Front matter and prologues — The Tyndale New Testament (1534)

William Tyndale's revised New Testament was finished at Antwerp in November 1534 and printed by Marten Emperowr (Martin de Keyser). This page gathers everything printed before the Gospel of Matthew: the frontispiece and title page; Tyndale's address "W. T. vnto the Reader", with his notes on the words repentance and elders and his prologue to the four evangelists; a warning about a printer's error; his second address, answering George Joye's unauthorised correction of his text; the second title page; and the list of books. The list numbers twenty-three books from Matthew to the third epistle of John and leaves Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation unnumbered at the end.

The frontispiece

[Woodcut portrait, captioned:] WILLIAM TINDALL

The title page

¶ The newe Testament / dylygently corrected and compared with the Greke by Willyam Tindale: and fynesshed in the yere of oure Lorde God. A .M. D. &. xxxiiij. in the moneth of Nouember.

¶ W. T. vnto the Reader.

HEre thou hast (moost deare reader) the new Testamēt or covenaunt made wyth vs of God in Christes bloude. Which I have looked over agayne (now at the last) with all dylygence / and compared it vnto the Greke / and have weded oute of it many fautes / which lacke of helpe at the begynninge and oversyght / dyd sowe therin. If ought seme chaunged / or not all to gether agreynge with the Greke / let the fynder of yᵉ faute consider the Hebrue Phrase or maner of speche lefte in the Greke wordes. Whose preterperfectence and presenttence is ofte both one / and the futuretence is the optative mode also / and the future tence is ofte the imperatyve mode in the actyve voyce / and in the passyve ever. Lykewyse person for person / nombre for nombre / and an interroga⟨illegible⟩ion for a cōdicionall / and soche lyke is with the Hebrues a comen vsage.

I have also in manye places set lyght in the mergent / to vnderstonde the text by. If anye man fynde fautes ether with the trāslacion or ought besyde (which is easyer for manye to do / then so well to have translated it them selves of their awne pregnant wyttes / at the begynnynge withoute foren sample) to the same it shalbe lawfull to trāslate it them selves and to put what they lust therto. If I shall perceave ether by my selfe or by the informacion of other / that ought be escaped me / or myght be more playnlye translated / I will shortlye after / cause it to be mended. Howbe it in manye places / me thynketh it better to put a declaracyon in the margent / then to run in to farre from the text. And in manye places / where the text semeth at the fyrst choppe harde to be vnderstonde / yet yᵉ circūstāces before and after / and offē readinge together / maketh it playne ynough. & ce.

Moreover / because the kyngedome of heaven / which is the scripture & worde of God / maye be so locked vp / that he which readeth or heareth it / cannot vnderstonde it: as Christ testifieth how that the Scribes and Pharises had so shut it vp. Mat. xxiii. and had taken awaye the keye of knowledge. Luke. xi. that their Iewes which thought them selves with in / were yet so locked out / and are to this daye that they can vnderstonde no sentence of the scripture vnto their salvacion / though they can reherse the textes every where & dispute therof as sottelye as yᵉ popyshe doctoures of dunces darcke learninge / which with their sophistrye / sarved vs / as yᵉ Pharises dyd the Iewes. Therfore (that I myght be founde faythfull to my father & lorde in distributinge vnto my brethrē & felowes of one fayth / their due & necessarye fode: so dressinge it & ceasoninge it / that the weake stomackes maye receave it also / and be yᵉ better for it) I thought it my dutye (most deare reader) to warne the before / & to shew the the right waye in / & to geve the yᵉ true keye to opē it withall / & to arme the agaynst false Prophetes & malicious ypocrytes / whose perpetuall stodye is to leven the scripture with gloses / and there to locke it vp where it shuld save thy soule / and to make vs shote at a wronge marke / to put oure trust in those thinges that proffit their belyes onlye and slee oure soules.

The ryght ⟨illegible⟩ the onlye waye to vnderstonde the scripture vnto oure salvacion / is / that we ernestlye & aboue all thinge / serche for the profession of oure baptyme or covenaūtes¹ made betwene God & vs. As for an ensample: Christ sayth Mat. v. Happie are the mercifull / for they shall obtayne mercie. Loo / Here God hath made a covenaūt with vs / to be mercifull vnto vs / yf we wilbe mercifull one to another: so that the man which sheweth mercie vnto his neyboure / maye be bolde to trust in God for mercie at all nedes. And contrarye wyse / indgemēt without mercie / shalbe to him that sheweth not mercye. Iaco. ii. So now / yf he yᵗ sheweth no mercie / trust in God for mercie / his fayth is carnall & worldlye / & but vayne presumpciō. For God hath promysed mercie onlye to yᵉ mercifull. And therfore the mercilesse have no Godes worde yᵗ they shall have mercie: but contrarye wyse / yᵗ they shall have iudgemēt without mercie. And Mat. vi. If ye shall forgeve men their fautes / youre hevēly father shall forgeve you: but & yf ye shall not forgeve mē their fautes / no more shall youre father forgeve you youre fautes. Here also by yᵉ vertue & strēght of this covenaūt wher with God of his mercie hath boūde him selfe to vs vnworthie / maye he yᵗ forgeveth his neyboure / be bolde when he returneth & amēdeth to beleve & trust in god for remission of whatsoever he hath done amysse. And cōtrarye wyse / he that will not forgeve / cannot but dispeare of forgevenes in the ende / and feare iudgement without mercie.

The generall covenaūt wherin all other are cōprehended & included / is this. If we meke oure selves to god / to kepe all his lawes / after the ensample of Christ: then God hath bounde him selfe vnto vs to kepe and make good all the mercies promysed in Christ / thorow out all the scripture.

