The Matthew Bible, first published in 1537, is an important early English translation of the Bible. It was translated by William Tyndale and John Rogers and edited by John Rogers under the pseudonym “Thomas Matthew.” Here is an overview of the key features and history of the Matthew Bible:
Origin and History
William Tyndale was the first to translate the New Testament and parts of the Old Testament into English from the original Greek and Hebrew. However, he was executed in 1536 before he could complete the Old Testament translation. John Rogers, an associate of Tyndale, took Tyndale’s incomplete work and continued the translation up to the end of the Old Testament, translating the text from Hebrew into English for the first time.
Rogers completed the translation under the pseudonym “Thomas Matthew” in 1537 and published it in Antwerp as the Matthew Bible. It included Tyndale’s New Testament, Pentateuch, Jonah and unpublished Old Testament translations, plus Rogers’ translation of the historical books, prophets and Apocrypha. The reason for the pseudonym was to make the work appear more credible by attributing it to a relatively unknown figure rather than Tyndale, who was controversial.
The Matthew Bible became hugely popular and went through several editions. It was the first complete English Bible authorized for sale in England. Later editions of the Matthew Bible (1549, 1551) included an influential preface by the Reformist theologian Martin Luther and extensive commentary notes reflecting Reformation theology.
Contents and Features
The Matthew Bible contained the full canonical text of the Bible in English for the first time, including all of the Apocrypha books. It was printed in a large folio format with extensive notes and commentary throughout.
Some key features of the Matthew Bible:
– Tyndale’s translations from Hebrew and Greek made up about 80% of the New Testament and two-thirds of the Old Testament. The rest was translated by Rogers from the Latin Vulgate and Luther’s German Bible.
– It was the most scholarly English Bible to date, with extensive notes and commentary drawing from works of Reformers like Luther and Calvin.
– The commentary notes were Protestant and anti-Catholic in viewpoint, promoting Reformation theology.
– It used divisive chapter headings and marginal notes to promote Protestant interpretations.
– The translations were written in the common language of people, not church Latin. It used familiar vocabulary and idioms that would be recognizable to ordinary English readers.
– It aimed for readability and lyrical quality in the literary style of the translations.
– The extensive marginal commentary made it ideal for laypeople and those without theological training to understand the meanings of Scripture.
– It contained multiple prefaces and essays on how to read and interpret the Bible, emphasizing the need for laypeople to have access to Scripture.
– It excluded the prayer of Manasses, 3rd & 4th Books of Esdras and Book of Prayer from the Apocrypha section.
Overall, the Matthew Bible made the complete Bible in English widely available for the first time and provided tools to assist theological interpretation based on Protestant Reformist principles.
Impact and Significance
The Matthew Bible proved to be extremely influential and helped shape the course of Bible translation and interpretation in England. Here are some of its most significant impacts:
– It brought the work of William Tyndale to completion and made it available throughout England for the first time.
– It provided the first complete English Bible translation from the original languages.
– Its extensive commentary helped popularize Reformation theology in England.
– It set important precedents for Bible translation that influenced later works like the Geneva Bible and King James Bible.
– Its focus on scholarly translation from the original languages was an important contribution to Bible translation principles.
– Making the Bible accessible in the common language helped spur the growth of literacy and education.
– It defied bans on English Bible translation and became a catalyst for major social, political and religious changes.
– The anti-clerical, anti-Church establishment tone of the commentary helped weaken Roman Catholic power.
– It paved the way for laypeople to read and interpret the Bible for themselves, apart from Church authority.
– It promoted Reformation doctrines like justification by faith and the priesthood of all believers by making Scripture accessible.
The Matthew Bible helped make the Bible accessible for English readers and gave the emerging Protestant movement a strong theological foundation. Along with Tyndale’s earlier pioneering work, it helped shape the Reformation in England and influenced Bible translation for centuries afterward. Its impact was truly far-reaching and revolutionary for its time.
Later Editions and Revisions
The Matthew Bible was reprinted several times but underwent revision in subsequent editions:
– The Great Bible (1539) was a lightly revised edition of the Matthew Bible aimed at public reading in churches.
– The April Bible (1549) was a slightly modernized Matthew Bible printed by Richard Grafton.
– The Matthew Bible (1549) printed by John Rogers included a new preface by Martin Luther and additional notes/commentary.
– The Matthew Bible (1551) edited by Edmund Becke reduced the Protestant bias and polemical tone of commentary.
