AN ORIGINAL 1537 MATTHEW'S  BIBLE LEAF
 
Offered for the consideration of the serious Bible leaf collector is an original display leaf from the the ultra-rare FIRST EDITION of the Matthew's Bible, and like all our original leaves it is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. NOTE: The inexpensive price of this offer is reflected in our choice of the text leaves. One well known Bible leaf dealer reckons these leaves should sell for $10,000.00 each because of their rarity. The above pictured leaf is for display purpose only. Prices begin at $599.00. Contact us for a quote on your preferred text. 
 
DESISDERIUS ERASMUS
WILLIAM TYNDALE
 
It was Desisderius Erasmus who in 1516 stirred the glowing embers of “sola Scriptura” in the hearts of the future reformers with a printed Greek New Testament resulting in it being translated into almost every vernacular language in Europe. It was the 1522, 3rd edition of Erasmus’s Greek New Testament that gave birth to England’s first printed New Testament in 1525/26, translated by William Tyndale. He lost his life in 1536 when he was burned at the stake.
 
JOHN ROGERS a.k.a. THOMAS MATTHEW
 
The very next year John Rogers, coleague and fellow exile of William Tyndale re-published Tyndale's translation in a pulpit size format with Henry VIII's licence to do so. It is estimated the print run was no more than 1500 copies and that very few of these have suruved the ravages of time. In due course the winds of religion once again blew from Rome when Mary I became Queen of England upon the death of her half brother Edward VI. The very first martyred reformer during her reign was none other than John Rogers. 
 
MYLES COVERDALE
 
One of the few protestant reformers arrested by Queen Mary but then released was former Bishop Myles Coverdale, the translator of the very first complete Bible in English, 1535. The new Queen's cousin Christianus, the King of Denmark, intervened on Coverdale’s behalf and requested his release from prison. Upon securing his freedom Coverdale fled to the continent of Europe and eventually to Geneva, Switzerland where he met up with other exiled reformers from Great Britain.
 
GENEVA BIBLE
BISHOPS' BIBLE
 
By the year 1566 the Geneva Bible, with all of it’s Calvinistic marginal notes, had already impacted England with such force that the new Queen appointed Archbishop Matthew Parker to have a fresh translation of the Bible made, now known as the Bishops’ Bible, 1568. Do you know what is so utterly amazing about all of this is? You can find the fingerprints of both William Tyndale and Myles Coverdale all over this new translation? In fact, Myles Coverdale was one of four Bishop’s who consecrated Matthew Parker as Archbishop of Canterbury. 
 
THE OFFER
 
BUT WAIT! THERE IS MORE!! We are including in this offer an additional original same text study leaf from the 1560 first edition Geneva Bible. It is believed Myles Coverdale, who gave the English speaking world its first complete printed Bible and John Knox the founder of the Scotish Presberterian Church, assisted other English exiled reformers in Geneva in translating what is now known as the Geneva Bible, 1560. By the time of its publication "bloody Mary" was already dead and her half sister Elizabeth was the Queen.