ENGLISH
VERSIONS
and
English
in
parallel
columns,
revising
his
English
to
bring
it
into
conformity
with
the
Latin;
but
this
(which
went
through
three
editions
with
various
changes)
may
be
passed
over,
as
it
had
no
influence
on
the
general
history
of
the
EngUsh
Bible.
„.
20.
Matthew's
Bible
(1537).
In
the
same
year
as
the
second
edition
of
Coverdale's
Bible
another
English
Bible
appeared,
which
likewise
bore
upon
its
title-page
the
statement
that
it
was
'set
forth
with
the
Kinges
most
gracyous
lycence.'
It
was
completed
not
later
than
Aug.
4,
1537,
on
which
day
Cranmer
sent
a
copy
of
it
to
Cromwell,
commending
the
translation,
and
begging
Cromwell
to
obtain
for
it
the
king's
licence;
in
which,
as
the
title-page
prominently
shows,
he
was
successful.
The
origin
of
this
version
is
slightly
obscure,
and
certainly
was
not
realized
by
Henry
when
he
sanc-tioned
it.
The
Pentateuch
and
NT
are
taken
direct
from
Tindale
with
little
variation
(the
latter
from
the
final
'GH'
revision
of
1535).
The
books
of
the
OT
from
Ezra
to
Mai.
(including
Jonah)
are
taken
from
Coverdale,
as
also
is
the
Apocrypha.
But
the
historical
books
of
the
OT
(Jos.-2
Chron.)
are
a
new
translation,
as
to
the
origin
of
which
no
statement
is
made.
It
is,
however,
fairly
certain,
from
a
combination
of
evidence,
that
it
was
Tindale's
(see
Westcott',
pp.
169-179).
The
style
agrees
with
that
of
Tindale's
other
work;
the
passages
which
'gndale
published
as
'Epistles'
from
the
OT
in
his
NT
of
1534
agree
in
the
main
with
the
present
version
in
these
books,
but
not
in
those
taken
from
Coverdale;
and
it
is
expressly
stated
in
Hall's
Chronicle
(completed
and
published
by
Grafton,
one
of
the
publishers
of
Matthew's
Bible)
that
Tindale,
in
addition
to
the
NT,
translated
also
'the
v
bookes
of
Moses,
Josua,
Judicum,
Ruth,
the
bookes
of
the
Kynges
and
the
bookes
of
Paralipomenon,
Nehemias
or
the
fyrst
of
Esdras,
the
prophet
Jonas,
and
no
more
of
ye
holy
scripture.'
If
we
suppose
the
version
of
Ezra-Nehemiah
to
have
been
incomplete,
or
for
some
reason
unavailable,
this
statement
harmonizes
perfectly
with
the
data
of
the
problem.
Tindale
may
have
executed
the
translation
during
his
imprison-ment,
at
which
time
we
know
that
he
applied
for
the
use
of
his
Hebrew
books.
The
book
was
printed
abroad,
at
the
expense
of
R.
Grafton
and
E.
Whitchurch,
two
citizens
of
London,
who
issued
it
in
London.
On
the
title-page
is
the
statement
that
the
translator
was
Thomas
Matthew,
and
the
same
name
stands
at
the
foot
of
the
dedication
to
Henry
viii.
Nothing
is
known
of
any
such
person,
but
tradition
identifies
him
with
John
Rogers
(who
in
the
register
of
his
arrest
in
1555
is
described
as
'John
Rogers
alias
Matthew'),
a
friend
and
companion
of
Tindale.
It
is
therefore
generally
believed
that
this
Bible
is
due
to
the
editorial
work
of
John
Rogers,
who
had
come
into
possession
of
Tin-dale's
unpubUshed
translation
of
the
historical
books
of
the
OT,
and
published
them
with
the
rest
of
his
friend's
work,
completing
the
Bible
with
the
help
of
Coverdale.
It
may
be
added
that
the
initials
I.
R.
(Rogers),
W.
T.
(Tindale),
R.
G.
and
E.
W.
(Grafton
and
Whitchurch),
and
H.
R.
(unidentified,
7
Henricus
Rex)
are
printed
in
large
letters
on
various
blank
spaces
throughout
the
OT.
The
arrangement
of
the
book
is
in
four
sections:
(1)
Gen.-Cant.,
(2)
Prophets,
(3)
Apocrypha
(including
for
the
first
time
the
Prayer
of
Manasses,
translated
from
the
French
of
OUvetan),
(4)
NT.
There
are
copious
annotations,
of
a
decidedly
Protestant
tendency,
and
Tindale's
outspoken
Prologue
to
the
Romans
is
included
in
it.
The
whole
work,
therefore,
was
eminently
calcu-lated
to
extend
the
impulse
given
by
Tindale,
and
to
perpetuate
his
work.
21.
Tavemer's
Bible
(1539).
Matthew's
Bible
formed
the
basis
for
yet
another
version,
which
deserves
brief
mention,
though
it
had
no
influence
.on
the
general
development
of
the
English
Bible.