All the whole lawe which was gevē to vtter oure corrupt nature / is cōprehended in the² ten commaundements. And yᵉ ten commaundementes are comprehended in these two: love God and thy neyboure. And he that loveth his neyboure in God and Christ / fulfilleth these two / & consequentlye the ten / & finally all the other. Now if we love oure neyboures in God & Christ: that is to wete / if we be lovinge / kynde & mercifull to them / because God hath created them vnto his lyknes / & Christ hath redemed them & bought them wᵗ his bloude / then maye we be bolde to trust in God thorow Christ & his deservinge / for all mercie. For God hath promysed and bounde him selfe to vs: to shew vs all mercie / & to be a father almighty to vs / so that we shall not nede to feare the power of all oure adversaryes.

Now yf anye man that submitteth not him selfe to kepe the cōmaundemētes / do thinke yᵗ he hath anye fayth in God: the same mānes fayth is vayne / worldlye / damnable / develishe & playne presumpcion as it is above sayde / & is no fayth that can iustifie or be accepted before God. And that is it that Iames meaneth in his Pistle. For how can a man beleve sayth Paul without a preacher. Ro. x. Now reade all the scripture and se where God sent anye to preache mercye to anye / save vnto thē onlye that repēt & turne to god with all their hartes / to kepe his commaundementes. Vnto the disobedient that will not turne / is threatened wrath / vengeaunce and damnacion / accordinge to all the terrible curses and fearfull ensamples of the Byble.

Fayth now in God the father thorow oure Lorde Iesus Christ / accordinge to yᵉ covenaūtes & apoyntemēt made betwene God & vs / is oure salvaciō. Wherfore I have ever noted yᵉ covenaūtes in yᵉ mergētes / & also yᵉ promises. Moreover where thou findest a promyse & no covenaunt expressed therewith / there must thou vnderstonde a covenaūt. For all the promyses of yᵉ mercie & grace yᵗ Christ hath purchased for vs / are made vpon yᵉ condicion yᵗ we kepe yᵉ lawe. As for an ensample: whē the scripture sayth. Mat. xii. Axe & it shalbe geven you: seke & ye shall fynde: knocke & it shalbe opened vnto you. It is to be vnderstonde / if that whē thy neyboure axeth / seketh or knocketh to yᵉ / thou then shew him the same mercie which thou desyrest of god / then hath god boūde him selfe to helpe yᵉ agayne / & else not.

Also ye se that two things are requyred to begin a Christen man. The fyrst is a stedfast fayth & trust in almightie God / to obtayne all the mercie that he hath promysed vs / thorow the deservinge & merites of Christes bloude onlye / withoute all respect to oure awne workes. And the other is / that we forsake evell & turne to God / to kepe his lawes & to fyght agaynst oure selves and oure corrupte nature perpetuallye / that we maye do the will of god every daye better and better.

This have I sayde (most deare reader) to warne the / least thou shuldest be deceaved / & shuldest not onlye reade the scriptures in vayne & to no proffit / but also vnto thy greater dānacion. For the nature of Gods worde is / yᵗ³ whosoever reade it or heare it reasoned & disputed before him / it will begynne ymmediatlye to make him every daye better & better / till he be growē into a perfect mā in the knowledge of Christ and love of the lawe of God: or alse make him worse & worse / till he be hardened that he openly resist the sprite of God / & then blaspheme / after the ensample of Pharao / Cora / Abiron / Balam / Iudas / Symon Magus and soche other.

This to be even so / the wordes of Christ Ioh. iii. do well confyrme. This is condemnaciō (sayth he) the lyght is come into yᵉ worlde / but yᵉ men loved darcknes more then light for their dedes were evell. Beholde / when the light of Godes worde cometh to a mā / whether he reade it or here it preached & testified / & he yet have no love thereto / to fassion his lyfe therafter / but cōsēteth still vnto his olde dedes of ignoraūce: then beginneth his iust dānacion ymmediatlye / & he is henceforth without excuse: in that he refused mercie offered him. For God offereth him mercie vpon the condyciō that he will mende his livinge: but he will not come vnder the covenaūt. And frō that houre forwarde he waxeth worsse & worsse / God takinge his sprite of mercye and grace from him for his vnthankfulnes sake.

And Paul wryteth. Ro. i. that the hethē because when they knew god / they had no lust to honoure him with godly lyvinge / therfore god powred his wrath vpon them & toke his spirite frō thē & gave them vp vnto their hertes lustes to serve sinne / frō iniquite to imquitie tyll they were thorow herdened and past repentaunce.

And Pharao / because when the worde of god was in his contre and gods people scattered thorow out all his land / and yet nether loved them or it: therfore god gave him vp / and in takynge his spirite of grace from him so hardened his herte with covetousnes / that afterward no myracle coulde convert him.

Here to pertayneth the parable of the talentes. Mat. xxv. The Lorde cōmaundeth yᵉ talent to be takē awaye from the evell & slouthfull servaunt & to binde him hand & fote & to cast him into vtter darcknes / & to geve the talent vnto him that had ten / sayenge: to all yᵗ have / moare shalbe gevē. But frō him yᵗ hath not / that he hath shalbe takē from him. That is to saye / he that hath a good harte toward yᵉ worde of God / & a set purpose to fassiō his dedes thereafter & to garnishe it with Godly lyvinge & to testifie it to other / the same shall increase more & more dayly in yᵉ grace of Christ. But he that loveth it not / to lyve therafter & to edifie other / the same shall loose the grace of true knowledge & be blinded agayne and every daye ware worsse and worsse and blinder & blinder / till he be an vtter enemye of the worde of God / & his harte so hardened / that it shalbe impossible to convert him.

