Galatians — The Tyndale New Testament (1534)

The epistle known today as Galatians in Tyndale's revised New Testament of 1534, translated from the Greek and opened, as in the print, by Tyndale's prologue to the epistle. It is printed here from the copy in the British Library as keyed by the Text Creation Partnership, in the spelling of 1534; the margin notes are given as footnotes, and the crosses ✚ and ⊢ mark where the lessons read in church begin and end.

¶ The Prologe vpon the epistle of S. Paul to the Galathyans.

AS ye reade. Act. xv. how certen came from Ierusalem to Antioche and vexed the disciples there / affirmynge that they coulde not be saued except they were circumcised. Euē so after Paule had cōuerted the Galathyās & coupled them to Christ / to trust in him onlye for the remission of synne / & hope of grace & saluaciō / & was departed: there came false apostles vnto thē (as vnto the Corinthians / and vnto all places where Paule had preached) and that in the name of Peter / Iames and Ihon / whome they called the hie Apostles / and preached circumcision and the kepinge of the lawe / to be saued by and mynisshed pauls auctorite.

To the confoundynge of those / Paule magnifieth his office and Apostleshipe in the two fyrst chapters and maketh him selfe equall vnto the hye Apostles / and concludeth that euery man must be iustified with oure deseruynges / with oute workes / and with out helpe of the lawe: but alone by Christ.

And in the thyrde and fourth / he proueth y⟨illegible⟩ same with scripture / examples and symylitudes / and sheweth that the lawe is cause of more synne and bringeth the cursse of god vpon vs / and iustifieth vs not: but that iustifyinge cometh by grace promysed vs of God thorow the deseruinge of Christ / by whome (if we beleue) we are iustifyed with oute helpe of the workes of the lawe.

And in the .v. and .vj. he exhorteth vnto the workes of loue which folowe fayth and iustifyinge. So that in all his epistle he obserueth this order. Fyrst he preacheth the dampnaciō of the lawe: then the iustifyinge of fayth / and thyrdly the workes of loue. For on that condycion that we loue & worke / is the mercie geuen vs.

The text

Chapter 1

¶ The fyrst Chapter.

1 PAul an Apostle / not of men / nether¹ by man / but by Iesus [A] Christ / and by God the father which raysed him from deeth:

2 and all the brethren which are with me. Vnto the congregaciōs of Galacia.

3 Grace be with you & peace from God the father / and from oure Lorde Iesus Christ /

4 which gave him selfe for oure synnes / to deliver vs from this present evyll worlde / thorow the will of God oure father /

5 to whom be prayse for ever and ever. Amen.

6 I marvayle that ye are so sone turned frō [B] him that called you in the grace of Christ / vnto another gospell:

7 which is nothinge els / but that ther be some which trouble you / & intende to pervert to gospell of Christ.

8 Neverthelesse though we oure selves / or an angell frō hevē / preache eny other gospell vnto you thē that which we have preached vnto you / holde him as a cursed.

9 As I sayde before / so saye I now agayne / yf eny man preache eny other thinge vnto you / then that ye have receaved / holde him accursed.

10 Preache I mannes doctrine or Godes? Ether go I about to please men? If I stodyed to please men / I were not the servaunt of Christ.

11 ✚ I certifie you brethren / that the gospell [C] which was preached of me / was not after the māner of men /

12 nether receaved I it of mā / nether wos I taught it: but receaved it by the revelacion of Iesus Christ.

13 For ye have hearde of my conversacion in tyme past / in the Iewes wayes / how that beyonde measure I persecuted the congregacion of God / & spoyled it:

14 and prevayled in the Iewes laye / above many of my companions / which were of myne awne naciō / and was a moche more fervēt mayntener of the tradicions of the elders.

15 But whē it pleased God / which seperated me from my mothers wombe / & called me by his grace /

16 forto declare his sonne by me / that I shuld preache him amonge the hethen: immediatly² I cōmened not of the matter with flesshe and bloud /

17 nether returned to Ierusasem to them which were Apostles before me: but wēt my wayes into Arabia / & came agayne [D] vnto Damasco.

18 Then after thre yeare I returned to Ierusalem to se Peter / & abode with him .xv. dayes /

19 no nother of the Apostles sawe I / save Iames the Lordes brother.

20 The thinges which I write / beholde / God knoweth I lye not.

21 After that I went into the costes of Siria & Cilicia:

22 & was vnknowen as touchinge my person vnto yᵉ cōgregaciōs of Iewrye / which were in Christ.