– The Geneva Bible (1560) printed in Geneva drew heavily from the Matthew Bible but with critical updates. It became the predominant English Bible of Elizabethan Protestants.
– The Bishops’ Bible (1568) was a new official Church of England translation, but about 20% of its text was carried over unmodified from the Matthew Bible.
– The King James Bible (1611) did not directly reuse the Matthew Bible but retained some influence through Geneva and Bishops’ Bible.
So while the Matthew Bible itself went through various revisions, its pioneering contribution to Bible translation ensured its influence carried through in all later major English Bible versions to come.
View of Divine Inspiration
The Matthew Bible contained extensive commentary reflecting Protestant Reformist views of Scripture and its divine inspiration:
– It promoted sola scriptura, the idea that the Bible alone is the ultimate spiritual authority.
– The commentaries argued for the perspicuity (clarity) of Scripture’s essential message.
– It viewed Scripture as self-authenticating and carrying its own evidence of divine inspiration.
– The Bible was seen as the inspired Word of God containing no errors in the original manuscripts.
– However, it distinguished between canonical accepted books and Apocryphal books of lesser authority.
– Commentaries affirmed verbal plenary inspiration, that every word of the original Bible was inspired by God.
– It portrayed the Bible as the supreme authority over Popes, Councils and Church tradition.
– Prefaces argued that Scripture could only be properly understood through the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, not mere human reason.
– It promoted the priesthood of all believers with everyone capable of understanding Scripture guided by the Spirit.
– Commentaries aimed to make the text clear enough for laypeople to read and understand without mediation by clerics.
– It affirmed that studying Scripture brings people closer to the presence of God.
Overall, the Matthew Bible commentaries forcefully argued that the Bible was the inspired Word of God that stood supreme over all other authorities. Its translations and notes sought to make the text open and intelligible to all readers guided by God’s Spirit.
Translation Philosophy and Methods
The Matthew Bible represented innovative translation philosophies for its time:
– It rejected translating the Bible into traditional Church Latin and instead used vernacular English accessible to laypeople.
– It emphasized translating the original meaning accurately over just preserving traditional interpretations.
– Tyndale’s translations in particular were based directly on Greek and Hebrew sources, not the Latin Vulgate.
– It aimed for readability, clarity and lyrical quality in the English literary style.
– The focus was on conveying the sense and meaning of passages, not just literal or word-for-word translation.
– It arranged the biblical books into a standard order associated with Protestant tradition.
– Extensive marginal notes, commentary and cross-references helped convey contextual meaning.
– The translations favored technical theological terms like “repentance”, “congregation”, “elder”, etc. rather than everyday equivalents.
– It did not consistently use liturgical language but mixed in more common phrases and idioms in places.
– The translators employed language appropriate for public reading aloud and oral comprehension.
The pioneering translation philosophies of the Matthew Bible later provided a pattern for English Bible translations centered on faithfulness, readability, and accessibility. Its innovative approaches shaped English Bible translation for generations.
Sample Passages
Here are examples illustrating the literary style and translation approach of the Matthew Bible:
Genesis 1:1-5
>In the beginning God created heaven and earth. The earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the deep, and the spirit of God moved upon the water.
>Then God said: let there be light and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good: and divided the light from the darkness, and called the light day, and the darkness night. So of the evening and morning was made the first day.
The familiar cadence and poetic language show the concern for literary quality in the translation.
Psalm 23:1-4
>The Lord is my shepherd, I can lack nothing. He feedeth me in green pastures, he leadeth me to fresh water, he quickeneth my soul, he bringeth me forth into the right way for his name’s sake.
The Psalm translation captures both the meaning and lyrical beauty of the original text.
Matthew 6:9-13
>After this manner therefore pray: Our father which in heaven art, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be fulfilled, as well in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, even as we forgive our trespassers. And lead us not into temptation: but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Familiar words like trespasses, temptation and Amen reflect Tyndale’s influence on later English prayer language.
Overall, these samples demonstrate the Matthew Bible’s dedication to accurate, readable, and rhetorically powerful translation of Scripture into English.
Extensive Marginal Commentary
One of the most important features of the Matthew Bible was its extensive marginal commentary notes promoting Reformation theology:
– Introductions to each biblical book provided background context and Protestant perspectives on authorship.
– Chapter headings summarized passages but often took an interpretive stance.