Richard
Taverner,
formerly
a
student
of
Cardinal
College
[Christ
Church],
Oxford,
was
invited
by
some
London
printers
('John
ENGLISH
VERSIONS
Byddell
for
Thomas
Barthlet')
to
prepare
at
short
notice
a
revision
of
the
existing
Bible.
In
the
OT
his
altera-tions
are
verbal,
and
aim
at
the
improvement
of
the
style
of
the
translation;
in
the
NT,
being
a
good
Greek
scholar,
he
was
able
to
revise
it
with
reference
to
the
original
Greek.
The
NT
was
issued
separately
in
two
editions,
in
the
same
year
(1539)
as
the
complete
Bible;
but
the
success
of
the
offlcial
version
next
to
be
men-tioned
speedily
extinguished
such
a
personal
venture
as
this.
Taverner's
Bible
is
sometimes
said
to
have
been
the
first
English
Bible
completely
printed
in
England;
but
this
honour
appears
to
belong
rather
to
Coverdale's
second
edition.
22.
The
Great
Bible
(1539-1541).
The
fact
that
Taverner
was
invited
to
revise
Matthew's
Bible
almost
immediately
after
its
publication
shows
that
it
was
not
universally
regarded
as
successful;
but
there
were
in
addition
other
reasons
why
those
who
had
promoted
the
circulation
and
authorization
of
Matthew's
Bible
should
be
anxious
to
see
it
superseded.
As
stated
above,
it
was
highly
controversial
in
character,
and
bore
plentiful
evidence
of
its
origin
from
Tindale.
Cromwell
and
Cranmer
had,
no
doubt,
been
careful
not
to
call
Henry's
attention
to
these
circumstances;
but
they
might
at
any
time
be
brought
to
his
notice,
when
their
own
position
would
become
highly
precarious.
It
is,
indeed,
strange
that
they
ever
embarked
on
so
risky
an
enterprise.
However
that
may
be,
they
lost
little
time
in
inviting
Coverdale
to
undertake
a
complete
revision
of
the
whole,
which
was
ready
for
the
press
early
in
1538.
The
printing
was
begun
by
Regnault
of
Paris,
where
more
sumptuous
typography
was
possible
than
in
England.
In
spite,
however,
of
the
assent
of
the
French
king
having
been
obtained,
the
Inquisition
inter-vened,
stopped
the
printing,
and
seized
the
sheets.
Some
of
the
sheets,
however,
had
previously
been
got
away
to
England
;
others
were
re-purchased
from
a
trades-man
to
whom
they
had
been
sold;
and
ultimately,
under
Cromwell's
direction,
printers
and
presses
were
trans-ported
from
Paris
to
London,
and
the
work
completed
there
by
Grafton
and
Whitchurch,
whose
imprint
stands
on
the
magnificent
title-page
(traditionally
ascribed
to
Holbein)
depicting
the
dissemination
of
the
Scriptures
from
the
hands
of
Henry,
through
the
instrumentality
of
Cromwell
and
Cranmer,
to
the
general
mass
of
the
loyal
and
rejoicing
populace.
[A
special
copy
on
vellum,
with
illuminations,
was
prepared
for
Cromwell
himself,
and
is
now
in
the
library
of
St.
John's
College,
Cambridge.)
23.
The
first
edition
of
the
Great
Bible
appeared
in
April
1539,
and
an
injunction
was
issued
by
Cromwell
that
a
copy
of
it
should
be
set
up
in
every
parish
church.
It
was
consequently
the
first
(and
only)
English
Bible
formally
authorized
for
public
use;
and
contemporary
evidence
proves
that
it
was
welcomed
and
read
with
avidity.
No
doubt,
as
at
an
earlier
day
(Ph
2"),
some
read
the
gospel
'of
envy
and
strife,
and
some
also
of
good
will';
but
in
one
way
or
another,
for
edification
or
for
controversy,
the
reading
of
the
Bible
took
a
firm
hold
on
the
people
of
England,
a
hold
which
has
never
since
been
relaxed,
and
which
had
much
to
do
with
the
stable
foundation
of
the
Protestant
Church
in
this
country.
Nor
was
the
translation,
though
still
falling
short
of
the
perfection
reached
three-quarters
of
a
century
later,
unworthy
of
its
position.
It
had
many
positive
merits,
and
marked
a
distinct
advance
upon
all
its
predecessors.
Coverdale,
though
without
the
force
and
originality,
or
even
the
scholarship,
of
Tindale,
had
some
of
the
more
valuable
gifts
of
a
translator,
and
was
well
quaUfied
to
make
the
best
use
of
the
labours
of
his
predecessors.
He
had
scholarship
enough
to
choose
and
follow
the
best
authorities,
he
had
a
happy
gift
of
smooth
and
effective
phraseology,
and
his
whole
heart
was
in
his
work.
As
the
basis
of
his
revision
he
had
Tindale's
work
and
his
own
previous
version;
and
these
he
revised
with
reference
to
the
Hebrew,
Greek,
and
Latin,
with
special
