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| Luther praised the printing press for bringing the Word of God to everyone inexpensively. |
The
first decided steps, however, toward giving to the English nation a Bible
printed in their own tongue, were the translations of the Gospels of Matthew
and Mark, made by William Tyndale, and by him printed at Hamburg, in the year
1524; — and a translation of the whole of the New Testament, printed by him
partly at Cologne, and partly at Worms, in 1525. After six editions of the Testament
had been issued, he published Genesis and Deuteronomy, in 1530; and next year
the Pentateuch. In the year 1535 was printed the entire Bible, under the auspices
of Miles Coverdale, who mostly followed Tyndale as far as he had gone; but without
any other connection with him. Of Coverdale, further mention will be made. But
in the year 1537 appeared a folio Bible, printed in some city of Germany, with
the following title, — “The Byble, which is the Holy Scripture; in which are
contayned the Olde and Newe Testament, truely and purely translated into Englysh
—by Thomas Matthew.— MDXXXVII.” This is substantially the basis of all the
other versions of the Bible into English, including that which is now in such
extensive use. It contains Tyndale’s labors as far as he had gone previous to
his martyrdom by fire about a year before its publication. That is to say, the
whole of the New Testament, and of the Old, as far as the end of the Second
Book of Chronicles, or exactly two-thirds of the entire Scriptures, were Tyndale’s
work. The other third, comprising the remainder of the Old Testament, was made
by his friend and co-la borer, Thomas Matthew, who was no other than John Rogers,
the famous martyr, after wards burnt in the days of “bloody Mary;” and who, at
the time of his immortal publication, went by the name of Matthew.[1]
