Philippians — The Tyndale New Testament (1534)

The epistle known today as Philippians 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 Philippians.

PAule pray seth the philippians / and exhorteth t⟨illegible⟩em to stande fast in the true fayth / and to encrease in loue. And because that false prophetes studye all wayes to impunge and destroye the true fayth / he warneth them of soche worke lerners or teachers of workes / & pray seth Epaphroditus. And all this dothe he in the fyrst and second Chapters.

In the thyrde he reproueth saythlesse & mannes ryghteousnes / which false prophetes teache and maynteme. And he setteth him for an en sample / how that he him selfe had liued in soche false rightewesnes and holynes vnrebukable / that was so that no man coulde complayne on him / & yet now setteth nought therby / for Christes righteousnes sake. And finallye affyrmeth that soche false Prophetes are the enemyes of the crosse / and make their bellyes their God. Forther then they maye safelie and withoute all perell and soffering / wyll they not preache Christ.

The text

Chapter 1

¶ The fyrst Chapter.

1 PAul and Timotheus the servauntes of Iesu Christ [A] To all y[ᵉ] saincte in Christ¹ Iesu which are at Philippos / with y[ᵉ] Bisshops and Deacons.

2 Grace be with you and peace from God oure father / and from the Lorde Iesus Christ.

3 I thanke my God with all remembraunce of you /

4 all wayes in all my prayers for you & praye with gladnes /

5 because of the fellowshyp which ye have in the gospell from the fyrst daye vnto now:

6 ✚ and am suerly certified of this / that he which beganne a good worke in you / shall go forthe with it vntyll the daye of Iesus Christ /

7 as it becōmeth me so to iudge of you all / because I have you in my herte / and have you also every one companiōs of grace with me / even in my bondes / as I defende and stablysshe the gospell.

8 For God beareth me recorde how greatly I longe after you all from the very herte [B] rote in Iesus Christ.

9 And this I praye / y[ᵗ] youre love maye increace more & more in knowledge / and in all fealinge /

10 that ye myght accepte thinges most excellent / that ye myght be pure and soche as shuld hurte no mānes conscience / vntyll the daye of Christ /

11 filled with the frutes of rightewesnes / which frutes come by Iesus Christ vnto the glory and la⟨illegible⟩de of God. ⊢

12 I wolde ye vnderstode brethern that my busynes is happened vnto the greater furtherynge of the gospell.

13 So that my bondes in Christ are manyfest thorow out all the iudgement hall and in all other places:

14 In so moche that many of the brethrē in y[ᵉ] lorde are boldned thorow my bōdes / and dare more largely speake the worde with out feare.

15 Some ther are which preache Christ of envie & stryfe / and some of good wyll.

16 The one parte preacheth Christ of stryfe & not purely / supposinge to adde more adversitie to my bondes.

17 The other parte of love / because they se that I am set to defend the gospell.

18 What then? So that Christ be preached [C] all maner wayes / whether it be by occasion / or of tru⟨illegible⟩ meaninge / I therin ioye: ye and will ioye.

19 For I knowe that this shall chaunce to my salvacion / thorow youre prayer and ministringe of the sprete of Iesu Christ /

20 as I hertely loke for & hope / that in nothinge I shalbe ashamed: but that with all confidence / as all wayes in tymes past / even so now Christ shal be magnified in my body / whether it be thorowelyfe / or els deeth.

21 For Christ is to me lyfe / and deeth is to me a vauntage.

22 Yfit chaunce me to live in the flesshe / that is to me frute full forto worke / & what to chose [D] I wote not.

23 I am constrayned of two thinges: I desyre to be lowsed & to be with Christ / which thinge is best of all.

24 Neverthelesse to abyde in the flesshe is moare nedfull for you.

25 And this am I sure of / that I shall abyde / & with you all continue / for the furtheraunce and ioye of youre fayth /

26 that ye maye moare aboundantly reioyce in Iesus Christ thorowe me / by my comminge to you agayne.

27 Only let yovre conversacion be / as it be cōmeth the gospell of Christ: that whether I come & se you / or els be absent / I maye yet heare of you / that ye contynue in one sprete / and in one soule / labouringe as we do / to mayntayne the fayth of the gospell /

28 & in nothynge fearinge youre adversaries: which is to them a token of perdicion / & to you of salvacion / & that of God.

29 For vnto you it is geven / that not only ye shulde beleve on Christ: but also suffre² for his sake /

30 & have evē the same fight which ye sawe me have and now heare of me.

Notes to Chapter 1

Chapter 2

¶ The .ii. Chapter.

