WALDENSIAN BIBLE

The Waldenses, in the Italian Alps of northern Italy, maintained a pure faith for centuries. According to the following statement, those believers in the Piedmont valleys held to the pure Apostolic faith to as far back as the 4th century A.D. and earlier. 

"The method which Allix has pursued, in his History of the Churches of Piedmont [the Waldensian churches], is to show that in the ecclesiastical history of every century, from the fourth century, which he considers a period early enough for the inquirer after apostolical purity of doctrine, there are clear proofs that doctrines, unlike those which the Romish Church holds, and conformable to the belief of the Waldensian and Reformed churches, were maintained by believers of the north of Italy down to the period, when the Waldenses first came into notice.

"Consequently, the opinions of the Waldenses were not new to Europe in the eleventh or twelfth centuries, and there is nothing improbable in the tradition that the Subalpine Church persevered in its integrity in an uninterrupted course from the first preaching of the Gospel in the valleys."Gilly, Waldensian Researches, p. 113.

It was because the Waldenses had the Word of God in their own language, that they were able to maintain their faith through all those centuries. They first had the Italia manuscripts which, as we earlier learned, were faithful to the Majority Text. Later they prepared the Waldensian Bible.

The Waldensians, also known as the Vaudois [pronounced "VAW-doh"], were a distinct group of earnest Christians with their own Bibles, as early as the early part of the 4th century, in the time of Constantine.

"There are modern writers who attempt to fix the beginning of the Waldenses from Peter Waldo, who began his work about 1175. This is a mistake. The historical name of this people as properly derived from the valleys where they lived, is Vaudois. Their enemies, however, ever sought to date their origin from Waldo . .

"There remains to us in the ancient Waldensian language, The Noble Lesson (La Nobla Leycon), written about the year A.D. 1100, which assigns the first opposition of the Waldenses to the Church of Rome to the days of Constantine the Great, when Sylvester was pope . . Thus, when Christianity, emerging from the long persecutions of pagan Rome, was raised to imperial favor by the Emperor Constantine, the Italic church in northern Italy, later [called] the Waldenses, is seen standing in opposition to papal Rome.

"Their Bible was of the family of the renowned Italia. It was that translation into Latin which represents the Received Text. Its very name, Italia, is derived from the Italic district, the regions of the Vaudois.

The Waldensians existed from the earliest times in the territory now known as northern Italy. But we are told that, when intense persecution came to them, some apostatized, others moved farther into the Italian Alps, while still others carried the faith to foreign lands.

It was the Waldensians which were the true church, not the proud church down in Rome.

It was because they had the pure text of the Bible in their own language, that they were especially hated by Rome, for only the clear teachings of Scripture could unveil the hideous deceptions of the papacy.

Notice that they had the Bible "hundreds of years" before the Reformation." Peter Waldo did not start the Vaudois, as though they originated with him. He was a wealthy Christian businessman in Lyons, France.

What Bible was this that they had? What was the Waldensian Bible? It was the Italia, the ancient translation their forefathers had made from manuscripts very close in time to the originals. How powerful was that Bible? So powerful that, in spite of continued persecution, they kept the true faith for centuries.

The secret of success was the fact that the Bible was the primary textbook in their schools. Parents maintained home schools and diligently taught the pure Word to their children.

"Pure, simple, and fervent was the piety of these followers of Christ. The principles of truth they valued above houses and lands, friends, kindred, even life itself. These principles they earnestly sought to impress upon the hearts of the young.

"From earliest childhood the youth were instructed in the Scriptures and taught to regard sacredly the claims of the law of God. Copies of the Bible were rare; therefore its precious words were committed to memory. Many were able to repeat large portions of both the Old and the New Testaments. Thoughts of God were associated alike with the sublime scenery of nature and with the humble blessings of daily life. Little children learned to look with gratitude to God as the giver of every favor and every comfort."Great Controversy, p. 67.

Another important strength of this people was that their pastors only preached from the Inspired Writings. They did not refer to the works of uninspired commentaries and philosophers.

"The Vaudois churches, in their purity and simplicity, resembled the church of apostolic times. Rejecting the supremacy of the pope and prelate, they held the Bible as the only supreme, infallible authority. Their pastors, unlike the lordly priests of Rome, followed the example of their Master, who came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.

