Portrait of William Tyndale
William Tyndale was the first person to translate the Bible from the original languages into English. The first fragment was printed in 1525 but only a few sheets were completed before the authorities halted the work. The first complete New Testament was published in 1526 - only three copies of this edition are known today. Over the next several years, Tyndale revised the New Testament twice and began translating the Old Testament. Tyndale was able to complete the Old Testament through Second Chronicles but only the Pentateuch was published during his lifetime. The remaining books appear in "Matthew's Bible" which appeared after Tyndale's death in 1536. Tyndale was arrested for heresy in 1535 and executed on October 6, 1536.
Several reprints and facsimiles of Tyndale's translation have been published, some of which are listed below.
1525 New Testament Fragment
Title: Facsimile Texts. The First Printed English New Testament. Translated by William Tyndale. Photo-lithographed From the Unique Fragment, Now in the Grenville Collection, British Museum. Edited by Edward Arber, Associate, King's College, London, F.R.G.S., &c.
Date: 1525 (facsimile published in 1871)
Publisher: London: 5 Queen Street, Bloomsbury.
Contents: Matthew 1-22:12
References: Herbert 1, 1988, Taliaferro-EELBV 7010.100.
Images: Cover, Title page
Facsimile: A pdf facsimile is available at archive.org
1526 New Testament
Title: The newe Testament as it was written, and caused to be written, by them which herde it. To whom also oure saveoure Christ Jesus commannded that they shulde preache it unto al creatures.
Date: 1526?
Publisher: Worms? printed by Peter Schoeffer?
Contents: New Testament
References: Chamberlin 528-1; Herbert 2, Taliaferro-EELBV 7010.110
Images: Title page from the Stuttgart copy, another picture of the title page from Stuttgart copy
Comments: There are three surviving copies of Tyndale's 1526 New Testament. The copy at the Württembergische Landesbibliothek in Stuttgart is complete including the title page. The copy in the British Library is complete except for the title page. The third copy is in the Library of St. Paul's Cathedral in London and is missing 71 leaves.
In addition to the publications listed below, text of the Gospels from the 1526 edition was reprinted in parallel with the Gothic, Anglo-Saxon, and Wycliffe version in Bosworth's parallel Gospels first printed in 1865.
Facsimile Reprints
Title: (The newe Testament as it was written, and caused to be written, by them which herde it. To whom also oure saveoure Christ Jesus commannded that they shulde preache it unto al creatures.)
Date: 1526 (facsimile printed in 1976)
Publisher: David Paradine Developments: London
Contents: New Testament
References: Chamberlin 528-1; Herbert see 2, see Taliaferro-EELBV 7010.110
Images: Colophon, Sample page, Title page from Stuttgart copy
Comments: This edition is a full color facsimile of the 1526 edition of Tyndale's New Testament. It was made from the copy in the library of the Baptist College, Bristol which is complete except for the title page. The Title used here is taken from the only complete copy of Tyndale's 1526 New Testament which was discovered in Stuttgart in 1997.
This facsimile was produced in two forms, a limited edition of 250 copies in leather, and a larger edition bound in cloth. A copy of the limited edition sold on ebay (item 270193723873) for $1925.00 in December of 2007.
A new facsimile is currently available from Hendrickson Publishers.
Reprints
Title: The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: Published in 1526. Being the First Translation from the Greek into English, by the Eminent Scholar and Martyr, William Tyndale. Reprinted verbatim: with a Memoir of his Life and Writings by George Offor.
Date: 1836 (reprint of 1526 edition)
Publisher: Samuel Bagster: London
Contents: New Testament
Description: leaf 1: r-blank, v-Portrait of Tyndale; leaf 2: blank; leaf 3: r-illustrated title: The Newe Testamente. M. D. XXVI. (surrounded by the saints Mathew, Marke, Luke Jhon, Judas, James Jhon, Peter, and Paul), v-blank; Leaf 4: r-Title Page; v-printer; leaf 5: r-Advertisement, v- advertisement (page iv); at this point signatures are given as: [B]-[G]8[H]1 (Memoir of William Tyndale); (beginning Gospell of S. Mathew)B-EE8
References: Herbert 1816, see 2, Chamberlin 528-1
Images: Title page
Comments: This is the first reprint of Tyndale's 1526 New Testament since the 1500s. A leather-bound copy of this edition sold on eBay in May, 2007 (item 230256336194) for $800.00. Another copy sold on eBay in November, 2008 (item 140281448083) for $501. A copy sold for GBP 560.00 (approximately US $846.50) on eBay in May, 2010 (item 290430811274). A particularly nice copy sold for GBP 310.00 (approximately US $480.75) on eBay in August, 2010 (item 280548077399).
Facsimile: An on-line facsimile of this book may be found on Google Books.
A facsimile of the copy at the Princeton Theological Seminary Library is available at archive.org. This copy lacks the Portrait of Tyndale (leaf 1 above) and has the illustrated title (leaf 3 above) before the beginning of the Gospell of S. Mathew.
Title: The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. By William Tyndale, the Martyr. The Original Edition, 1526, Being the First Vernacular Translation From the Greek. With a Memoir of His Life and Writings. To which are annexed the essential variations of Coverdale's, Thomas Matthew's, Cranmer's, the Genevan, and the Bishops' Bible, as marginal readings. By J.P. Dabney.
Date: 1837 (reprint of 1526 edition)
Publisher: Andover: Printed and Published by Gould and Newman; From the London Edition of Bagster. New York: Corner of Fulton and Nassau Streets.
Contents: New Testament
References: Chamberlin 528-1, Herbert 1821, see 2, Hills 990, O'Callaghan p. 255.