1 IF ther be amōge you eny consolacion in [A] Christ / yf ther be eny cōfortable love / yf there be eny fellishippe of the sprete / yf ther be eny cōpassion or mercy:

2 fulfyll my ioye / that ye drawe one waye / havinge one love / beynge of one accorde / and of one mynde /

3 that nothinge be done thorow stryfe or vayne glory / but that in mekenes of mynde every man esteme other better then him selfe /

4 & that no man consyder his awne / but what is mete for other.³

5 ✚ Let the same mynde be in you that was in Christ Iesu:

6 Which beynge in the shape of god / and thought it not robbery to be equall with god.

7 Neverthelesse he made him silfe of no reputacion / and toke on him the shape of a servaunte / & became lyke vnto men /

8 and was founde in his aparell as a man▪ He humbled him silfe & became obediēt vnto y[ᵉ] deeth / even [B] the deeth of the crosse.

9 Wherfore god hath exalted⁴ him / and gevē him a name above all names:

10 that in the name of Iesus shuld every⁵ knee bowe / bothe of thingꝭ in hevē & thinges in erth & thingꝭ vnder erth /

11 and that all tonges⁶ shuld confesse that Iesus Christ is the lorde vnto the prayse of God the father. ⊢

12 Wherfore my dearly beloved / as ye have always obeyed / not when I was present only / but now moche more in myne absence / even so worke out youre awne⁷ saluaciō with feare & tremblynge.

13 For it is god which worketh in you / both y[ᵉ] will & also y[ᵗ] dede / evē of good will

14 [C] Do all thyngꝭ with out murmurynge & disputynge /

15 that ye maye be faute lesse and pure / and the sonnes of God with out rebuke / in y[ᵉ] middes of a croked & a perverse nacion / amonge which se that ye shyne as lightes in the worlde /

16 holdinge fast the worde of lyfe / vnto my reioysynge in y[ᵉ] daye of Christ / that I have not runne in vayne /

17 nether have labored in vayne. Yee & though I be offered vp vpon the offerynge and sacrifice of youre fayth▪ I reioyce / and reioyce with you all.

18 For the same cause also / reioyce ye / and reioyce ye with me.

19 I trust in the lorde Iesus for to sende Timotheus shortly vnto you / that I also maye be of good comforte / when I knowe what case ye stonde in.

20 For I have nomā that is so lyke mynded to me / which with so pure affecciō careth for youre matters.

21 For all other seke y⟨illegible⟩ ir awne / and not that which is Iesus Christe

22 Ye knowe the proffe of him / howe that as a sone with the father / so with me bestowed he his labour apon the gospell.

23 Him I hope to sende assone as I knowe how it will go with me.

24 I trust in the lorde I also my silfe shall come shortly.

25 [D] I supposed it necessary to sende brother Epaphroditus vnto you / my companion in laboure & felowe soudier / youre Apostel and my minister at my nedes.

26 For he longed after you [D] and was full of hevines / because that ye had hearde saye that he shuld be sicke.

27 And no doute he was sicke / and that nye vnto deeth. But god had mercy on him: not on him only / but on me also / lest▪ I shuld have had sorowe apon sorowe.

28 I sent him therfore the diligentliar / that when ye shuld se him / ye myght reioyce agayne / and I myght be the lesse sorowfull.

29 Receave him therfore in the lorde with all gladnes / and make moche of soche:

30 because that for y[ᵉ] worke of Christ he went so farre / that he was nye vnto deeth / and regarded not his lyfe / to fulfill that service which was lackynge on youre parte towarde me.

Notes to Chapter 2

Chapter 3

¶ The .iii. Chap. [A]

1 MOrover my brethren / reioyce in the lorde. It greveth me not to write one thinge often to you. For to you it is asure thynge.

2 Beware of dogges / beware of evyll workers. Beware of dissencion.

3 For we are circūcision which⁸ worshippe god in the sprete / and reioyce in Christ Iesu / and have no confidence in the flesshe:

4 though I have wher of I myght reioyce in the flesshe. Yf eny other man thynketh that he hath wherof he myght trust in the flesshe: moche moare I:

5 circumcised the eyght daye / of y[ᵉ] kynred of Israhell / of y[ᵉ] trybe of Beniamyn / an Ebrue borne of y[ᵉ] Ebrues: as concernynge the lawe / a pharisaye /

6 and as concernynge fervētnes / I perseuted [B] the congregacion / and as touchynge the rightewesnes which is in the lawe I was vnrebukable.

7 But the thynges that were vauntage vnto me I counted losse for Christes sake.

8 Ye I thinke all thynges but losse for that excellēt knowledges sake of Christ Iesu my lorde. [C] For whom I have counted all thyngꝭ losse / & do iudge them but donge / that I myght wynne Christ /

9 and myght befounde in him / not havynge myne awne rightewesnes which is of the lawe: But that which spryngeth of the fayth which is in Christ. I meane the rightewesnes which cōmeth of God thorowe fayth

10 in knowynge him and the vertue of his resurreccion / and the fellowshippe of his passions / that I myght be cōformable vnto his (deeth)

11 yf by enymeanes I myght attayne vnto the resurreccion from deeth.