And Luk. xii. The servaunt that knoweth his masters will & prepareth not him selfe / shalbe beatē with many stripes: that is / shall have greater damnacion. And Matt. vii. all that here the worde of God & do not therafter bylde on sande: that is / as the foundaciō layed on sande cānot resist violence of water / but is vnderminded & over throwen / even so yᵉ fayth of them that have no lust ner love to yᵉ lawe of god buylde vpon the sande of their awne ymaginacions / and not on the rocke of godes worde accordinge to his covenaūtes / turneth to desperacion in tyme of tribulacion & when god cometh to iudge.

And the vyneyarde Matt. xxi. planted and hyred oute to the husbandmē yᵗ wolde not rēder to the Lorde / of the frute in due tyme / and therfore was takē from them and hyred oute to other / doth confirme the same. For Christ sayth to the Iewes / yᵉ kyngdome of hevē shalbe taken frō you & gevē to a nacion that will bring forth the frutes therof as it is come to passe. For the Iewes haue lost the spirituall knowledge of god & of his cōmaundementes and also of all the scripture / so yᵗ they can vnderstōde nothynge godlye. And yᵉ dore is so locked vp that all their knockynge is in vayne / though manye of them take great payne for godes sake. And luke. xiii. the fygge tree that beareth no frute is cōmaūded to be plucked vp

And finally / hereto pertayneth with infinite other / the terrible parable of the vncleane spirite (Luke. xi.) which after he is cast oute / when he cometh & fyndeth his house swepte and garnysshed / taketh to him seuen worsse then him selfe / and cometh and entreth in & dwelleth there / & so is the ende of yᵉ man worse then the begynnynge. The Iewes / they had clensed thē selves wᵗ gode worde / frō all outward ydolatrye & worshippinge of ydole. But their hertes remayned still faythlesse to godwarde and towarde his mercie and truthe and therfore without loue also and lust to his lawe & to their neyboures for his sake / & thorow false trust in their awne worke) to which heresie / the childe of perdicion / the wycked bysshope of Rome wᵗ his lawyers hath brought vs christen) were more abhominable ydolaters then before / and become ten tymes worse in the ende then at the begynnynge. For the fyrst ydolatre was sone spyed and easie to be rebuked of yᵉ prophetes by the scripture. But the later is more sotle to begyle withall / and an hundred tymes of more dyfficul⟨illegible⟩ to be weded oute of mennes hertes.

This also is a conclusion / nothynge more certayne / or more proued by yᵉ testimonye & ensamples of yᵉ scripture: yᵗ if anye yᵗ fauoureth the worde of God / be so weke yᵗ he cānot chast his fleshe / him will yᵉ lorde chastice & scourge euery daye sharper & sharper / wᵗ trybulacyon & mysfortune / yᵗ nothynge shall prospere wᵗ him but all shall go agaynst him / whatsoeuer he taketh in hande / & shall vyset him wᵗ pouertie / with sycknesses & deseases / & shall plage him with plage vpon plage / eche more lothsome / terryble and fearfull then other / tyll he be at vtter defyaunce with his fleshe.

Let vs therfore yᵗ have now at this tyme oure eyes opened agayne thorow yᵉ tēder mercie of God / kepe a meane. Let vs so put oure trust in yᵉ mercy of god thorow christ / yᵗ we knowe it oure dutie to kepe yᵉ lawe of God & to loue oure neyboures for their fathers sake which created thē & for their lordes sake which redemed thē & bought thē so derely wᵗ his bloude Let vs walke in yᵉ feare of God / & have oure eyes opē vnto both partes of Godes couenaūtes / certified that none shalbe partaker of the mercie / saue he that will fyght agynst yᵉ flesshe / to kepe yᵉ lawe. And let vs arme oure selues wᵗ this remēbraūce / that as christes workes iustifie frō synne & set vs in yᵉ fauoure of god / so oure awne dedes thorow workynge of yᵉ spirite of God / helpe vs to cōtynew in yᵉ fauoure & yᵉ grace / into which christ hath brought vs / & that we cā no lenger cōtynew in fauoure & grace thē oure herte are to kepe the lawe.

Furthermore cōcernynge yᵉ lawe of God / this is a generall cōclusiō / yᵗ yᵉ whole lawe⟨illegible⟩ whether they be ceremonies / sacrifices / ye or sacramētꝭ ether / or preceptꝭ of equitie betwene man & mā thorowout all degrees of yᵉ worlde / all were geuē for oure proffyt & necessyte onlye / & not for anye nede yᵗ God hath of oure kepynge thē / or yᵗ his ioye is encreased therby or yᵗ yᵉ dede / for yᵉ dede it selfe doth please him That is all yᵗ God requyreth of vs when we be at one wᵗ him & do put oure trust in him &⁴ loue him / is yᵗ we loue euery mā his neyboure to pitie him & to have cōpassyon on him in all his nedꝭ & to be mercifull vnto him. This to be euen so / christ testifieth. Mat. vii. sayenge: this is yᵉ lawe & yᵉ prophets. That is / to do as thou woldest be done to (accordynge I meane to yᵉ doctryne of yᵉ scripture) & not to do that thou woldest not haue done to the / is all that the lawe requyreth & the Prophetꝭ. And Paule to the Roma. xiii. affyrmeth also the loue is the fullfyllinge of yᵉ lawe / & that he which loueth / doth of his awne accorde all that the lawe requyreth. And .i. Timo. i. Paul sayth yᵗ yᵉ loue of a pure hert & good cōscience & fayth vnfayned is yᵉ ende & fullfillynge of yᵉ lawe. For fayth vnfayned in christs bloude causeth to loue for christes sake. Which loue is yᵉ pure loue onlye & yᵉ onlye cause of a good cōscience. For then is yᵉ cōscyence pure / when yᵉ eye loketh to christ in all hir dedꝭ / to do them for his sake & not for hir awne synguler aduauntage or anye other wycked purpose. And Ihō both in his gospell & also pistles / speketh neuer of anie other lawe thē to loue one another purely / affyrmynge yᵗ we haue God him selfe dwellynge in vs and all that God desyreth / if we loue one the other.