23 But they hearde only / that he which persecuted vs in tyme past / now preacheth the fayth which before he destroyed.

24 And they glorified God on my behalffe. ⊢

Notes to Chapter 1

Chapter 2

¶ The .ii. Chapter.

1 THen .xiiii. yeares after that / I wēt vp [A] agayne to Ierusalem with Barnabas / & toke with me Titus also.

2 Ye and I went vp by revelacion / & cōmened with them of the Gospell which I preache amonge the³ gentyls: but apart with them which were coūted chefe / lest it shuld have bene thought y[ᵗ] I shuld runne or had runne in vayne.

3 Also Titus which was with me / though he were a Greke / yet was not compelled to be circumcised /

4 & that because of incōmers beynge falce brethren / which came in amōge other to spye out oure libertie which we have in Christ Iesus / that they might bringe vs into bondage.⁴

5 To whom we gave no roume / no not for the space of an houre / as cōcerninge to be brought into subiecciō: & that because that the trueth of the gospell myght continue with you.

6 [B] Of thē which seme to be great (what they were in tyme passed it maketh no matter to me: God loketh on no mans person) neverthelesse they which seme great / added nothynge⁵ to me.

7 But contrary wyse / when they sawe that the gospell over the vncircumcision was cōmitted vnto me / as the gospell over y[ᵉ]⁶ circūcision was vnto Peter:

8 for he y[ᵗ] was myghty in Peter in the Apostleshippe over the circumcision / the same was myghty in me amōge the gentyls:

9 and therfore when they perceaved the grace that was gevē vnto me / then Iames / Cephas & Iohn / which semed to be⟨illegible⟩ilers / gave to me & Barnabas the ryght hondes / & agreed with vs / that we shuld preache amonge the Hethen / and they amonge the Iewes:

10 warnynge only that we shulde remember the poore. Which thinge also I was diligent to do.

11 And when Peter was come to Antioche / [D] I with stode him in the face / for he was worthy⁷ to be blamed.

12 For yerr that certayne came frō Iames / he ate with the gentyls. But when they were come / he withdrue & separated him selfe / fearinge them which were of y[ᵉ] circumcision.

13 And y[ᵉ] other Iewes dissembled lyke wyse / in so moche that Barnabas was brought into their simulaciō also.

14 But when I sawe / that they w[e]nt not the ryght waye after the trueth of the gospell / I sayde vnto Peter before all men / yf thou beynge a Iewe / livest after the māner of the gentyls / & not as do the Iewes: why causest thou the gētyls to live as do the Iewes?

15 We which are Iewes [D] by nature / & not synners of the gētyls /

16 knowe that a man is not iustified by y[ᵉ]⁸ dedes of the lowe: but by the fayth of Iesus Christ. And therfore we have beleved on Iesus Christ / yᵗ wemyght be iustified by y[ᵉ] fayth of Christ / &not by the dedes of the lawe: because that by y[ᵉ] dedes of y[ᵉ] lawe no flesshe shalbe iustified.

17 Yf then whill we seke to be made rightewes by Christ / we oure selves are founde synners / is not then Christ y[ᵉ] minister of synne? God forbyd.

18 For yf I bylde agayne yᵗ which I destroyed. then make I my selfe a treaspaser.

19 But I thorow y[ᵉ] lawe ame deed to y[ᵉ] lawe: that I myght live vnto God.

20 I am crucified with Christ. I live verely: yet now not I / but Christ liveth in me. For y[ᵉ] lyfe which I now live in y[ᵉ] flesshe / I live by the fayth of y[ᵉ] sonne of God / which loved me / and gave him selne for me.

21 I despyse not the grace of God. For if rightewesnes come of the lawe / then Christ dyed in vayne.

Notes to Chapter 2

Chapter 3

¶ The .iii. Chapter.

1 OFolisshe Galathyās: who hath bewitched [A] you / that ye shuld not beleve the trueth? To whom Iesus Christ was described before the eyes / & amōge you crucified.

2 This only wolde I learne of you: receaved ye the sprete by the dedes of yᵉ lawe / or els by preachinge of yᵉ faith?

3 Are ye so vnwyse / that after ye have begonne in the sprete / ye wolde nowe ende in the flesshe?

4 So many thinges there ye have suffred in vayne / if yᵗ be vayne.⁹

5 Which ministered to you the sprete / and worketh myracles amonge you / doth he it thorow the dedes of the lawe / or by preachinge of the fayth?