"They fed the flock of God, leading them to the green pastures and living fountains of His holy Word. Far from the monuments of human pomp and pride the people assembled, not in magnificent churches or grand cathedrals, but beneath the shadow of the mountains, in the Alpine valleys, or, in time of danger, in some rocky stronghold, to listen to the words of truth from the servants of Christ."Great Controversy, p. 68.

In addition to their parents, godly pastors, with the Word of God in their hands, taught the youth.

"From their pastors the youth received instruction. While attention was given to branches of general learning, the Bible was made the chief study. The Gospels of Matthew and John were committed to memory, with many of the Epistles. They were employed also in copying the Scriptures. Some manuscripts contained the whole Bible, others only brief selections, to which some simple explanations of the text were added by those who were able to expound the Scriptures. Thus were brought forth the treasures of truth so long concealed by those who sought to exalt themselves above God."Great Controversy, pp. 68-69.

In addition to their duties in the home, on the farm, and in the orchard, these godly young people also worked at making copies of the precious Bible manuscripts.

"By patient, untiring labor, sometimes in the deep, dark caverns of the earth, by the light of torches, the Sacred Scriptures were written out, verse by verse, chapter by chapter. Thus the work went on, the revealed will of God shining out like pure gold; how much brighter, clearer, and more powerful because of the trials undergone for its sake only those could realize who were engaged in the work. Angels from heaven surrounded these faithful workers."Great Controversy, p. 69.

This preservation of the pure manuscripts in the Italia had gone on for centuries. Because the people were conscientious and dedicated, the angels could guide their hands so they were not likely to make copyist errors.

The agents of Satan were enraged. They wanted to corrupt and destroy the Word of God; yet here was a people who were preserving it in its pure form!

"Satan had urged on the papal priests and prelates to bury the Word of truth beneath the rubbish of error, heresy, and superstition; but in a most wonderful manner it was preserved uncorrupted through all the ages of darkness. It bore not the stamp of man, but the impress of God. Men have been unwearied in their efforts to obscure the plain, simple meaning of the Scriptures, and to make them contradict their own testimony; but like the ark upon the billowy deep, the Word of God outrides the storms that threaten it with destruction." Great Controversy, p. 69.

These divinely inspired statements are 

highly significant. Liberals today declare that only the Sinaiticus and Vaticanus, and related manuscripts, have the original text. But it is clear that the Waldenses had it!

"The Waldenses were among the first of the peoples of Europe to obtain a translation of the Holy Scriptures. Hundreds of years before the Reformation they possessed the Bible in manuscript in their native tongue. They had the truth unadulterated, and this rendered them the special objects of hatred and persecution."Great Controversy, p. 65.

"Satan had urged on the papal priests and prelates to bury the Word of truth beneath the rubbish of error, heresy, and superstition; but in a most wonderful manner it was preserved uncorrupted through all the ages of darkness. It bore not the stamp of man, but the impress of God."Great Controversy, p. 69.

As the youth became older, they were sent out as missionaries, secretly carrying portions of Scripture with them to be shared with others. This was the basis of their evangelistic work. (See Great Controversy, pp. 70-76.)

The evangelistic work of laymen today should also be based on sharing the Inspired Writings: the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy with so many out there who know them not.

As in all ages, those who have the Word of God and who share the Word of God are persecuted.

"The Waldensian missionaries were invading the kingdom of Satan, and the powers of darkness aroused to greater vigilance. Every effort to advance the truth was watched by the prince of evil, and he excited the fears of his agents. The papal leaders saw a portent of danger to their cause from the labors of these humble itinerants. If the light of truth were allowed to shine unobstructed, it would sweep away the heavy clouds of error that enveloped the people. It would direct the minds of men to God alone and would eventually destroy the supremacy of Rome.

"The very existence of this people, holding the faith of the ancient church, was a constant testimony to Rome's apostasy, and therefore excited the most bitter hatred and persecution. Their refusal to surrender the Scriptures was also an offense that Rome could not tolerate. She determined to blot them from the earth. Now began the most terrible crusades against Gods people in their mountain homes. Inquisitors were put upon their track, and the scene of innocent Abel falling before the murderous Cain was often repeated."Great Controversy, p. 76.

Why is it that those who claim to be Gods "remnant" in these last days are not being persecuted? The answer is obvious: They are not earnestly, urgently sharing the Word, and its end-time teachings.

"There is another and more important question that should engage the attention of the churches of today. The apostle Paul declares that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, 2 Timothy 3:12. Why is it, then, that persecution seems in a great degree to slumber? The only reason is that the church has conformed to the worlds standard and therefore awakens no opposition.