Seinge then that fayth to God & loue & mercifullnes to oure neyboures / is all that yᵉ lawe requyreth / therfore of necessite the lawe must be vnderstōde & interprete by thē. So yᵗ all inferiour lawꝭ are to be kept & obserued as longe as they be seruaūtꝭ to fayth & loue: and then to be broken ymedyatlye / if thorow anye occasyon / they hurte ether yᵉ fayth which we shuld have to godward in the confidence of christes bloude or the loue which we owe to oure neyboures for Christes sake.

And therfore when yᵉ blynde pharises murmured & grudged at him & his desciples / that they brake yᵉ saboth daye & tradycions of the elders / & that he him selfe dyd eate wᵗ publicās & synners / he answereth. Mat. ix. allegynge Esaias yᵉ prophet: go rather & learne what this meaneth / I requyer mercie & not sacrifyce. And Mat. xii. Oh yᵗ ye wyst what this meaneth / I requyer mercie & not sacrifice. For onlye loue & mercifullnes vnderstōdeth yᵉ lawe / & else nothinge. And he that hath not yᵗ writtē in his harte / shall neuer vnderstōde yᵉ lawe / no: though all yᵉ āgells of heuē wēt aboute to teache him. And he that hath that grauē in his harte / shall not only vnderstōde yᵉ lawe but also shall do of his awne inclinacion all that is required of yᵉ lawe / though neuer lawe⁵ had beē gevē: as all mothers do of thē selves without lawe vnto their childrē / all that can be reqvyred by anye lawe / loue ouercomynge all payne / greffe / tedyousnesse or lothsomnes: & euē so no doute if we had cōtynewed in oure fyrst state of innocēcie / we shuld euer haue fullfilled yᵉ lawe / without cōpulsiō of yᵉ lawe

And because the lawe (which is a doctryne thorow teachynge euery mā his dutye / doth vtter oure corrupt nature) is sufficiētly described by Moses / therfore is lytle mēcion made therof in the new testamēt / save of love only wherin all yᵉ lawe is included / as seldome mēcion is made of yᵉ new testamēt in the olde lawe / save here & there are promyses made vnto them / yᵗ Christ shuld come & blesse thē & delyuer thē / & yᵗ the gospell & new testamēt shuld be preached and publysshed vnto all nacions.

The gospell is glad tydynges of mercie &⁶ grace & yᵗ oure corrupt nature shalbe healed agayne for christes sake & for yᵉ merites of his deseruingꝭ onlye: Yet on yᵗ condiciō yᵗ we will turne to God / to lerne to kepe his lawes spiritually / yᵗ is to saye / of loue for his sake / & wyll also soffre the curynge of oure infirmyties.

The new testamēt is as moche to saye as a⁷ new couenaūt. The olde testamēt is an olde tēporall couenaūt made betwene God & yᵉ carnall childrē of Abraham / Isaac & Iacob other wise called Israel / vpō yᵉ dedes & yᵉ obseruynge of a tēporall lawe. Where yᵉ rewarde of yᵉ kepynge is tēporall lyfe & prosperyte in yᵉ lande of Chanaan / & yᵉ breakynge is rewarded wᵗ tēporall deeth & punyshmēt. But yᵉ new testament is an euerlastynge couenaūt made vnto the childrē of God thorow fayth in christ / vpō the deservynge of christ. Where eternall lyfe is promysed to all that beleve / & death to all that are vnbeleuynge. My dedꝭ if I kepe the lawe are rewarded wᵗ the tēporall promyse of this lyfe. But if I beleue in christ / christes dedes haue purchased for me the eternall promyse of the euerlastynge lyfe. If I commyt nothynge worthye of deeth / I deserue to my rewarde that no mā kyll me: if I hurte no mā I am worthye that no mā hurte me. If I helpe my neyboure / I am worthie that he helpe me agayne. &c. So that wᵗ outward dedes wᵗ which I serue other mē / I deserue that other men do lyke to me in this worlde: & they extēde no further. But christꝭ dedꝭ extende to lyfe euerlastynge vnto all that beleue &ce. This be soffyciēt in this place cōcernynge yᵉ lawe & the gospell / new testamēt and olde: so that as there is but one God / one christ / one fayth & one baptime / euē so thou vnderstōde that there is but one gospell / though manye wryte it & manye preache it. For all preache the same Christ & brynge the same glad tydynges. And therto paules pistles wᵗ yᵉ gospell of Iohn & his fyrst epistle & the fyrst epistle of saynt peter / are most pure gospell & moost playnlye & rychlye described the glorye of the grace of christ: Yf ye requyer more of the lawe / seke in the prologe to the romayns and in other places where it is sofficientlye intreated of.

¶ Repentaunce.

