:1; or perhaps this example illustrates the difficulty of the Hebrew text that the translators were working with.

The English Version Most Showing the Divine Hand

We believe the Matthew Bible to contain English scripture translations and commentaries greatly inspired by God, who worked through His chosen vessels, raised up for that very purpose at that critical time. We do not, of course, mean it is inspired equally with the original Greek and Hebrew scriptures; we distinguish between the scriptures themselves and the translation or interpretation of them. Yet this martyrs’ Bible truly reveals the divine hand—as students of the word will discover when they diligently and earnestly study it. We believe God, by His Holy Spirit, will certify to their spirits the truth of what we say.

© R M Davis, April, 2010. Amended November 2011.

Endnotes: