What is the Matthew Bible?
The Matthew Bible is a complete Bible, containing both the Old and New Testaments, with also the Apocryphal books in a separate section. The Matthew Bible was first published in 1537, at the dawn of the Reformation in England. It contains the translations of William Tyndale with, also, the equally excellent translations of Myles Coverdale.
Tyndale contributed the New Testament and about the first half of the Old Testament. The rest of the Old Testament and the Apocryphal books were Coverdale’s work. A third man, John Rogers, compiled their translations, added many helpful notes drawn from various sources, and produced the Matthew Bible on printing presses in Europe. It was then brought over to England, where King Henry VIII licensed it for use in the Church.
The 1537 Matthew Bible is sometimes also called “Matthew’s Version.” When answering the question, what is the Matthew Bible, it is often necessary to clarify that it is NOT Matthew’s Gospel. The Gospel of Matthew is only one book of the New Testament, while the Matthew Bible is a complete Bible. It received the name “Matthew Bible” because it was presented to King Henry as translated by one “Thomas Matthew.” In fact, this was a pseudonym, used to conceal the fact that William Tyndale was one of the translators. Due to the objections of the Roman Catholics to Tyndale’s work – especially, the agitations of Sir Thomas More – King Henry had outlawed all Tyndale’s work in England.
Together, then, William Tyndale, Myles Coverdale, and John Rogers (under the pseudonym Thomas Matthew) gave us the world’s first English study Bible. This wonderful Reformation Bible is the main focus of our work at Baruch House Publishing.
Few people are aware that Tyndale’s Bible translations formed the base of about half of the King James Version, a fact that demonstrates its great worth: computer studies show that the KJV New Testament is about 83% straight Tyndale from the Matthew Bible. However, though it is almost eighty years older, the Bible translation by William Tyndale is easier to understand. His life’s purpose was to make the Bible so plain and clear that a ploughboy would understand it. Myles Coverdale shared this desire, and both men gave us translations that are a rich, heavenly pasture of truth and comfort for every soul.
Doctrine of the Matthew Bible
The Matthew Bible (MB) is solidly in line with the Reformation Anglican Church as it was developed by Thomas Cranmer; it is more of an Anglican Bible than anything else. It contains the same Church Calendar that Cranmer used. It differs from the Geneva Bible, the original Bible of Puritanism and the Reformed Church, in some significant ways. For one thing, the Puritans were opposed to the Church Calendar. For another, the MB notes on the Psalms extol the value of music to prepare the heart for worship, while the notes in the Geneva Bible say repeatedly that musical instruments are abolished under the gospel. This and other differences are explored in Part 2 of The Story of the MB.
Some other points:
- The MB is solidly Trinitarian.
- The notes emphasize that salvation is by faith alone, and faith is the gift of God. However, we are saved in order to do good works, and must not neglect them.
- The MB does NOT teach that the earth is flat. This is a common myth today, but the opposite is true: The Matthew Bible actually emphasizes that the world is round and a globe. (See my article here). Teaching about the “round world” was also contained in the Great Bible. It was the Geneva Bible that first removed references to the “round world” from the Scriptures.
- The eschatology of the MB is amillennial. It teaches that the latter days or last days are from Christ’s first to second coming, and that when he returns, the world as we know it will end, and then will come the Great Judgment and the new heavens and earth.
The New Matthew Bible Project
Our goal at Baruch House Publishing is to increase people’s awareness and appreciation of the Matthew Bible. We are also the publishing arm of the New Matthew Bible Project, dedicated to gently updating the MB so that it is clear for today’s ploughboy, yet without any loss of the original character or the fullness of the truth that this Bible translation by William Tyndale and Myles Coverdale conveyed. That is what the men would want. In 2016 we published the New Testament of the New Matthew Bible, entitled The October Testament. Work on the Old Testament is underway, and, God willing, should be complete by 2025-26.
The October Testament contains Tyndale’s New Testament, his prologue to Romans, which he translated from Martin Luther, and his prologues upon the Gospels and certain other epistles. It also contains John Rogers’ notes and commentaries from the MB and some of Tyndale’s notes from his 1534 New Testament. Our editor Ruth Magnusson Davis has minimally updated the obsolete words and grammar but maintained the style, beauty, and truth and message of the original work.
The Only English Bible Sealed with Blood
The Matthew Bible is the only English Bible that is sealed with the blood of its authors. Tyndale was captured by enemies before he could finish the Old Testament, imprisoned for many months, and then executed (strangled and burned at the stake) by Roman Catholic authorities in Vilvoorde. Later, John Rogers also died for his work: he was burned alive at the stake by Queen Mary in Smithfield, England, in 1555. One of the charges against him was that he had used the alias “Thomas Matthew.” Myles Coverdale escaped death at the hands of the religious authorities, but was imprisoned by Queen Mary and endured several exiles to Europe.
It is one of God’s mysterious ways that he seals the work of his true prophets and apostles by suffering and by their death, and is one of the reasons that the original English translations of the Matthew Bible may truly be called apostolic in nature.
Why Should You Be Interested in This Translation?
Even if people have heard about the Matthew Bible, still most do not understand its true worth. This is partly because modern scholars have undervalued it. In Part 2 of The Story of the Matthew Bible (see below), Ruth Magnusson Davis shows how the method of Bible translation by William Tyndale and Myles Coverdale contributed to the superior clarity and meaningfulness that they achieved. She also shows how well and fully they understood and conveyed the gospel message and the teaching of the New Covenant. The blood-bought Scriptures of the Matthew Bible feed the saints with divine truth better than any other translation.
John Rogers’ informative notes further enhance the value of the Matthew Bible. Among other things, he added notes that explained difficult Hebrew idioms, or Hebrew expressions that are unknown to English speakers. For example, in the book of Genesis he added a note to explain that when Isaac is called Abraham’s “only son,” it means “most beloved son.” Without Rogers’ explanation, this Hebrew idiom is confusing, because Abraham had other sons besides Isaac. Another example is at Roman 8:3, where Paul stated that Christ “was made sin for us.” This also is a Hebrew idiom, which Rogers explained means that Christ was made a sin-offering. He took this note from Tyndale himself. (Click here for a fuller discussion of Romans 8:3.) Rogers’ commentaries illuminate the meaning of many Bible passages that are little understood today.
Books and Resources to Learn About the Matthew Bible Translation
The Story of the Matthew Bible. Part 1 is about the making of the Matthew Bible. Part 2 tracks changes to the Bible translation of William Tyndale and Myles Coverdale when their work went on to form the base of later versions, including the Great Bible, Geneva and King James Versions, and down to modern times.
The October Testament is Tyndale’s New Testament as it was set forth in the Matthew Bible, including John Rogers’ notes, all gently updated for today.
You may follow our blog. Ruth publishes insights into the Matthew Bible translation by William Tyndale and Myles Coverdale, as well as their other works and writings, and posts on a variety of other interesting topics.
More information about the New Matthew Bible is on the NMB project website at www.newmatthewbible.org, including interesting articles and sample scriptures.
As well, Ruth publishes academic papers about the Matthew Bible on the Academia platform. Her papers include, The 1537 Matthew Bible: More Anglican Than Not , and Hebraisms in Genesis: Comparing the Matthew and Geneva Bibles.
See our complete line of books in our store.