1551 MATTHEW – TYNDALE BIBLE

Description

 

John Rogers (1505- 1555)

PRESENTING FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION EXQUISITE GENUINE 475 YEAR OLD MATTHEW-TYNDALE BIBLE PRINTED BY JOHN WALLEY AT LONDON IN 1551. Blackletter FOLIO 13” x 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ thick,  HERBERT #92 variant E, D & M #64, STC # 2086, ESTC # S90478. Ex-Library Bristol Baptist College. VGC.

 

SHORT DESCRIPTION

General title page (1 p.), Almanake (1 p.), Table of Psalms (1 p.), The Kalender (9 pp.), An Exortation (2pp.), A Description of Juda (1 p.), A Table of Principal matters (23 pp.), Table of contents (1 p.), A Register (1 p.), Old Testament part 1 [ 1-112], Second Part Title page [1],  Old Testament part 2 [2-155], Third Part Title page [1], Old Testament part 3 [1-190], Apocrypha Title page [1], The Apocrypha [1-102], New Testament title page [1], William Tindale foreword [4], The New Testament (two leaves in facsimile) [4-149a], A Table to find the Epistles [149b-150b]. COMPLETE.

 

COLLATION AND CONDITION 

GENERAL TITLE PAGE,  2 pages, The Byble that is to saye, all the holye Scripture: In whiche are contayned the olde and new Testament, truly and purely translated into English & now lately with great industry & diligence recognysed. Easy i Herken to ye heavens, & thou earth geue eare: For the Lorde speaketh. Imprynted at London by John Walley, dwellynge in Foster Lane, at the signe of the Hartes Horne. Cum gracia et Priuilegio ad Imprimendum solum vi. Of Maye. MDLI.

Features six small engravings representing New Testament subjects. Also with two larger engravings at the head and foot of the garden of Eden and the King upon his throne. The verso contains an almanake for 29 years with an ancient script on the blank footer. This leaf is printed in red and black ink, has the upper and lower blank corners torn away just touching the image,  a hole obscuring the Tetragrammaton and a few other smaller holes, and is lightly soiled from centuries of use. It is very rare to find a general title page still in place in a Bible from this era in any condition. COMPLETE.

A TABLE FOR THE ORDRE OF THE PSALMES, TO BE SAYED AT MATYNS AND EUENSONGE, 1 pages, printed in red and black ink,blank corners chipped,  lightly soiled, COMPLETE.

THE KALENDER, 9 pages, printed in red and black ink, good corners,lightly soiled,faint staining to the fore edges,  COMPLETE.

AN EXHORTACION, THE SUMME AND CONTENT OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, TO THE CHRISTIAN READERS AND AS THE BEES, 2 pages, printed in black ink, two ornate woodcut initials, good corners,lightly soiled,  COMPLETE.

A DESCRIPTION AND SUCCESSE OF THE KINGS OF JUDA, 1 page, printed in black ink, good corners,lightly soiled,faint staining to the fore edges,  COMPLETE.

A TABLE OF PRINCIPALL MATTERS CONTEYNED IN THE BYBLE…A PERFIT SUPPUTACION….AND A PROLOGUE SHEWYNGE THE USE OF THE SCRIPTURE, 23 pages, printed in black ink, good corners, lightly soiled, staining to the inner blank margins, COMPLETE.

THE NAMES OF ALL THE BOKES OF THE BYBLE, 1 page, The table of contents,printed in black ink, good corners, lightly soiled, staining to the inner blank margins, COMPLETE.

A REGISTER OR A BRIEFE REHEARSALL, 1 page, printed in black ink, good corners, lightly soiled, COMPLETE.

( ALL PRELIMS ARE PRESENT AND COMPLETE AS INTENDED BY THE PRINTER)

THE OLD TESTAMENT (part 1- Moses), foliated 1- 112, printed in two columns with 55 lines of gothic blackletter type font to the full page. Wonderful historiated and ornate floriated initials begin each book. Printed on medium to heavy weight cotton linen paper that is crisp and mostly clean in the main with minor soiling and staining from use. No loose, torn or missing pages. Blank margins are very nice all around extending beyond the text in every direction. The corners are strong, page edges are straight and the gutters are clean. No extraneous writings or underlinings. COMPLETE. 