"The religion which is current in our day is not of the pure and holy character that marked the Christian faith in the days of Christ and His apostles. It is only because of the spirit of compromise with sin, because the great truths of the Word of God are so indifferently regarded, because there is so little vital godliness in the church, that Christianity is apparently so popular with the world.

"Let there be a revival of the faith and power of the early church, and the spirit of persecution will be revived, and the fires of persecution will be rekindled."Great Controversy, p. 48.

Leger, a noble scholar of Waldensian ancestry tried to save their records in the terrible massacres of 1655. His book, General History of the Evangelical Churches of the Vaudois Churches, published in French in 1669, revealed their history.

It was the Waldensian faith and their Bible which laid the foundation for the later Protestant French Bible. Leger said that Olivetans French Bible of 1537 was "entire and pure," because its ancestry was not the papal productions, but the Waldensian Bible.

"I say pure because all the ancient exemplars, which formerly were found among the papists, were full of falsifications, which caused Beza to say in his book on Illustrious Men, in the chapter on the Vaudois [the French word for Waldenses], that one must confess it was by means of the Vaudois of the Valleys that France today has the Bible in her own language.

"This godly man, Olivetan, in the preface of his Bible, recognizes with thanks to God, that since the time of the apostles, or their immediate successors, the torch of the Gospel has been lit among the Vaudois, and has never since been extinguished."Leger, General History of the Vaudois Churches, p. 165.

THE WYCLIFFE BIBLE (1384)

John Wycliffe (also written Wycliff) was born in Yorkshire, about 1330, and completed his education at Oxford. In 1361, he resigned his position as Master of Balliol College and settled at Fillingham, Lincolnshire; so he could write tracts and pamphlets about current religious problems.

From 1366 to 1378, he wrote semi-political and anti-papal papers. From 1378 to 1384, he carried on open war against Rome. It was during this latter period that he translated the Bible.

Wycliffe's translation was made from the Latin Vulgate and, for that reason, contained significant errors.

It should be kept in mind that Wycliffe only had access to the Latin Vulgate; he did not have a copy of the Italia (the Waldensian Bible). It is for this reason that we are told that the Latin text he worked from had "many errors."

Wycliffe did the best he could; he did not have any other translation sources available to him. The Greek texts, which Tyndale and later English translators used, had not yet been collated from the Majority Text manuscripts. Most ancient Bible manuscripts were hidden away in libraries; and Wycliffe was not in contact with the Waldenses.

"The greatest work of his life was to be the translation of the Scriptures into the English language. In a work, On the Truth and Meaning of Scripture, he expressed his intention to translate the Bible, so that every man in England might read, in the language in which he was born, the wonderful works of God.

"But suddenly his labors were stopped. Though not yet sixty years of age, unceasing toil, study, and the assaults of his enemies had told upon his strength and made him prematurely old. He was attacked by a dangerous illness. The tidings brought great joy to the friars. Now they thought he would bitterly repent the evil he had done the church, and they hurried to his chamber to listen to his confession. Representatives from the four religious orders, with four civil officers, gathered about the supposed dying man. You have death on your lips, they said; be touched by your faults, and retract in our presence all that you have said to our injury. The Reformer listened in silence; then he bade his attendant raise him in his bed, and, gazing steadily upon them as they stood waiting for his recantation, he said, in the firm, strong voice which had so often caused them to tremble: I shall not die, but live; and again declare the evil deeds of the friars." J.H. Merle DAubigne, b. 17, ch. 7.

"Wycliffe's words were fulfilled. He lived to place in the hands of his countrymen the most powerful of all weapons against Rome, to give them the Bible, the Heaven-appointed agent to liberate, enlighten, and evangelize the people. There were many and great obstacles to surmount in the accomplishment of this work. Wycliffe was weighed down with infirmities; he knew that only a few years for labor remained for him; he saw the opposition which he must meet; but, encouraged by the promises of Gods Word, he went forward nothing daunted. In the full vigor of his intellectual powers, rich in experience, he had been preserved and prepared by Gods special providence for this, the greatest of his labors. While all Christendom was filled with tumult, the Reformer in his rectory at Lutterworth, unheeding the storm that raged without, applied himself to his chosen task." Great Controversy, p. 88.