6 Even as Abraham beleved God / and it was asscribed to him for rightewesnes.

7 Vnderstonde therfore / yᵗ they which are of fayth / the same are the chyldren of Abraham.

8 [B] For the seripture sawe afore honde / yᵗ God wolde iustifie the hethen thorow fayth / and¹⁰ therfore shewed before honde glad tydinges vnto Abraham: In the shall all nacions be blessed.

9 So then they which be of fayth / are blessed with faythfull Abraham.

10 For as many as are vnder the dedes of the lawe / are vnder maledicciō. For it is written: cursed is every man yᵗ cōtinueth not in all thingꝭ which are writtē in yᵉ boke of yᵉ lawe / to fulfill thē.

11 That no mā is iustified by yᵉ lawe in yᵉ sight of God / is evidēt. For the iuste shall live by fayth.

12 The lawe is not of fayth: but the man that fulfilleth the thinges contayned in the lawe (shall live in thē.)

13 But Christ hath delivered vs frō the curse of the lawe / & was made a¹¹ cursed for vs. For it is writtē: cursed is every one that hangeth on tree /

14 that the blessynge of Abraham might come on the gētyls thorow Iesus Christ / and that we might receave the promes of the sprete thorow fayth.

15 Brethren I will speake after the māner of [C] men. Though it be but a mans testament / yet no mā despiseth it / or addeth eny thinge therto when it is once alowed.

16 ✚ To Abraham & his seed were the promises made. He sayth not / in the seedes as in many: but in thy sede / as in one / which is Christ.

17 This I saye / that the lawe which beganne afterwarde / beyonde .iiii. C & .xxx. yeares / doth not disanull the testament / that was confermed afore of God vnto Christ ward / to make the promes of none effect.

18 For yf the inheritaunce come of the lawe it cōmeth not of promes. But God gave it vnto Abraham by promes.

19 Wherfore then serveth yᵉ lawe? The lawe¹² was added because of transgression (tyll the seed cam to which yᵉ promes was made) & it was ordeyned by angels in yᵉ honde of a mediator.

20 A mediator is not a mediator of one. But God is one.

21 Ys the lawe then agaynst y[ᵉ] promes of God? God forbid. How be it yf ther [D] had bene a lawe gevē which coulde have geven lyfe: then no doute rightewesnes shuld have come by yᵉ lawe.

22 But yᵉ scripture concluded¹³ all thinges vnder synne / yᵗ the promes by the fayth of Iesus Christ shuld be gevē vnto them yᵗ beleve.

23 ✚ Before yᵗ fayth cam / we were kept and shut vp vnder the lawe / vnto the fayth which shuld afterwarde be declared.

24 Wherfore the lawe was oure scolemaster vnto the tyme of Christ / yᵗ we might be made rightewes by fayth.

25 But after yᵗ fayth is come / now are we no lenger vnder a scolemaster.

26 For ye are all the¹⁴ sonnes of God / by y[ᵉ] fayth which is in Christ Iesus.

27 For all ye that are baptised / have put on Christ.

28 Now is ther no Iewe nether gētyle: ther is nether bonde ner fre: ther is nether man ner woman: but ye are all one thinge in Christ Iesu.

29 Yf ye be Christes / then are ye Abrahams seed / and heyres by promes.

Notes to Chapter 3

Chapter 4

¶ The .iiii. Chapter. ✚

1 ANd I saye that the heyre as longe as [A] he is a chylde / differth not from a servaunt / though he be Lorde of all /

2 but is vnder tuters and governers / vntill the tyme appoynted of the father.

3 Even so we / as longe as we were chyldren / were in bondage vnder the ordinaunces of the worlde.

4 But when the tyme was full come / God sent his sonne borne of a woman & made bonde vnto yᵉ lawe /

5 to redeme thē which were vnder the lawe: yᵗ we thorow eleccion myght receave the inheritaūce yᵗ belongeth vnto the naturall sonnes.

6 Because ye are sonnes / God hath sent the sprete of his sonne in to oure herte▪ which cryeth Abba father.

7 Wherfore now / thou art not a servaunt / but a sonne. Yf thou be yᵉ sonne / thou [B] arte also the heyre of God thorow Christ. ⊢

8 Notwithstondinge / whē ye knewe not God / ye dyd service vnto them / which by nature were no goddes.

9 But now seinge ye knowe god (yee rather are knowē of God) how is it that ye tourne agayne vnto the weake and bedgarly cerimonies / whervnto agayne ye desyre afresshe¹⁵ to be in bondage?