– Extensive commentary notes after each chapter provided clarification, devotional thoughts, textual criticism, and doctrinal exposition.
– The notes frequently argued against Catholic teaching and practices.
– References linked related passages across different biblical books.
– Notes defined key terms and explained cultural/historical context for readers.
– Maps, diagrams and illustrations supplemented and visualized the text.
– Summaries and paraphrases restated the essence of passages.
– Commentaries aimed to make the text useful and comprehensible for ordinary readers.
– Later editions increased the polemical anti-Catholic rhetoric and arguments in the notes.
– The amount of commentary and supplemental material was unprecedented in an English Bible.
The extensive marginal helps enabled laypeople to interpret Scripture guided by Reformation theology instead of relying purely on clergy. This revolutionary innovation made the Matthew Bible extremely popular and influential.
Words of Christ in Red
In addition to marginal commentary, the Matthew Bible used red ink to print the words of Christ:
– This was one of the first English Bibles to print Christ’s words in red.
– The red ink helped readers easily recognize when Jesus was speaking.
– It visually highlighted the importance of Christ’s words and teachings.
– The red lettering set apart the words of Christ from those of others.
– It emphasized the unique authority carried by the very words of Jesus.
– This presentation reflected Protestant focus on the words of Scripture itself.
– It enabled readers to more easily find and focus on New Testament Gospel passages.
– The red ink later became a standard tradition in many printed English Bibles.
Printing Jesus’ words in red ink was an innovative formatting device that underscored the authority of Christ’s words and helped popularize this practice.
Excluded Apocryphal Books
The Matthew Bible followed emerging Protestant consensus in its treatment of the Apocryphal books:
– It segregated Apocryphal books into their own section between the Testaments.
– The Apocrypha was included and translated but clearly distinguished from canonical books.
– Special pages with analysis argued for the non-canonical, secondary status of Apocrypha.
– Commentaries on Apocryphal books treated their content as human writings, not divinely inspired Scripture.
– It categorized Apocrypha as useful to read for historical context but not for establishing doctrine.
– The Matthew Bible excluded some apocryphal additions like Prayer of Manasseh that were part of the Latin Vulgate.
– This approach departed from the traditional Catholic position accepting the Apocrypha.
– It reflected the Protestant view that apocryphal books should be excluded from the biblical canon.
So while the Matthew Bible incorporated the Apocrypha based on its historical precedent, the translations and notes clearly promoted the emerging Protestant perspective of these biblical books as non-canonical and non-authoritative.
Tyndale’s Impact on English
William Tyndale’s pioneering contributions to the Matthew Bible also significantly influenced English language and literature:
– It was the first English translation of the Bible from the original languages rather than Latin.
– Tyndale introduced many new words and phrases into English that became popular. Examples: “scapegoat”, “apple of his eye”, “signs of the times”, etc.
– His translations shaped many idioms in Modern English, like “eat, drink and be merry”.
– It promoted wider literacy and education as laypeople read the Bible in English.
– The strong rhetorical style influenced famous authors like Shakespeare and Dickens.
– Simple one-syllable words were favored over ornamental Latinate terms where possible.
– It used grammatical structures, verb tenses and syntax that feel contemporary to Modern English.
– The word choices and phrasing had lasting impact on English prayer language and liturgy.
So Tyndale’s groundbreaking contributions to the Matthew Bible helped shape the development of English literature as well as Bible translation. His linguistic skill was extremely influential.
Legacy and Ethos
The pioneering Matthew Bible left an enduring legacy that shaped Bible translation for centuries afterward:
– Its ethos centered on making the Bible accessible to ordinary people in their common language.
– It sparked wider literacy, education and lay theological study through vernacular Scripture.
– It led the way in establishing translation from original sources as the ideal over just updating secondary translations.
– Its extensive commentaries anticipated the later study Bible tradition.
– The focus on readability and interpretability for lay audiences became norms for later translations.
– Its innovative formatting approaches like red lettering were widely adopted.
– Its Protestant perspective shaped the theology of English Bibles more than Catholic or Orthodox views did.
– It paved the way for Reformation ideas to spread rapidly through vernacular Bibles.
– Later Bibles like Geneva and KJV built on its work. Modern translations continue to use its language.
Though lesser known today, the pioneering Matthew Bible helped make the Bible accessible to English readers and profoundly shaped Bible translation history through its innovative scholarship and enduring ethos.