"At last the work was completed, the first English translation of the Bible ever made. The Word of God was opened to England. The Reformer feared not now the prison or the stake. He had placed in the hands of the English people a light which should never be extinguished. In giving the Bible to his countrymen, he had done more to break the fetters of ignorance and vice, more to liberate and elevate his country, than was ever achieved by the most brilliant victories on fields of battle." Great Controversy, p. 88.

"The art of printing being still unknown, it was only by slow and wearisome labor that copies of the Bible could be multiplied. So great was the interest to obtain the book, that many willingly engaged in the work of transcribing it, but it was with difficulty that the copyists could supply the demand. Some of the more wealthy purchasers desired the whole Bible. Others bought only a portion. In many cases, several families united to purchase a copy. Thus Wycliffe's Bible soon found its way to the homes of the people.

"The appeal to men's reason aroused them from their passive submission to papal dogmas. Wycliffe now taught the distinctive doctrines of Protestantism, salvation through faith in Christ, and the sole infallibility of the Scriptures. The preachers whom he had sent out circulated the Bible, together with the Reformers writings, and with such success that the new faith was accepted by nearly one half of the people of England." Great Controversy, pp. 88-89.

"The appearance of the Scriptures brought dismay to the authorities of the church. They had now to meet an agency more powerful than Wycliffe, an agency against which their weapons would avail little. There was at this time no law in England prohibiting the Bible, for it had never before been published in the language of the people. Such laws were afterward enacted and rigorously enforced. Meanwhile, notwithstanding the efforts of the priests, there was for a season opportunity for the circulation of the Word of God." Great Controversy, p. 89.

The common folk labored diligently to make and spread copies of portions of Wycliffe's Bible. Are we as diligent today to share the Inspired Writings?

"So scanty was the supply of Bibles at this time, that but few of those who craved its teaching could hope to possess the sacred volume. But this lack was partly made up by the earnestness of those whose interest was awakened in the Bible. If only a single copy was owned in a neighborhood, these hard-working laborers and artisans would be found together, after a weary day of toil, reading in turn, and listening to the Words of life; and so sweet was the refreshment to their spirits, that sometimes the morning light surprised them with its call to a new day of labor, before they thought of sleep." John Foxe, Foxes Martyrs of the World, p. 346.

"These thingis Jesus spak; and whanne he hadde cast up hise eyen into thi hevene, he seide: Fadir, the our cometh; clarifie thi sone, that thi sone clarifie thee; as thou hast yovun to hym power on ech fleische, that al thing that thou hast yovun to hym, he yyve to hem everlastynge lilf. And this is everlastynge lilf, that thei knowe thee very God aloone and whom thou hast sent, Jesu Christ." Quoted in Dowley, Handbook to Christianity, p. 339.

Understandably, the Catholic reaction was sheer panic! One priest lamented, "The jewel of the clergy has become the toy of the laity." Henry de Knyghton nearly wept over the great tragedy:

"This Master John Wiclif hath translated the Gospel out of Latin into English, which Christ had intrusted with the clergy and doctors of the Church, that they might minister it to the laity and weaker sort, according to the state of the times and wants of men. So that, by this means, the Gospel is made vulgar and made more open to the laity . . than it used to be to the most learned of the clergy and those of the best understanding! And what was before the chief gift of the clergy and doctors of the Church, is made for ever common to the laity." Quoted in McClure, Translators Revived, pp. 15-16.

They were elated when "wicked Wycliffe" died! Walsingham, a leading British prelate, exclaimed:

"On the feast of the passion of St. Thomas of Canterbury, John Wicklif, that organ of the devil, that enemy of the Church, that author of confusion to the common people, that idol of heretics, that image of hypocrites, that restorer of schism, that storehouse of lies, that sink of flattery, being struck by the horrible judgment of God, was struck with palsy, and continued to live in that condition until St. Sylvester's Day, on which he breathed out his malicious spirit into the abodes of darkness."Watkinson, John Wicklif, pp. 195-196.

"The Lollards were tracked to the lonely, unfrequented places where they met, often under shadow of night, to worship God. Neighbor was made to spy upon neighbor; husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers and sisters, were beguiled or forced to bear witness against each other. The Lollards prison again echoed with the clanking of chains; the rack and the stake once more claimed their victims."Foxe, Christian Martyrs, p. 345.