THE SECONDE PART….TITLE PAGE, 1 page, Features engravings of various Biblical scenes in eleven cells following with the Great Byble. Verso is blank. Very Good, COMPLETE.

THE OLD TESTAMENT (part 2- Joshua- Job), foliated 2- 155, mis-numbered at times but without a break in the collation. Printed in two columns with 55 lines of gothic blackletter type font to the full page. Wonderful historiated and ornate floriated initials begin each book. Printed on medium to heavy weight cotton linen paper that is crisp and mostly clean in the main with minor soiling and staining from use. No loose, torn or missing pages. Blank header and footer margins are nice extending beyond the text. The blank fore edge margins are occasionally cropped tight touching the text of the notes. The corners are strong, page edges are straight and the gutters are clean. COMPLETE. 

THE THIRDE PART….TITLE PAGE, 1 page, Features engravings of various Biblical scenes in eleven cells following with the Great Byble. Verso is blank. Good, COMPLETE.

THE OLD TESTAMENT (part 3- Psalms- Malachi), foliated 1- 190, mis-numbered at times but without a break in the collation. Printed in two columns with 55 lines of gothic blackletter type font to the full page. Wonderful historiated and ornate floriated initials begin each book. Printed on medium to heavy weight cotton linen paper that is crisp and mostly clean in the main with minor soiling and staining from use. No loose, torn or missing pages. Blank header and footer margins are nice extending beyond the text. The blank fore edge margins are occasionally cropped tight touching the text of the notes. The corners are strong, page edges are straight and the gutters are clean. COMPLETE.

THE VOLUME OF THE BOOKES CALLED APOCRYPHA TITLE PAGE…, 1 page, Features engravings of various Biblical scenes in eleven cells following with the Great Byble. Verso contains to the Reader being a one page treatise on the lack of canonicity of the same . Good, COMPLETE.

THE APOCRYPHA, foliated 1- 102, mis-numbered at times but without a break in the collation. Contains all 14 books from First Esdras through Second Maccabees. Printed in two columns with 55 lines of gothic blackletter type font to the full page. Wonderful historiated and ornate floriated initials begin each book. Printed on medium to heavy weight cotton linen paper that is crisp and mostly clean in the main with minor soiling and staining from use. Leaf 40 has an ember hole 1 ¾ x 1” now repaired with loss to several words of the text.  No loose, torn or missing pages. Blank header and footer margins are nice extending beyond the text. The blank fore edge margins are occasionally cropped tight touching the text of the notes. The corners are strong, page edges are straight and the gutters are clean. COMPLETE.

NEW TESTAMENT TITLE PAGE…, 1 page, The newe Testament of oure sauyoure Jesu Christ, newly and dyligently translated into English with Annotactions in the Merget, and other Godlye notes in the ende of the chapters, to help the Reader to understand dynge of the texte. ):(…Imprynted at London in the years of our Lorde God. 1551. The engravings are as found on the general title page. Verso is blank and clean, Very Good. COMPLETE.

WILLIAM TINDALE UNTO THE CHRISTEN READER,  4 pages, folios 2a through 3b, Tyndale’s foreword, features a lovely floriated initial. The paper is crisp and with minor soiling from use. No loose, torn or missing pages. The blank margins are nice, extending beyond the text. The corners are strong, page edges are straight and the gutters are clean. Very Good. COMPLETE.

THE NEW TESTAMENT, foliated 4 -149a, mis-numbered at times but without a break in the collation. Printed in two columns with 55 lines of gothic blackletter type font to the full page. Wonderful historiated and ornate floriated initials begin each book. A collation error duplicating one sheet has resulted in Leaf 34, which contains the title page to Luke, to be repeated in turn causing leaf 35 (part of Luke 1 & part of Luke 2) to be absent. Leaf 39, which contains part of Luke 6 and most of Luke 7, is also repeated in turn causing leaf 38 (part of Luke 5 and part of Luke 6) to be absent. Leaves 35 and 38 are now supplied in facsimile completing the text. Printed on medium to heavy weight cotton linen paper that is crisp and mostly clean in the main with minor soiling and staining from use. Leaves 121-149 are stained on the inner and outer blank margins, sometimes into the text, in various degrees. No loose, torn or missing pages. Blank header and footer margins are nice extending beyond the text. The blank fore edge margins are occasionally cropped tight touching the text of the notes. The corners are strong, page edges are straight and the gutters are clean. COMPLETE.