COncernynge this worde repētaunce or (as they vsed) penaūce / yᵉ hebrue hath in yᵉ olde testamēt generally (Sob) turne or be cōuerted. For which yᵉ trāslacion that we take for saynt Ieromes hath most parte (cōuerti) to turne or be cōuerted / & some tyme yet (agere penitenciā) And yᵉ greke in the new testamēt hath perpetually (Metanoeo) to turne in the heart & mynde / & to come to yᵉ ryght knowledge / & to a mannes ryght wyt agayne. For which (Metanoeo) S. Ieromes trāslaciō hath: sometyme (ago penetēciā) I do repēt: sometyme (peniteo) I repēt: somtyme (penitror) I am repētaunt: somtyme (habeo penitenciā) I have repētaunce: some tyme (penitet me) it repēteth me. And Erasmus vseth moche this worde (resipisco) I come to my selfe or to my ryght mynde agayne. And the verye sens and significaciō both of the hebrue & also of yᵉ greke worde / is / to be cōuerted & to tourne to God with all the hert / to knowe his will & to lyue accordynge to his lawes / & to be cured of oure corrupt nature wᵗ the oyle of his spirite & wyne of obedyēce to his doctryne. Which cōuersion or turnynge if it be vnfayned / these foure do accompanye it & are included therin: Confession / not in the prestes eare / for that is but mānes invēcion / but to God in yᵉ hert & before all the cōgregacion of God / how yᵗ we be synners & synfull / & yᵗ oure hole nature is corrupt & inclyned to synne & all vnryghteousnes / and therfore euell / wycked & damnable / & his lawe holy & Iust / by which oure synfull nature is rebuked: & also to oure neyboures / if we have offended anye person perticularlye. Then contricion / sorowfullnes that we be soche / damnable synners / & not onlye have synned but are holye inclyned to syne still. Thirdlye fayth (of which oure olde doctoure have made no mēcion at all in yᵉ descripciō of their penaūce) yᵗ God for christe sake doth forgeue vs & receave vs to mercie / & is at one wᵗ vs & will heale oure corrupte nature. And fourthlye satisfaciō or amendꝭ makynge / not to god wᵗ holye workes / but to my neyboure whome I haue hurt / & the congregaciō of God whome I have offended (yf anye open cryme be foūde in me) & submyttynge of a mās selfe vnto yᵉ congregacion or church of christ / & to yᵉ offycers of the same / to have his lyfe corrected & governed hence forth of thē / accordynge to the true doctryne of yᵉ church of christ. And note this: that as satisfaction or amendes makynge is counted ryghteousnes before yᵉ worlde & a purgynge of the synne: so yᵗ the worlde when I haue made a full amendꝭ / hath no further to cōplayne. Even so fayth in christes bloude is counted ryghteousnes and a purgynge of all sinne before God.

Morouer / he yᵗ synneth agaynst his brother synneth also agaynst his father allmyghtie God. And as yᵉ synne cōmytted agaynst his brother / is pourged before yᵉ world wᵗ makynge amendꝭ or axynge forgeuenes / euen so is yᵉ synne commytted agaynst God / pourged thorow fayth in christes bloude onlye. For christ sayth. Io. viii. except ye beleue that I am he / ye shall dye in youre synnes. That is to saye / if ye thīke yᵗ there is anye other sacrifice or satisfacciō to godwarde / then me / ye remayne euer in synne before God / how soeuer ryghteous ye apere before yᵉ world. Wherfore now / whether ye call this Metonoia / repentaunce / cōuersyon or turnynge agayne to God / ether amendynge &ce. or whether ye saye repēt / be cōuerted / tourne to god / amende youre lyuynge or what ye lust / I am content so ye vnderstonde what is meant therby / as I have now declared.

¶ Elders.

IN the olde testamēt yᵉ tēporall heedes & rulers of yᵉ Iues which had yᵉ gouernaunce ouer yᵉ laye or cōmen people are called elders / as ye maye se in yᵉ foure euangelystes. Oute of which custome paule in his epistle & also peter / call yᵉ prelates & spirituall gouerners which are bysshopes & prestes / elders. Now whether ye call them elders or prestes / it is to me all one: so yᵗ ye vnderstonde yᵗ they be offycers & seruaūtes of the worde of God / vnto the which all men both hie & lowe that will not rebell agaynst Christ / must obeye as longe as they preache & rule trulye & no lenger.

¶ A prologe into the .iiii. Euangelystes shewynge what they were & their auctoryte. And fyrst of S. Mathew.

AS towchynge yᵉ euāgelystes: ye se in yᵉ new testament clearly what they were Fyrst mathew (as ye reade Mat ix. Mar. ii. Luke. v) was one of christe apostles / and was with christ all the tyme of his preachynge / and sawe and heard his awne selfe almost all that he wrote.

¶ Marke

OF Marke reade (actes xii) how peter (after he was loosed oute of pryson by the angell) came to Markꝭ mothers house / where manye of yᵉ desciples were prayenge for his delyueraūce. And paul & Barnabas toke him wᵗ thē frō Ierusalem & brought him to Antioche / actꝭ .xii. And actꝭ .xiii. paul & Barnabas toke Marke wᵗ them when they were sent oute to preache: from whome he also departed / as it apereth in the sayde chapter / & returned to Ierusalem agayne. And actꝭ. xv paul & Barnabas were at varyaunce aboute him / paul not wyllynge to take him wᵗ them / because he forsoke thē in their fyrst Iorneye. Notwᵗstondynge yet / when paul wrote yᵉ epistle to yᵉ collossyās / Marke was wᵗ him / as he sayth in the fourth chapter: of whome Paul also testifieth / both yᵗ he was Barnabas sisters sonne and also his felowe worker in the kyngedome of God. And .ii. Timothe. iiii paul cōmaundeth Timothe to brynge Marke wᵗ him / affirmynge yᵗ he was nedefull to him / to mynister to him. Finallye / he was also wᵗ peter when he wrote his fyrst epistle / & so famylier yᵗ peter calleth him his sonne. Wherof ye se / of whome he learned his gospell / euen of the verye apostles / with whome he had his cōtynuall conversacion / & also of what auctoryte his wrytynge is / and how worthie of credence.

¶ Luke.

