Knowing the Story Behind the Historical Tyndale New Testament

William Tyndale was the first man to print the New Testament in English. The 1536 Tyndale New Testament was the most elaborate and last edition done before Tyndale died in October of the same year. This Bible has outstanding woodcut illustrations and a Gothic blackletter typeface that bears resemblance to calligraphy and evokes a medieval feel.

What Made Tyndale Print the New Testament in English?

Tyndale got educated at the University of Oxford and took up an instructor’s job at the University of Cambridge. While working there, he started meeting some humanist scholars at the White Horse Inn in 1521. Soon, Tyndale became convinced that the church’s doctrines and practices should be determined by the Bible alone and that all believers should be capable of reading the Bible in their own language.

This prompted him to start working on a New Testament translation in 1523. He translated directly from Greek. After England’s church authorities prevented him from continuing his translation as they wanted to be in charge of access to the scriptures and their interpretation, Tyndale fled to Germany in 1524. This became possible due to the financial support extended to him by the affluent London merchants.

The Tyndale New Testament was completed in July 1525, after which it went to print at Cologne. Again, city authorities pressured him, which forced Tyndale to move base to Worms, where he published two more editions in 1525. In 1526, the first copies of the Tyndale New Testament were smuggled into England, thanks to their small octavo format. However, they were forbidden immediately.

Several copies of the Tyndale New Testament were seized and burned, and those who owned them risked death by burning at the stake. Eventually, Tyndale was detained in Belgium and burned at the stake in 1536. But he continued living through his work.

Printing of the Tyndale New Testament opened the floodgates of new versions, and several English translation works that followed in the rest of the 16th and early 17th centuries were mostly based on Tyndale’s work. Today, just two known copies of the first edition of Tyndale New Testament exist.

Whether you are looking for the 1525 copy or the 1536 Tyndale New Testament, getting the originals could be pretty difficult and extremely costly. However, you can get hold of a facsimile of these Bibles by buying them from a reliable and reputed dealer of rare Bibles and their facsimile reproductions.

Wrapping Up

When buying a facsimile of the Tyndale New Testament, it would help to buy photographically enlarged reproductions. The ones that are almost 125% the size of the original can facilitate easy reading. You should also make sure the facsimiles are the authentic replica of the original Tyndale New Testament and feature multiple large woodcut illustrations.

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Why You Should Get a Facsimile of the 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible For Sale

Before you buy a copy of the original 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible for sale, it’s important to know what makes it so significant. Usually, the Tyndale Bible stands for William Tyndale’s translations of different books of the Bible in the 1500s. His work is given the credit of being the first English translation from the original Greek and Hebrew texts and the first English, mass-produced biblical translation that became possible due to the new technological advances in the art of printing.

It’s sad to note that before his execution, Tyndale never published a complete Bible. That’s because he could just finish translating the New Testament and around 50% of the Old Testament. Yet, Tyndale’s translations have significantly influenced on almost every contemporary English translation of Scripture.

Since not everyone may have the huge pile of money necessary to buy the original 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible for sale or even a few pages of it, the next best thing is to get a facsimile. If you are considering buying a copy of the original Tyndale Bible, you should learn about the unique aspects that made the original such a prized possession.

Story Behind the 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible

William Tyndale is often called the “Father of the English Bible.” It was his burning desire to make the Bible available to England’s common people that finally made it possible to print it.

Due to strong demand for Scriptures in the language England’s common people spoke, and the advancement in printing technology, William Tyndale took the responsibility of translating the New Testament directly from Greek. Since Tyndale could speak seven languages and was skillful in ancient Greek and Hebrew, the job wasn’t an uphill one for him. He started his translation work in 1523.

After England’s church authorities stopped him from translating the Bible, William Tyndale received financial support from London’s wealthy merchants that helped him flee to Germany in 1524. He completed translating the New Testament in July 1525. It was printed in Cologne.

He came under pressure, once again, from the city authorities, and fled to Worms. There, two more editions of his translations were published in 1525. In 1526, the first copies of Tyndale’s Bible translations were smuggled into England. However, they were immediately banned.

After finishing work on the New Testament, Tyndale started work on the Old Testament. In 1530, his translation of the Pentateuch (the Old Testament’s first five books) was issued in Marburg. Each of these five books was published and circulated separately. Though Tyndale continued working on the Old Testament translation, he couldn’t complete it as he was captured in Antwerp. In 1536, he was condemned for dissent and executed by strangulation, followed by being burned at stake in Vilvoorde.

Special Features of the 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible

Before buying a replica of the original 1536 Tyndale New Testament, it would help you to know that it was the most elaborate and last edition done before Tyndale’s death in October of the same year. The original 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible includes outstanding woodcut illustrations and a Gothic blackletter typeface similar to calligraphy. Rare original Tyndale Bibles from the 1500’s can sell for well into six figures.

A facsimile of the original 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible for sale would be a lot cheaper. However, you should ensure it’s the exact facsimile reproduction of the original and features magnificent woodcut illustrations.

Some sellers of such rare books offer photographically enlarged Tyndale Bible for sale, where they photographically make the reproduction bigger to almost 125% the size of the original for ease of reading.

It’s wise to get your facsimile of the original 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible for sale in a hardcover bound form to ensure you and others can enjoy reading it for a long time to come.

Why Is It Hard to Get a Facsimile of 1535 Tyndale’s Bible for Sale?

Though thousands of copies of Tyndale’s 1525 first edition were smuggled back into England, primarily due to the book’s small octavo format, not many are found today.
Most of these copies were confiscated and burned. A handful of those who owned them risked death. Tyndale’s translation work and printing of Bibles paved the way for new versions. Most of the succeeding English translations that took place during the rest of the 16th and early 17th centuries were largely based on Tyndale’s work. Yet, just two known copies are left of Tyndale’s 1525 first edition today, which makes it pretty difficult, if not impossible, to possess them or even their facsimile.

Final Words

The 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible is testimony to the dawn of the reformation. Getting your hands on a replica of the original is definitely a worthy investment. So, go ahead and buy a facsimile of the original 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible for sale from a reputed dealer.