10 Ye observe dayes / & monethes / and tymes / and yeares.

11 I am in feare of you / lest I have bestowed on you laboure in vayne.

12 Brethern I besech you / be ye as I am: for I am as ye are. Ye have not hurte me at all.¹⁶

13 Ye knowe / how thorow infirmite of the flesshe / I preached the gospell vnto you at the fyrst.

14 And my temptacion which I suffered by reason of my flesshe / ye despysed not / nether abhorred: but receaved me as an angell of god: ye as Christ Iesus.

15 How happy were ye then? for I beare you recorde that yf it had bene possible / ye wolde have plucked out youre awne eyes / and have geven them to me.

16 Am I therfore become youre enemie / because I tell you the truth?

17 [C] They are gelous over you amysse. Ye / they intēde to exclude you / that ye shuld be feruēt to them warde.

18 It is good alwayes to be fervent / so it be in a good thinge / and not only whē I am present with you.

19 My littel children (of whom I travayle in birth againe vntill Christ be fassioned in you)

20 I wolde I were with you now / & coulde chaunge my voyce: for I stonde in a doute of you

21 Tell me ye that desyre to be vnder the lawe have ye not hearde of the lawe?

22 ✚ For it is written that Abraham had two sonnes / yᵉ one by a bonde mayde / the other by a fre woman.

23 Yee and he which was of the bonde woman was borne after the flesshe: but he which¹⁷ was of the fre woman / was borne by promes.

24 Which thinges betoken mystery. For these wemen are two testamentes / the one frō the mounte Sina / which gendreth vnto bondage / which is Agar.

25 For mounte Sina is called Agar in Arabia / and bordreth vpō the citie which is now Ierusalem / and is in bondage [D] with her chyldren.

26 But Ierusalem / which is above / is fre: which is the mother of vs all.

27 For it is written: reioyce thou barē / that bearest no chyldrē:¹⁸ breake forthe & crye / thou that travelest not. For the desolate hath many moo chyldren¹⁹ then she which hath an husband.

28 Brethrē we are after the maner of Isaac / chyldren of promes.

29 But as then he yᵗ was borne carnally / persecuted him that was borne spiritually. Even so is it now.

30 Neverthelesse what sayth the scripture: put awaye the bonde woman &²⁰ her sonne. For the sonne of the bonde womā shall not be heyre with the sonne of yᵉ fre woman.

31 So then brethren we are not chyldrē of the bonde woman: but of the fre woman. ⊢

Notes to Chapter 4

Chapter 5

¶ The .v. Chapter.

1 STond fast therfore in y[ᵉ] libertie wher with Christ hath made vs fre / & wrap [A]²¹ pe not youre selves agayne in y[ᵉ] yoke of bondage.

2 Beholde I Paul saye vnto you / that yf ye be circumcised / Christ shall proffit you nothinge at all.

3 I testifie agayne to every man which is circumcised that he is bounde to kepe the whole lawe.

4 Ye are gone quyte frō Christ as many as are iustified by the lawe / & are fallen from grace.

5 We loke for & hope in the sprite / to be iustified thorow fayth.

6 For in Iesu Christ / nether is circumcision eny thinge worth / nether yet vncircōcision / but²² faith which by love is mighty in operacion.

7 Ye did runne well: who was a let vnto you / that ye shuld not obey the trueth?

8 Evē that counsell [B] that is not of him that called you.

9 A lytell leven doth leven the whole lompe of dowe.

10 ✚ I have trust towarde you in the Lorde / yᵗ ye wyll be none other wyse mynded. He that troubleth you shall beare his iudgemēt / what²³ soever he be.

11 Brethren yf I yet preache circū cision: why do I then yet suffre persecucion? For then had the offence which the crosse ge veth / ceased.

12 I wolde to God they were seperated from you which trouble you.

13 Brethrē ye were called in to (libertie) only let not youre libertie be an occasion vnto the flesshe / but in²⁴ love serve one another.

14 For all y[ᵉ] lawe is fulfilled in one worde / which is this: thou shalt love thyne neghbour as thy selfe.

15 Yf ye byte [C] & devoure one another: take hede lest ye be consumed one of another.

16 ✚ I saye walke in the sprete / & fulfill not y[ᵉ]²⁵ lustes of yᵉ flesshe.

17 For yᵉ flesshe lusteth contrary to yᵉ sprete / & y[ᵉ] sprete cōtrary to yᵉ flesshe. Tese are cōtrary one to the other / so yᵗ ye cānot do that which ye wolde.