LUcas was Pauls companyon / at the least waye frō yᵉ .xvi. of the actꝭ forth & with him in all his trybulacyō. And he wēt with paule at his last goynge vp to Ierusalem. And frō thence he folowed paul to Cesarea / where he laye two yere in pryson And frō Cesarea he went with paul to Rome where he laye two other yer⟨illegible⟩s in pryson. And he was with Paul when he wrote to yᵉ collossyōs / as he testifieth in yᵉ fourth chapter sayenge: the beloued Lucas the phisiciō saluteth you. And he was wᵗ paul whē he wrote yᵉ secōde pistle to Timothe / as he sayth ī yᵉ fourth chapter sayenge: Onlye Lucas is with me. Wherby ye se yᵉ auctorite of the man and of what credēce & reuerēce his wrytinge is worthie of / & therto of whome he learned yᵉ storye of his gospell / as he him selfe sayth / how yᵗ he learned it & searched it oute with all dylygence of them yᵗ sawe it and were also parttakers at the doynge. And as for the actes of yᵉ apostles / he him selfe was at the doynge of thē (at the least) of the moost parte / & had his parte therin / and therfore wrote of his awne experyence.

¶ Iohn.

IOhn / what he was / is manyfest by the thre fyrst euāgelistꝭ. Fyrst christes apostle / & yᵗ one of yᵉ chefe. Thē christes nye kinsmā / & for his synguler innocēcie & softenes / singulerlye beloued & of synguler famyliarite with christ / & euer one of yᵉ thre wytnesses of moost secret thynges. The cause of his wrytynge was certayne heresyes that arose in his tyme / & namelye two / of which one denyed christ to be verye man & to be come in yᵉ verie fleshe & nature of man. Agaynst which two heresyes he wrote both his gospell & also his fyrst epistle / & in yᵉ begynnynge of his gospell sayth yᵗ the worde or thynge was at yᵉ begynnynge / & was wᵗ God / & was also verye God and yᵗ all thynges was created & made by yt / and yᵗ it was also made fleshe: yᵗ is to saye / became verie mā. And he dwelt amōge vs (sayth he) & we sawe his glorye.

And in yᵉ begynnynge of his pistle / he saith we shew you of yᵉ thynge yᵗ was frō the begynnynge / which also we heard / sawe wᵗ oure eyes & oure handes hādeled. And agayne we shew you euerlastynge lyfe / that was with yᵉ father and apered to vs / & we heard and sawe. & ce. In that he sayth that it was from the begynnynge / and that it was eternall lyfe / and that it was with God / he affirmeth him to be verie God. And that he sayth / we hearde / sawe and fealte / he wytnesseth that he was verie man also. Ihon also wrote last / and therfore touched not the storie that the other had compiled. But wryteth most of the fayth and promyses / & of the sermones of Christ. This be sofficient concerninge the .iiii. Euangelistes and their auctoritie and worthynes to be beleued.

❧ ❧ ❧

Notes

A warning to the reader

¶ A warninge to yᵉ reader if ought be scaped thorow necligence of the prynter / as this text is yᵗ foloweth / which if thou fynde anye more soche: cōpare yᵉ englyshe to yᵉ other bookes that are all readye prynted / & so shalt thou perceaue the truthe of the ynglish.

In the xxiii. chapter of Mathew & in the xxxiii leffe on the seconde syde and last lyne / reade the sentence thus. Thou blynde pharisaye / clense fyrst the ynnesyde of the cup and platter / that the outsyde of them maye be clene also.

Willyam Tindale / yet once more to the christen reader.

THou shalt vnderstonde moost dere reader / when I had taken in hāde to looke ouer the new testament agayne & to cōpare it with yᵉ greke / and to mende whatsoeuer I coulde fynde amysse & had almost fynesshed yᵉ laboure: George Ioye secretly toke in hand to correct it also by what occasyon his conscyence knoweth: & preuēted me / in so moche / yᵗ his correccyō was prynted in great nombre / yer myne begāne. When it was spyed and worde brought me: though it semed to dyuers other yᵗ George Ioye had not vsed yᵉ offyce of an honest mā / seinge he knew yᵗ I was in correctynge it myselfe: nether dyd walke after yᵉ rules of yᵗ loue & softenes which christ / & his desciples teache vs / how yᵗ we shuld do nothynge of stryfe to moue debate / or of vayne glorie or of couetousnes. Yet I toke yᵉ thīge in worth as I have done dyuers other in tyme past / as one that have moare experyēce of yᵉ nature & dysposiciō of yᵗ mānes cōplexion / & supposed that a lytle spyse of couetousnes & vayne glorie (two blynde gydes) had bene yᵉ onlye cause yᵗ moued him so to do / aboute which thynges I stryue with no man: & so folowed after & corrected forth & caused this to be prynted / without surmyse or lokynge on his correctyon.

But when the pryntynge of myne was almost fynesshed / one brought me a copie & shewed me so manye places / in soche wyse altered that I was astonyed & wondered not a lytle what furye had dryuē him to make soche chaunge & to call it a diligent correctiō. For thorow oute Mat. Mark & Luke perpetually: and ofte in the actees / & sometyme in Iohn & also in the hebrues / where he fyndeth this worde Resurrecciō / he chaungeth it into yᵉ lyfe after this lyfe / or verie lyfe / and soche lyke / as one that abhorred the name of the resurreccion.

If that chaunge / to turne resurreccion into lyfe after this lyfe / be a dylygent correccion / then must my translaciō be fautie in those places / & saynt Ieromes / and all yᵉ translatours that euer I heard of in what tonge so euer it be / frō yᵉ apostles vnto this his dylygēt correccyō (as he calleth it) which whither it be so or no / I permyt it to other mennes iudgemētes.

But of this I chalenge George Ioye / that he dyd not put his awne name therto and call it rather his awne translacion: & that he playeth boo pepe / & ī some of his bookes putteth in his name & tytle / and in some kepeth it oute It is lawfull for who will / to translate and shew his mynde / though a thousand had trāslated before him. But it is not lawfull (thynketh me) ner yet expedyēt for the edifienge of the vnitie of the fayth of christ / that whosoeuer will / shall by his awne auctorite / take another mannes translacion & put oute & in and chaunge at pleasure / & call it a correccion.

