Home of the New Matthew Bible Project

Our goals:

• To increase awareness of the Matthew Bible, first published in 1537.
• To publish the New Matthew Bible (“NMB”), a gentle update of the full work.
• To publish other forgotten and worthy writings from the early English Reformation. In this regard, we are presently (April 2020) working on a quality facsimile of Myles Coverdale’s translation of “The Hope of the Faithful,” a German work from the early Reformation.

Our claims to fame:

• We published the first book in the world telling “The Story of the Matthew Bible” (parts 1 and 2)
• In 2016 we published the gently updated New Testament of the Matthew Bible, as “The October Testament“. People love it.
• We were also the first to publish a book warning about the link between kundalini yoga and Charismatic spiritual practices: “True to His Ways.”
• Click on the “Books” button above for more information about these books, or go to our shopping page to purchase.

Book orders: contact us directly for bulk orders and discount information. We will give customized quotes.

Our websites:

We have two websites:

1. This one, our ‘hub’ website, with information about all our publications and links to the other websites.
2. www.newmatthewbible.org (linked above too). This is our Project website, with information about the Matthew Bible and our work to update it, interesting articles, sample scriptures, and more.

We took down our third website (truetohisways.com), which was created for Ruth’s first book, True to His Ways. It was too expensive to maintain. Information about True to His Ways is available under the “Books” button above. It can be purchased through the store: click on “Shop online.”

Academic papers:

Ruth has published academic papers, covering a variety of topics about the Matthew Bible, William Tyndale, and more, which have generated a great deal of interest. These can be viewed at her profile at Academia.edu. If you download a paper, be sure to leave a reason when prompted. We love to hear from you!

About the Matthew Bible:

The Matthew Bible was the work of three men, the “Matthew men,” who gave us the word of God in our own language when it was against the law to do so.

William Tyndale was one of the translators. He gave us the New Testament and the first half of the Old. However, he was captured, imprisoned, and executed in 1536 before he could finish his work. Myles Coverdale, less known but equally competent, gave us the rest of the Old Testament and the Apocryphal books.

Their friend John Rogers collated their translations, added commentaries and study aids, and in 1537 published under the pseudonym ‘Thomas Matthew.’ The false name was necessary to conceal William Tyndale’s involvement, because Tyndale’s works were banned in England. Rogers was burned at the stake by Queen Mary in 1555.

The martyrdom of both Tyndale and Rogers makes the Matthew Bible the only English Bible bought with blood. It is also the unacknowledged base of the King James Version. Computer studies have shown that 83% of the KJV New Testament is from the Matthew Bible. However, readers will find in the Matthew Bible a return to greater clarity (even though it dates from the prior century), a satisfying fullness of truth, and a sweet gentleness.

The New Matthew Bible Project:

The New Matthew Bible (“NMB”) is the gentlest possible update of the Matthew Bible. The goal is to keep all the doctrine, dignity, and beauty of the original, with the historic language that has informed the best books and hymns over the centuries. That is one reason why we call it the only ‘modern’ Bible which is not. But it is also important to recover the meaning of the original translation, which has in places been significantly obscured by changes in English language and grammar. When it comes to God’s word, by which only we find life unto eternal salvation, love calls for clarity and for all fullness of truth. As Tyndale said, “Words that are not understood, profit not.”

Our story:

Ruth Magnusson Davis is the founder and chief editor of the New Matthew Bible Project. A Canadian, she is a retired lawyer and student of early modern English and the Reformation. As a teenager, she worked in France as an au pair girl, where she learned that she loved languages and grammar. She went on to obtain an undergraduate degree in French and German, and has studied in Quebec and Germany. Law school followed, and a successful professional career, before she retired from law to dedicate herself to the New Matthew Bible Project.

Ruth founded Baruch House Publishing in 2005. ‘Baruch’ means ‘blessed’ in the Hebrew tongue. In 2016 Baruch House published the New Testament of the New Matthew Bible, called the October Testament. The reference to October recalls Martin Luther’s September Testament and reminds us that the year of the Lord is drawing to a close. To see the different editions of the October Testament, including the deluxe leather edition, go to our  book store.  For bulk orders, contact us directly.

In 2018 Baruch House published the world’s first history of the Matthew Bible, The Story of the Matthew Bible. Information is here. Part 2 of The Story is due for publication before the end of 2020.

Work on the Old Testament of the New Matthew Bible is underway.