18 But & yf ye be²⁶ ledde of the sprete / then are ye not vnder the lawe.

19 The dedes of the flesshe are many fest / whiche are these / advoutrie / fornicaciō / vnclēnes / wantannes /

20 ydolatrye / witchecraft / hatred / variaunce / zele / wrath / stryfe / sedicion / sec tes /

21 envyinge / murther / dronkēnes / glottony / [D] and soche lyke: of the which I tell you before as I have tolde you in tyme past / that they which cōmit soche thingꝭ / shall not inherite / yᵉ kyngdome of God.

22 But²⁷ yᵉ frute of sprete is / loue / ioye / peace / longesufferinge / gētlenes goodnes / faythfulnes /

23 meknes / temperancye. Agaynst suche ther is no lawe.

24 They yᵉ are Christis / have crucified the flesshe with the appetites and lustes.

25 ✚ ✚ Yf we lyve in the sprete / let vs walke in the sprete.

26 Let vs not be vayne glorious / provokinge one another / & envyinge one another.

Notes to Chapter 5

Chapter 6

¶ The .vi. Chapter.

1 BRethren / yf eny mā be fallen by chaūce [A] into eny faute: ye which are spirituall²⁸ helpe to amende him / in the sprete of meknes: consyderynge thy silfe / lest thou also be tempted.

2 Beare ye one anothers burthē and so fulfill the lawe of Christ.

3 If eny mā seme to him silfe that he is somwhat whē in dede he is nothynge / thesame deceaveth hym silfe in his ymaginacion.

4 Let every man prove his awne worke / and then shall he have reioysinge²⁹ in his awne silfe / and not in another

5 For every man shall beare his awne burthen.

6 Let him that is taught in yᵉ worde minister vnto him yᵗ teacheth him in all good thingꝭ.

7 Be not³⁰ deceaved / God is not mocked. For what soever a man soweth / yᵗ shall he reepe.

8 [B] He that soweth in his flesshe / shall of y[ᵉ] flesshe reepe corrupciō. But he y[ᵗ] soweth in y⟨illegible⟩ spre te / shall of the sprete reepe lyfe everlastinge.

9 Let vs not be wery of well doynge. For when the tyme is come / we shall repe with out werines.³¹

10 Whill we have therfore tyme / let vs do good vnto all men / and specially vnto them which are of the housholde of fayth. ⊢

11 Beholde how large a letter I have written [C] vnto you with myne awne honde.

12 As many as desyre with vtwarde apperaūce to please carnally / they constrayne you to be circumcised / only be cause they wolde not suffre per secucion with the crosse of Christ.

13 For they them selves which are circumcised / kepe not the lawe: but desyre to have you circumcised / that they myght reioyce in youre flesshe.

14 God forbyd that I shuld reioyce but in the crosse of oure Lorde Iesu Christ / wherby the worlde is crucified as touchinge me / and I as concerninge the worlde.

15 For in Christ Iesu nether circūcision avayleth eny thinge at all nor vncircumcisiō: but a³² new creature.

16 And as many as walke accordinge to this rule / peace be on them / and mercy / and vpon Israel that pertayneth to God.

17 From hence forth / let no man put me to busynes. [D] For I beare in my bodye y[ᵉ] markes of the Lorde Iesu.

18 Brethren the grace of oure Lorde Iesu Christe be with youre sprete. Amen.

¶ Vnto the Galathyans written from Rome.

Notes to Chapter 6

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; a letter supplied from another text, as explained below, is set in square brackets; 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. The letters [A] to [G] are the section letters printed in the margin, by which the 1534 margin references (for example "Esaie vij. c.") and the table of lessons find a passage.

The 1534 print has no verse numbers. They are supplied here from the eBible.org Tyndale New Testament (1534), a public-domain, verse-numbered electronic text of the same edition. A word-by-word alignment showed that about 97 per cent of the two texts' words are identical across the New Testament, and the remainder differ in spelling and abbreviation, with a few slips of keying in one text or the other. The paragraphs of the print give way to one paragraph per verse.

Words that the transcribers could not read are marked ⟨illegible⟩ (9 places on this page, 6 of them in the margin notes).

In the verse text of this book, 26 places that the transcribers could not read in the printed book have been supplied from the eBible.org Tyndale New Testament (1534), a later electronic transcription of Tyndale's New Testament whose transcriber is not named. Each supplied letter is set in square brackets, as in y[ᵉ] or fal[c]e, so that it can be told from a letter the transcribers read in the print. A place was supplied only where the verse alignment was exact on both sides, the eBible reading agreed letter for letter with every legible letter, and no macron could have stood in the gap. Where the small superscript letter after y was supplied, the eBible text is the only evidence for that letter.

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.

🌲