Moreover / ye shall vnderstōde that George Ioye hath had of a longe tyme marvelouse ymaginaciōs aboute this worde resurrecciō / yᵗ it shuld be taken for the state of the soules after their departinge frō their bodyes / & hath also (though he hath been reasoned with therof & desyred to cease) yet sowen his doctryne by secret lettres on that syde the see / & caused great division amōge yᵉ brethrē. In so moche that Iohn Fryth beynge in preson in the toure of Londō / a lytle before his death / wrote yᵗ we shuld warne him & desyer him to cease / & wolde have then wrytten agaynst him / had I not withstonde him. Therto I have been sence informed yᵗ no small nōber thorow his curiosite / vtterly denye the resurreccion of yᵉ flesshe & bodye / affirminge yᵗ the soule whē she is departed / is the spirituall bodye of the resurreccion / & other resurreccion shall there none be. And I have talked with some of them myselfe / so doted in that folye / that it were as good perswade a post / as to plucke that madnes oute of their braynes. And of this all is George Ioyes vnquyet curiosite yᵉ hole occasion / whether he be of the sayde facciō also / or not / to that let him answer him selfe.

If George Ioye wyll saye (as I wot well he will) that his chaunge / is the sence & meaninge of those scriptures. I answer it is soner sayde then proved: howbeit let other mē iudge. But though it were yᵉ verie meaninge of the scripture: yet if it were lawfull after his ensample to every man to playe boo pepe with the translacions that are before him / & to put oute yᵉ wordes of yᵉ text at his pleasure & to put in every where his meaninge: or what he thought the meaninge were / that were the next waye to stablyshe all heresyes and to destroye the grounde wherewith we shuld improve them. As for an ensample / whē Christ sayth Io. v. The tyme shall come in yᵉ which all that are in the graves shall heare his voyce & shall come forth: they that have done good vnto resurreccion of lyfe / or with the resurreccion of lyfe / & they have done evell / vnto yᵉ reccion or with the resurreccion of damnaciō. George Ioyes correccion is / they that have done good shall come forth into the verie lyfe / & they that have done evell into the life of damnaciō / thrustinge cleane oute this worde resurrecciō. Now by yᵉ same auctorite / & wᵗ as good reason shall another come & saye of the rest of yᵉ text / they yᵗ are in yᵉ sepulchres / shall heare his voyce / that yᵉ sence is / the soules of thē that are in the sepulchres shall heare his voyce / & so put in his diligent correccion & mocke oute yᵉ text / that it shall not make for yᵉ resurrecciō of the flesshe / which thinge also George Ioyes correcciō doth manyfestlye affirme. If the text be lefte vncorrupt / it will pourge hir selfe of all maner false gloses / how sotle soever they be fayned / as a sethinge pot casteth vp hir scome. But yf the false glose be made the text / diligentlye oversene & correct / wherewith then shall we correcte false doctrine & defende Christes flocke from false opinions / & frō yᵉ wycked heresyes of raveninge of wolves? In my mynde therfore a lytle vnfayned love after the rules of Christ / is worth moche hie learninge / & single & sleyght vnderstondinge that edifieth in vnitie / is moche better then sotle curiosite / & mekenes better then bolde arrogancye and stondinge over moche in a mannes awne consayte.

Wherfore / concernynge the resurreccion / I protest before god and oure savioure Iesus Christ / and before the vniversall congregacion that beleveth in him / that I beleve accordynge to the open and manyfest scriptures & catholyck fayth / that Christ is rysen agayne in yᵉ flesshe which he receaved of his mother yᵉ blessed virgin marie / & bodye wherin he dyed. And yᵗ we shall all both good and bad ryse both flesshe & bodye / & apere together before the iudgement seat of christ / to receave every man accordynge to his dedes. And that the bodyes of all that beleve & contynew in the true fayth of christ / shalbe endewed wᵗ lyke immortalyte and glorie as is yᵉ bodye of christ

And I protest before God and oure savioure Christ & all that beleve in him / that I holde of yᵉ soules that are departed as moche as maye be proved by manifest & opē scripture / & thinke the soules departed in the fayth of Christ & love of the lawe of God / to be in no worse case then yᵉ soule of Christ was / frō yᵉ tyme yᵗ he delivered his sprite into the handes of his father / vntyll the resurreccion of his bodye in glorie & immortalite. Neverthelater / I cōfesse openly / yᵗ I am not persuaded yᵗ they be all readie in the full glorie that Christ is in / or the elect angels of god are in. Nether is it anye article of my fayth: for if it so were / I se not but then the preachinge of the resurrecciō of the flesshe were a thinge in vayne. Notwithstondinge yet I am readie to beleve it / if it maye be proved with open scripture. And I have desyred George Ioye to take opē textes that seme to make for yᵗ purpose / as this is. To daye thou shalt be with me in Paradise / to make therof what he coulde / and to let his dreames aboute this worde resurreccion goo. For I receave not in yᵉ scripture yᵗ pryvat interpretaciō of any mānes brayne / without opē testimony of eny scriptures agreinge thereto.

Moreover I take God (which alone seeth yᵉ heart) to recorde to my conscience / besechinge him yᵗ my parte be not in yᵉ bloude of Christ / if I wrote of all yᵗ I have wryttē thorow oute all my boke / ought of an evell purpose / of envie or malice to anye mā / or to stere vp any false doctrine or opinion in the churche of Christ / or to be auctor of anye secte / or to drawe disciples after me / or that I wolde be estemed or had in pryce above the least chylde yᵗ is borne / save onlye of pitie & cōpassion I had & yet have on the blindnes of my brethrē / & to bringe them vnto the knowledge of Christ / & to make every one of them / if it were possible as perfect as an angell of heavē / & to wede oute all yᵗ is not planted of oure hevenly father / & to bringe doune all that lyfteth vp it selfe agaynst the knowledge of the salvacion that is in yᵉ bloude of Christ. Also / my parte be not in Christ / if myne heart be not to folowe & lyve accordinge as I teache / and also if myne heart wepe not nyght & daye for myne awne synne & other mennes indifferētlye / besechinge God to cōvert vs all / & to take his wrath from vs / & to be mercifull as well to all other men / as to myne awne soule / caringe for the welth of the realme I was borne in / for the kinge and all that are therof / as a tender hearted mother wolde do for hir only sonne.

