Thomas Matthew: A reason for the name
Thomas Matthew: A reason for the name
The Matthew Bible (AKA: The Thomas Matthew Bible; Matthew’s Bible ) is called this because it was originally printed with the author’s name recorded as Thomas Matthew. Thomas Matthew is the Bible’s proper name: This name is not referring to the Bible as being owned by Matthew. Since the name does not connote ownership, it does not have either an (s) or (‘s). Note that The King James Bible does not have an apostrophe in its title either.
The title page of The Matthew Bible is where the name Thomas Matthew was first used. Thomas Matthew is also used to sign the dedication page, thus preventing a biblical anonym. The following photograph shows the use of this name on the original title page of the first original language-to-English Bible.
The title page reads like this is modern spelling:
The Bible,
which is all the holy Scrip-
ture: In which are contained the
Old and New Testament, truly
and, purely translated into En
glish by Thomas
Matthew.
Isaiah 1
Hearkento ye heavens and
thou earth give ear: For the
Lord speaketh.
1537
The Bible,
which is all the holy Scrip-
ture: In which are contained the Old
and New Testament truly and
purely translated into English
by Thomas Matthew.
1537
And now Imprinted in the Year of our Lord1549
As a scholar who has spent countless hours working through the Matthew Bible, I have developed a theory that I am convinced those who enjoy this Bible will find informative. I have been able to decipher the reason behind the name Thomas Matthew. A secret that has lain hidden for 482 years. Although much speculation has surrounded the use of the name, there appears to be a simple logic in why John Rogers and Miles Coverdale chose that particular name: Thomas Matthew.
Some have speculated that the name was a pseudonym to hide the Bible’s origins or because Rogers feared the fate of Tyndale; others believe it was a name that Tyndale had used for himself while in exile and the printers were giving secret recognition to him; and yet others think that a relative, or a friend of the time, lent their name to the Rogers’ printing. The final consensus is that no one has yet presented a solid reason for the use of the words Thomas Matthew in the Tyndale/Rogers/Coverdale Bible. Most researchers have concluded that no one knows the reason for its use – That is, until now.
William Tyndale was strangled and burned at the stake, his translations were also banned and burned. But miraculously, the complete works of Tyndale were published less than one year later with the licensing approval of his very enemy, King Henry VIII. This printing happened solely because the translation contained the name of two apostles rather than that of William Tyndale or John Rogers.
The word Thomas (Θωμάς), means “Twin” and the word Matthew (Ματθαιος) means “Gift from God (Yahweh)”. When these two words are combined (Θωμάς Ματθαιος) they form the definition: A twin [to the original] gift from God. The idea that informs this theory is that John Rogers wanted to be both truthful and inconspicuous when signing the Bible.
Using the name William Tyndale could have resulted in, at the least, a rejection of a printing license and at the worst, being burned at the stake. The result of Rogers’/Coverdale’s decision to these persecutions was to use the original New Testament language of Greek to answer the King honestly about the Bible translation’s authorship.
Θωμάς Ματθαιος (Thomas Matthew) can be interpreted as meaning: “This Bible containing the Holy Scriptures as translated into English as ‘a twin to the original gift from God to the one’s you [King Henry] burned in the streets.'” Perhaps one can read the title page as saying, “We didn’t change anything and we are reprinting this Bible just as Tyndale had envisioned it completed, and without changing anything he had previously written.”
There is no difficulty to postulate that John Rogers intentionally used the Greek language to confound his enemies while also honestly articulating the person who was responsible for its translation. When asked, “Who translated the Bible into English?” John Rogers could in truth answer, “William Tyndale did most of the work and this is a twin to all he has previously said.” Wisely, Rogers said all that in Greek and eventually received a license to print the first original languages-to-English Bible.