The Tyndale New Testament

This is one of only two surviving textually complete copies of a print-run of 3,000 (possibly even 6,000) from the press of Peter Schoeffer in Worms (The other copy is in he Württembergische Landesbibliothek, Stuttgart). These New Testaments were shipped in bales of cloth down the Rhine, and across into various ports in the south and east of England. Orchestrated by Cardinal Wolsey, a campaign to eradicate Lutheranism’ in England included the thorough seeking out and confiscating of Tyndale’s writings, and the punishing of those who had them. Many New Testaments were burned at special ceremonies in London and Antwerp.

The copy shown here is remarkable for several reasons. Tyndale’s Worms New Testament was the first printed New Testament in English, faithfully translated from the Greek original. It was a book which gave to English speakers a Bible language that was clear and direct, rather than fashionable, philological or literary: most of it lived on unchanged in the 1611 Authorised Version. This copy is unusually decorated, when and by whom is not known, nor for what purpose. Such care suggests that whoever first owned it valued is very highly indeed.

This book came to light in the first half of the 18th century when it entered the Harleian Library. Edward Harley Lord Oxford paid hisscout 20 guineas for the book, and settled on him an annuity of pounds 20 p.a. It was bound in that library’s style. Though Harley’s magnificent collections of manuscripts were acquired for the nation at the founding of the British Museum, his books were sold through a bookseller, Thomas Osborne. This New Testament was bought from Osborne by Joseph Ames for 15 shillings: he celebrated his bargain by adding his own bookplate, and stamping his name on the covers.

On Ames’s death it went into John White’s collection of early bibles at a cost of 14 ½ guineas. Sixteen years later, in 1776, white sold it for 20 guineas to the Revd. Andrew Gifford, a Baptist Minister who was also one of the earliest assistant keepers at the new British Museum. On Gifford’s death in 1784 this Testament, with his collection of bibles and other items, was bequeathed to Bristol Baptist College, the oldest such college int he country, founded in 1679 for the work of providing an educated ministry. In the spring of 1994 this New Testament was acquired by the British Library for a little over 1,000,000. It now enriches immeasurablythe Library’s wealth of materials charting the history of the Bible in English.