A TABLE TO FIND THE EPISTLES AND THE GOSPELS USUALLY READ IN CHURCHE….4 pages,not foliated but 149 & 150. The colophon is present in 150b and is dated 1551.No loose, torn or missing pages. Blank margins are very nice all around extending beyond the text in every direction. minor soiling and staining from use. Both leaves are stained on the inner and outer blank margins and into the text and are often found wanting in this edition. Good, COMPLETE.

 

ABOUT THE BINDING

This Bible is bound in a full brown calf leather Victorian binding that has both the inner and outer joints renewed holding the covers firmly as they should. It retains  original spine and four labels that are unusually descript. The covers are heavy boards that are rather plain.  The end papers are plain with a bookplate and a scripture register in an ancient hand with a quill in the front and blank in the back. The text block is firm, square and unshaken with its fore edges dyed red as was the practice of Victorian binders. The custom fitted brown quarter leather clamshell case features a maroon morocco label and is titled directly to the foot  ” GIFFORD 1551″.

 

ABOUT THE MATTHEW- TYNDALE BIBLE

 The Matthew Bible, also known as Matthew’s Version, was first published in 1537 by John Rogers, under the pseudonym “Thomas Matthew”. The use of this pseudonym  resulted possibly from the need to conceal from Henry VIII the participation of Tyndale in the translation. A theory exists from Dr. Harding that indicates the name Thomas Matthew, which in Greek means “A twin to the original gift from God”, may have been chosen to indicate that the largest contributing author was indeed William Tyndale and that his writings were preserved by Coverdale and Rogers. It combined the New Testament of William Tyndale, and as much of the Old Testament as he had been able to translate before being captured and put to death In 1536. The Matthew Bible was the combined work of three individuals, working from numerous sources in at least five different languages.

 The entire New Testament (first printed in 1526 and later revised in 1534), was the work of William Tyndale. Tyndale consulted Luther’s German Bible, Erasmus’ Latin version, and the Vulgate for the biblical text, prefaces, and marginal notes, and worked directly with the Hebrew and Greek. 

 The remaining books of the Old Testament and the Apocrypha were the work of John Rogers and Myles Coverdale. Coverdale originally translated primarily from German and Latin sources and in the Matthew Bible they used the original language texts to translate. Historians often tend to treat Coverdale and Tyndale like competitors in a race to complete the monumental and arduous task of translating the biblical text. One is often credited to the exclusion of the other. In reality they knew each other and occasionally worked together. Contemporary historian John Foxe states that they were in Hamburg translating the Pentateuch together as early as 1529.

 Rogers compiled the completed work and added the preface, some marginal notes, a calendar and an almanac.

 Of the three translators, two met with martyrdom. Tyndale was strangled to death and his body burned on 6 October 1536 in Belgium. John Rogers was “tested by fire” on 4 February 1555 at Smithfield, England; the first to meet this fate under Tudor Queen Bloody Mary I of England. Myles Coverdale was employed by Cromwell to work on the Great Bible of 1539. 

  It has been said by scholars that previous estimates of Tyndale’s contribution to the KJV ‘have run from a high of up to 90% to a low of 18% . By a statistically accurate and appropriate method of sampling, based on eighteen portions of the Bible, they concluded that for the (KJV) New Testament Tyndale’s contribution is about 83% of the text, and in the Old Testament 76%. However, these studies do not in turn deal with the contributions of previous versions to Tyndale.

 The Matthew Bible, though largely unrecognized, significantly shaped and influenced English Bible versions in the centuries that followed its first appearance.