As concerninge all I have translated or other wise written / I beseche all men to reade it for that purpose I wrote it: even to bringe them to the knowledge of the scripture. And as farre as the scripture approveth it / so farre to alowe it / & if in anye place the worde of god dysalow it / there to refuse it / as I do before oure savyour Christ & his congregacion. And where they fynde fautes / let them shew it me / if they be nye / or wryte to me / if they be farre of: or wryte opēly agaynst it & improve it / & I promyse them / if I shall perceave that there reasons conclude I will confesse myne ignoraunce openly.

Wherfore I beseche George Ioye / ye & all other to / for to translate yᵉ scripture for them selves / whether oute of Greke / Latyn: or Hebrue. Or (if they wyll nedes) as yᵉ foxe when he hath pyssed in yᵉ grayes hole chalengeth it for his awne / so let them take my translacions & laboures / & chaunge & alter / & correcte & corrupte at their pleasures / and call it their awne translaciōs / & put to their awne names / & not to playe boo pepe after George Ioyes maner. Which whether he have done faythfully & truly / with suche reverence & feare as becōmeth the worde of God / & with soche love and mekenes & affeccion to vnite and circūspexcion that the vngodlye have none occasion to rayle on the verite / as becōmeth yᵉ servauntes of Christ / I referre it to the iudgemētes of them that knowe and love the trouth. For this I protest / that I provoke not Ioye ner any other man (but am prouoked / & that after the spytfullest maner of provokynge) to do sore agaynst my will and with sorow of harte that I now do. But I nether can ner will soffre of anye man / that he shall goo take my translacion and correct it without name / & make soche chaungynge as I my selfe durst not do / as I hope to have my parte in Christ / though the hole worlde shuld be gevē me for my laboure.

Finally that new Testamēt thus dyligētly corrected / besyde this so ofte puttinge oute this worde resurreccion / and I wote not what other chaūge / for I have not yet reede it over / hath in the ende before the Table of the Epistles and Gospelles this tytle: (Here endeth the new Testament dylygentlye ouersene and correct and printed now agayne at Andwarp / by me wydow of Christophell of Endhouen. In the yere of oure Lorde. A .M. D. xxxiiii. in August.) Which tytle (reader) I have here put in because by this thou shalt knowe the booke the better. Vale. ☞ ▪ ☞ ❧

The second title page

¶ The newe Testament.

¶ Imprinted at Anwerp by Marten Emperowr. Anno .M. D. xxxiiij.

¶ The bokes conteyned in the newe Testament.

• i. The Gospell of S. Mathew.
• ii. The Gospell of S. Marke.
• iii. The Gospell of S. Luke.
• iiii. The Gospell of S. Ihon.
• v. The Actes of the Apostles / writtē by S. Luke
• vi. The Pistle of S. Paul to the Romayns.
• vii. The fyrst pistle of S. Paul to yᵉ Corinthiās.
• viii. The secōd pistle of S. Paul to yᵉ Corinthiās
• ix. The pistle of S. Paul to the Galathians.
• x. The pistle of S. Paul to the Ephesians.
• xi. The pistle of S. Paul to the Philippians.
• xii. The pistle of S. Paul to the Colossians.
• xiii. The fyrst pistle of S. Paul to yᵉ Tessaloniās
• xiiii. The secōd pistle of S. Paul to yᵉ Tessaloniās
• xv. The fyrst pistle of S. Paul to Timothe.
• xvi. The second pistle of S. Paul to Timothe.
• xvii. The pistle of S. Paul to Titus.
• xviii The pistle of S. Paul to Philemon.
• xix. The fyrst pistle of S. Peter.
• xx. The second pistle of S. Peter.
• xxi. The fyrst pistle of S. Ihon.
• xxii The second pistle of S. Ihon.
• xxiii The thyrd pistle of S. Ihon.
• The pistle vnto the Hebrues.
• The pistle of S. Iames.
• The pistle of S. Iude.
• The reuelacion of S. Ihon.

Colophon

Transcribed from The newe Testament dylygently corrected and compared with the Greke by Willyam Tindale (Antwerp: Marten Emperowr, November 1534; STC 2826), British Library copy, as keyed by the Text Creation Partnership (EEBO-TCP Phase I, text A68940): keyed by Apex CoVantage from the ProQuest page images in 2005, then sampled and proofread by Judith Siefring. The TCP transcription was released into the public domain under CC0 1.0. The printed text is in the public domain.

Spelling, capitals, punctuation (including the virgule /), abbreviation marks (the macron, as in thē, and ꝭ) and the signs ¶ ✚ ⊢ ❧ are kept as printed. The only changes are these: long s (ſ) is set as s; superscript letters are set as ᵉ ᵗ ᵒ (yᵉ = the, yᵗ = that); ▪ marks a stop the transcribers could not identify; a word divided at the end of a line, with or without a printed hyphen, is joined into one word; page breaks and catchwords are removed. Woodcuts and decorated initials are not reproduced, but woodcut captions are given. The margin notes are given as numbered footnotes. Printed headings are kept, including their misprints, as italic lines under the library's chapter headings.

This section has no verse numbers. Words that the transcribers could not read are marked ⟨illegible⟩ (5 places on this page).

This is an archival transcription of Tyndale's printed English, not a Good Works Translation: nothing here has been translated or modernised by the library.

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