"They have found a language called Greek, at which we must be careful to be on our guard. It is the mother of all heresies. In the hands of many persons I see a book, which they call the New Testament. It is a book full of thorns and poison. As for Hebrew, my brethren, it is certain that those who learn it will sooner or later turn Jews!" Early 16th-century Catholic writer, quoted in Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 6, p. 722.

Since the Majority Text was 90%-95% of the manuscripts, it was not difficult to develop an excellent Greek text.

The first scholar to prepare a Greek Text was Desiderius Erasmus (1469-1536). It is a tragedy that he timidly refused to unite with the Reformers, since it was His Greek Text which laid the foundations of the Reformation throughout Europe. This is because all Reformation translations (with the exception of the French translation, based on the Waldensian Bible) were translated from Erasmus Greek Text.

This was also the first printed edition of the Greek New Testament. As we will learn below, the third of his five editions became the standard for the follow-up Greek texts of Stephenus, Beza, and Elzevir.

The Greek text of Robert Stephenus (also called "Stephen," 1550) came next. After that, Beza (1598) and Elzevir (1624) produced theirs. All three were dedicated Protestant scholars. All their Greek texts were based on the Majority Text, and were decidedly anti-Sinaiticus and Vaticanus.

Although they rejected his Greek Text, modern scholars recognize that it was a very good one.

A.T. Robertson is considered the leading Greek scholar of the first half of the 20th century. He wrote this:

Because it was essentially identical to "the bulk of the cursive manuscripts" (i.e., the Majority Text), and because those manuscripts reached all the way back to earliest times, Erasmus text was an excellent one.

Two of the members of the committee which produced the English Revised Version (1881, 1885), wrote a booklet in which they mentioned that Erasmus text was outstanding:

Then, after quoting Hort about the good quality of the Erasmus text, they made this comment:

"This remarkable statement completes the pedigree of the Received Text. That pedigree [ancestry] stretches back to a remote antiquity. The first ancestor of the Received Text was, as Dr. Hort is careful to remind us, at least contemporary with the oldest of our extant manuscripts, if not older than any one of them."Ibid.

"Four Bibles produced under Waldensian influence touched the history of Calvin: namely, a Greek [Text], a Waldensian vernacular, a French, and an Italian.

"Calvin himself was led to his great work by Olivetan, a Waldensian. Thus was the Reformation brought to Calvin, that brilliant student of the Paris University.

"Farel, also a Waldensian, besought him to come to Geneva and open up a work there . . According to Leger, Calvin recognized a relationship to the Calvins of the valley of St. Martin, one of the Waldensian Valleys.

"Finally, persecution at Paris and the solicitation of Farel caused Calvin to settle at Geneva, where, with Beza, he brought out an edition of the Textus Receptus [Received Text] . . Of Beza, Dr. Edgar says that he astonished and confounded the world with the Greek manuscripts he unearthed. This later edition of the Received Text is in reality a Greek New Testament brought out under Waldensian influence.

"Unquestionably, the leaders of the Reformation, German, French, and English, were convinced that the Received Text was the genuine New Testament, not only by its own irresistible history and internal evidence, but also because it matched the Received Text which in Waldensian form came down from the days of the apostles.

"The other three Bibles of Waldensian connection were due to three men who were at Geneva with Calvin, or, when he died, with Beza, his successor, namely, Olivetan, Leger, and Diodati. How readily the two streams of descent of the Received Textthrough the Greek East and the Waldensian Westran together, is illustrated by the meeting of the Olivetan Bible [based on the Waldensian Italia] and the Received Text [based on the Greek manuscripts]."Wilkinson, Our Authorized Bible Vindicated, pp. 37-38.

Both the Waldensian Bible (from the Italia) and the great majority of Greek manuscripts were from the same source. We call it the Majority Text.

"The Gospel had been planted in Bohemia as early as the ninth century. The Bible was translated, and public worship was conducted, in the language of the people. But as the power of the pope increased, so the Word of God was obscured. Gregory VII, who had taken it upon himself to humble the pride of kings, was no less intent upon enslaving the people, and accordingly a bull was issued forbidding public worship to be conducted in the Bohemian tongue. The pope declared that it was pleasing to the Omnipotent that His worship should be celebrated in an unknown language, and that many evils and heresies had arisen from not observing this rule (Wylie, b. 3, ch. 1).