Images: Title page.
Comments: The first American edition of Tyndale's New Testament
Facsimile: An on-line PDF facsimile is available at archive.org
Title: The Newe Testaments by William Tindale* M.D.XXVI (1526) The Quincentenary of Tindale's Birth (1490? To 1990) The first English New Testament published and the first from the original Greek. This text is based upon George Offor's reprint, MDCCCXXXVI Modern spelling, punctuation and introduction by John Wesley Sawyer The Martyrs Bible Series Volume One 1989
Date: 1989 (reprint of 1526 edition)
Publisher: John The Baptist Printing Ministry: Milford, Ohio
Content: New Testament
References: Chamberlin 528-1, Taliaferro-EELBV 8327
Images: Cover, Title page
Comments: A modern spelling edition based on the 1836 original spelling edition by George Offor (supra).
Title: The New Testament translated by William Tyndale. The text of the Worms edition of 1526 in original spelling
Date: 1526 (reprinted 2000)
Publisher: The British Library: London
Contents: New Testament
References: Chamberlin 528-1, Herbert see 2
Images: Cover, Title page
Comments: This edition is the same size as Tyndale's 1526 New Testament.
1534 New Testament
In addition to these editions, Tyndale's 1534 translation appeared in the English Hexapla published in 1841.
Title: The New Testament Translated by William Tyndale 1534 A Reprint of the Edition of 1534 with the Translator's Preface and Notes and the variants of the edition of 1525 Edited for the Royal Society of Literature by N. Hardy Wallis, M.A.
Date: 1938
Publisher: Cambridge University Press: London
Contents: New Testament
References: Chamberlin 577-5, 530-3; Herbert 2273, see Taliaferro-EELBV 7010.120
Images: Jacket, Title page
Comments: This book is not a facsimile but prints the text of Tyndale's 1534 New Testament in the original spelling. In addition, it indicates the places where the 1534 edition differs from the 1525 edition.
Title: Tyndale's New Testament Translated from the Greek by William Tyndale in 1534 In a modern spelling edition and with an introduction by David Daniell
Date: 1989
Publisher: Yale University Press: New Haven
Contents: New Testament
References: Chamberlin 530-3, Taliaferro-EELBV 8365.100.
Images: Jacket, Cover, Title page
Comments: This edition reprints Tyndale's 1534 New Testament but with modern spelling.
1535 New Testament
In addition to these editions, Tyndale's 1535 translation appeared in the New Testament Octapla published in 1962.
Title: The newe Testa | ment yet once agayne corrected by wil | lyam Tindale: where unto is added a | necessarye Table: wherin easely and | lightelye maye be foude any sto | rye contaynd in the foure | Euangelisies and in | the Actes of the | Apostles. … Printed in the yere of ourre Lorde | God. M. D. and XXXVI.
Date: 1536 (reprinted 1999)
Publisher: Vintage Archives: Columbus OH
Contents: New Testament
Images: Title page
References: Chamberlin 531-2; Herbert see 21, see Taliaferro-EELBV 7010.125
Old Testament
A PDF Facsimile of Tyndale's 1530 Pentateuch is available at archive.org
In addition to these editions, Tyndale's 1530 translation of Genesis appeared in the Genesis Octapla published in 1965.
Pentateuch
Title: William Tyndale's Five Books of Moses, called the Pentateuch, being a verbatim reprint of the edition of M.CCCCC.XXX. Compared with Tyndale's Genesis of 1534, and the Pentateuch in the Vulgate, Luther, and Matthew's Bible, with various collations and prolegomena by the Rev. J. I. Mombert, D.D.
Date: 1884
Publisher: Anson D. F. Randolph and Co.: New York
Contents: Title, Dedication, Preface (p. (i)-vii, Contents, Index to Prolegomena (p. (ix-xiv), Prolegomena (p. (xv)-(cxlviii)), W.T. To the Reader (p. (1)-6), Aprologe (p. (7)-14), Genesis-Deuteronomy (p. 15-635)
References: Chamberlin 176-3, 171-4; Herbert 2032; Hills 2006; Taliaferro CN00180, see Taliaferro-EELBV 7010.115.
Images: Title page
Comments: This book is a copy of the 1530 edition of Tyndale's Pentateuch. While it is not a facsimile, it does preserve original spellings. Also, certain obvious typographical errors from the 1530 edition are corrected. An on-line facsimile of this book may be found at Google Books and also at archive.org.
Title: William Tyndale's Five Books of Moses, called the Pentateuch, being a verbatim reprint of the edition of M.CCCCC.XXX. Compared with Tyndale's Genesis of 1534, and the Pentateuch in the Vulgate, Luther, and Matthew's Bible, with various collations and prolegomena by the Rev. J. I. Mombert, D.D. and newly introduced by F.F. Bruce, D.D.
Date: 1884 (facsimile 1967)
Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press: Carbondale, Illinois
Contents: Genesis - Deuteronomy
References: Chamberlin 176-3, 171-4; see Herbert see 2032; Hills 2006; Taliaferro CN00180, see Taliaferro-EELBV 7010.115.
Images: Jacket Title page
Comments: This book is a facsimile reprint of the 1884 edition of Tyndale's Pentateuch (see above).
Genesis - Second Chronicles & Jonah
Title: Tyndale's Old Testament Being the Pentateuch of 1530, Joshua to 2 Chronicles of 1537, and Jonah Translated by William Tyndale In a modern-spelling edition and with an introduction by David Daniell
Date: 1992
Publisher: Yale University Press: New Haven
Contents: Genesis - 2nd Chronicles, Jonah
References: Taliaferro-EELBV 8365.110.
Images: Jacket, Cover, Title page