12 Not as though I had all redy attayned to it / Ether were all redy parfect: but I folowe / yf yᵗ I maye comprehende that / wherin I am comprehended of Christ Iesu.

13 Brethren I counte not my silfe that I have gotten it: but one thynge I saye: I⁹ forget y[ᵗ] which is behynde and stretche my silfe vnto that which is before

14 and preace vnto y[ᵉ] marke apoynted / to obtayne the rewarde of the hye callynge of god in Christ Iesu.

15 Let vs therfore as many as be perfect be thus wyse minded: and yf ye be otherwyse mynded / I praye God open even this vnto you.

16 Neverthelesse in that wher vnto [D] we are come / let vs procede by one rule / yᵗ we maye be of one acorde.

17 ✚ Brethren be folowers of & me loke on them which walke even so / as ye have vs for an en [D] sample.

18 For many walke (of whom I have tolde you often / and now tell you wepynge)¹⁰ that they are yᵉ enemyes of yᵉ crosse of Christ /

19 whose ende is dampnaciō / whose God is their bely / and whose glory is to their shame / which are worldely mynded.

20 But oure conversacion¹¹ is in heven / from whence we loke for a saveour euen the lorde Iesus Christ /

21 which shall chaunge oure vile bodies / that they maye be fassioned lyke vnto his glorious body / acordinge to the workynge wherby he is able to subdue all thinges vnto hym silfe. ⊢

Notes to Chapter 3

Chapter 4

¶ The .iiii. Chapter.

1 HErfore my brethren dearly beloved and longed for / my ioye and croune / [A] so continue in the lorde ye beloved.

2 I praye Evodias / and beseche Sintiches that they be of one accorde in the lorde.

3 Yee and I beseche the faythfull yockfelowe / helpe the wemen which labored with me in the gospell / and with Clement also / and with other my labour felowes / whose names are in the boke of lyfe.

4 ✚ Reioyce in the Lorde alwaye / and agayne I saye reioyce.

5 Let youre softenes be knowen vnto all men. The lorde is even at honde.

6 Be not carfull: but in all thynges shewe youre peticion vnto god in prayer and suplicacion wᵗ gevynge of thankes.

7 And the peace of god which passeth all vnderstondinge / kepe youre hertes & myndes in christ Iesu.

8 ✚ [B] Furthermore brethren / whatsoever thingꝭ are true / whatsoever thyngꝭ are honest / whatsoever thynges are iust / whatsoever thynges are pure / whatsoever thynges pertayne to love / whatsoever thynges are of honest reporte: yf ther be eny verteous thynge / yf there be eny laudable thynge / those same have ye in youre mynde /

9 which ye have both learned & receaved / herde [C] and also sene in me: those thyngēs do / and the god of peace shalbe with you.

10 I reioyse in the lorde greatly / that now at the last ye are revived agayne to care for me / in yᵗ wherein ye were also carefull / but ye lacked oportunite.

11 I speake not because of necessitie. For I have learned in whatsoever estate I am therewith to be content.

12 I can both cast doune my silfe / I can also excede. Every where and in all thynges I am instructed / both to be full / and to be hongry: to have plenty / & to suffre nede.

13 I can do all thynges thorow the helpe of Christ which strengtheth me.

14 Not wistondynge ye have well done / that ye bare parte with me in my tribvlacion.

15 Ye of Philippos knowe that in the begynnynge [D] of the gospell / when I departed from Macedonia / no congregacion bare parte with me as concernynge gevynge and receavynge / but ye only.

16 For when I was in Tessalonica / ye sent once and afterwarde agayne vnto my nedes:

17 not that I desyre gyftes: but I desyre aboūdant frute on youre parte.

18 I receaved all / and have plentie. I was even filled after that I had receaved of Epaphroditus / that which came from you / an odour that smelleth swete /¹² a sacrifice accepted and plesaunt to God.

19 My god fulfill all youre nedes thorow his glorious riches in Iesu Christ.

20 Vnto God and oure father be prayse for ever more. Amen.

21 Salute all the sainctes in Christ Iesu. The brethren which are with me grete you.

22 All the saynctes salute you: & most of all they which are of the Emperours housholde.

23 The grace of oure lorde Iesu Christ be wᵗ you all. Amen

Sent from Rome by Epaphroditus.

Notes to Chapter 4

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⟩ (11 places on this page, 7 of them in the margin notes).

In the verse text of this book, 15 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.

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