"Thus Rome decreed that the light of Gods Word should be extinguished and the people should be shut up in darkness. But Heaven had provided other agencies for the preservation of the church. Many of the Waldenses and Albigenses, driven by persecution from their homes in France and Italy, came to Bohemia. Though they dared not teach openly, they labored zealously in secret. Thus the true faith was preserved from century to century." Great Controversy, p. 97.

"The bishop of Meaux labored zealously in his own diocese to instruct both the clergy and the people. Ignorant and immoral priests were removed, and, so far as possible, replaced by men of learning and piety. The bishop greatly desired that his people might have access to the Word of God for themselves, and this was soon accomplished. Lefevre undertook the translation of the New Testament; and at the very time when Luther's German Bible was issuing from the press in Wittenberg, the French New Testament was published at Meaux. The bishop spared no labor or expense to circulate it in his parishes, and soon the peasants of Meaux were in possession of the Holy Scriptures.

It was such a good translation that all the later ones, up to and including the King James, were almost identical to it. It appears that those later translators relied heavily on what Tyndale had accomplished. They were not lazy, but found they could hardly improve on it.

"Tyndale was so skilled in seven languages, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, English, French, that, whichever he spoke, you would suppose it his native tongue." Buschius, quoted in Demaus, Life of Tyndale, p. 130.

"While Luther was opening a closed Bible to the people of Germany, Tyndale was impelled by the Spirit of God to do the same for England. Wycliffe's Bible had been translated from the Latin text, which contained many errors. It had never been printed, and the cost of manuscript copies was so great that few but wealthy men or nobles could procure it; and, furthermore, being strictly proscribed by the church, it had had a comparatively narrow circulation.

"In 1516, a year before the appearance of Luther's theses, Erasmus had published his Greek and Latin version of the New Testament. Now for the first time the Word of God was printed in the original tongue. In this work many errors of former versions were corrected, and the sense was more clearly rendered. It led many among the educated classes to a better knowledge of the truth, and gave a new impetus to the work of reform. But the common people were still, to a great extent, debarred from Gods Word. Tyndale was to complete the work of Wycliffe in giving the Bible to his countrymen."Great Controversy, p. 245.

"A diligent student and an earnest seeker for truth, he had received the Gospel from the Greek Testament of Erasmus."Great Controversy, p. 245.

"He fearlessly preached his convictions, urging that all doctrines be tested by the Scriptures. To the papist claim that the church had given the Bible, and the church alone could explain it, Tyndale responded: Do you know who taught the eagles to find their prey? Well, that same God teaches His hungry children to find their Father in His Word. Far from having given us the Scriptures, it is you who have hidden them from us; it is you who burn those who teach them, and if you could, you would burn the Scriptures themselves (DAubigne, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, bk. 18, ch. 4)." Great Controversy, pp. 245-246.

"Tyndale's preaching excited great interest; many accepted the truth. But the priests were on the alert, and no sooner had he left the field then they by their threats and misrepresentations endeavored to destroy his work. Too often they succeeded. What is to be done? he exclaimed. While I am sowing in one place, the enemy ravages the field I have just left. I cannot be everywhere. Oh! if Christians possessed the Holy Scriptures in their own tongue, they could of themselves withstand these sophists. Without the Bible it is impossible to establish the laity in the truth. "Ibid.

It should be noted that William Tyndale did not complete all of his Old Testament translation of the Bible prior to his arrest. The portion which he did not translate was the historical books (Joshua to 2 Chronicles), poetical books, and prophetical books. 

"Clergymen had discouraged the reading of the Bible in any form, arguing that special knowledge was necessary to a right interpretation, and that Scriptural excerpts were being used to foment sedition. The church had raised no official objection to pre-Wycliffe translations, but this tacit permission had been of no moment, since all English versions before 1526 were manuscript.

"Hence the epochal importance of the English New Testament printed by Tyndale in 1525-1526." Will Durant, The Story of Civilization, Vol. 6, p. 533.

"It is apparent that Coverdale was essentially an editor, who gathered together the best materials within reach, and so selected and modified them as to construct a Bible that would meet both the demands of the public and those of the ecclesiastical authorities. His great good sense, as shown in the use of language to secure beauty, harmony, and melody, made him a wise editor.

"His essentially peaceful nature led him to restore many beloved ecclesiastical terms that Tyndale had thrown out for new and more exact translations of the original Greek and Hebrew texts. Indeed, so helpful are some of the translations of Coverdale that they were perpetuated in the King James Bible." I.M. Price, Ancestry of Our English Bible, p. 253.