William Tyndale (Pentateuch, Jonah &NT)

The epistle of S. Paul vnto the Galathyans.
The Prologe vpon the epistle of S. Paul to the Galathyans.

As ye reade .Act .xv. how certen came from Ierusalem to Antioche and vexed the disciples there / affirmynge that they coulde not be saued except they were circumcised.

Eu so after Paule had cobar.gifuerted the Galathys & coupled them to Christ / to trust in him onlye for the remission of synne / & hope of grace & saluaciobar.gif / & was departed: there came false apostles vnto th (as vnto the Corinthians / and vnto all places where Paule had preached) and that in the name of Peter / Iames and Ihon / whome they called the hie Apostles / and preached circumcision and the kepinge of the lawe / to be saued by and mynisshed pauls auctorite.

To the confoundynge of those / Paule magnifieth his office and Apostleshipe in the two fyrst chapters and maketh him selfe equall vn


to the hye Apostles / and concludeth that euery man must be iustified with oute deseruynges / with oute workes / and with out helpe of the lawe: but alone by Christ.

And in the thyrde and fourth / he proueth þe same with scripture / examples and symylitudes / and sheweth that the lawe is cause of more synne and bringeth the cursse of god vpon vs / and iustifieth vs not: but that iustifyinge cometh by grace promysed vs of God thorow the deseruinge of Christ / by whome (if we beleue) we are iustifyed with oute helpe of the workes of the lawe.

And in the .v. and .vj. he exhorteth vnto the workes of loue which folowe fayth and iustifyinge. So that in all his epistle he obserueth this order. Fyrst he preacheth the dampnaciobar.gif of the lawe: then the iustifyinge of fayth / and thyrdly the workes of loue. For on that condycion that we loue & worke / is the mercie geuen vs.

The epistle of S. Paul vnto the Galathyans.
The fyrst Chapter.

A
[Untitled Possibly Huge Image] Paul an Apostle / not of men / 1.A nether by man / but by Iesus Christ / and by God the father which raysed him from deeth: and all the brethren which are with me.

Vnto the congregaciobar.gifs of Galacia.

Grace be with you & peace from God the


father / and from oure Lorde Iesus Christ / which gave him selfe for oure synnes / to deliver vs from this present evyll worlde / thorow the will of God oure father / to whom be prayse for ever and ever. Amen.

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I marvayle that ye are so sone turned frobar.gif him that called you in the grace of Christ / vnto another gospell: which is nothinge els / but that ther be some which trouble you / & intende to pervert to gospell of Christ. Neverthelesse though we oure selves / or an angell frobar.gif hev / preache eny other gospell vnto you th that which we have preached vnto you / holde him as a cursed. As I sayde before / so saye I now agayne / yf eny man preache eny other thinge vnto you / then that ye have receaved / holde him accursed. Preache I mannes doctrine or Godes? Ether go I about to please men? If I stodyed to please men / I were not the servaunt of Christ.

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cross.gif I certifie you brethren / that the gospell which was preached of me / was not after the mner of men / nether receaved I it of m / nether was I taught it: but receaved it by the revelacion of Iesus Christ. For ye have hearde of my conversacion in tyme past / in the Iewes wayes / how that beyonde measure I persecuted the congregacion of God / & spoyled it: and prevayled in the Iewes laye / above many of my companions / which were of myne awne naciobar.gif / and was a moche more fervt mayntener of the tradicions of the elders.

But wh it pleased God / which seperated


me from my mothers wombe / & called me by his grace / forto declare his sonne by me / that I shuld preache him amonge the hethen: 2.C immediatly I cobar.gifmened not of the matter with flesshe and bloud / nether returned to Ierusalem to them which were Apostles before me: but wt my wayes into Arabia / & came agayne vnto Damasco.
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Then after thre yeare I returned to Ierusalem to se Peter / & abode with him .xv. dayes / no nother of the Apostles sawe I / save Iames the Lordes brother. The thinges which I write / beholde / God knoweth I lye not.

After that I went into the costes of Siria & Cilicia: & was vnknowen as touchinge my person vnto þe cobar.gifgregaciobar.gifs of Iewrye / which were in Christ. But they hearde only / that he which persecuted vs in tyme past / now preacheth the fayth which before he destroyed. And they glorified God on my behalffe. cross.gif

The .ii. Chapter.

Then .xiiii. yeares after that / I wt vp agayne to Ierusalem with Barnabas / & toke with me Titus also.

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Ye and I went vp by revelacion / & cobar.gifmened with them of the Gospell which I preache amonge the 3.A gentyls: but apart with them which were coted chefe / lest it shuld have bene thought þt I shuld runne or had runne in vayne. Also Titus which was with me / though he were a Greke / yet was not compelled to be circumcised / & that because of incobar.gifmers beynge falce brethren / which came in amobar.gifge other to spye
out oure libertie which we have in Christ Iesus / that they might bringe vs into bondage. 4.ATo whom we gave no roume / no not for the space of an houre / as cobar.gifcerninge to be brought into subiecciobar.gif: & that because that the trueth of the gospell myght continue with you.

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Of th which seme to be great (what they were in tyme passed it maketh no matter to me: God loketh on no mans person) neverthelesse they which seme great / added nothynge to me. But contrary wyse / when they sawe that the gospell over the vncircumcision was cobar.gifmitted vnto me / as the gospell over þe 5.B circcision was vnto Peter: for he þt was myghty in Peter in the Apostleshippe over the circumcision / the same was myghty in me amobar.gifge the gentyls: and therfore when they perceaved the grace that was gev vnto me / then Iames / Cephas & Iohn / which semed to be pilers / gave to me & Barnabas the ryght hondes / & agreed with vs / that we shuld preache amonge the Hethen / and they amonge the Iewes: warnynge only that we shulde remember the poore. Which thinge also I was diligent to do.

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And when Peter was come to Antioche / I withstode him in the face / 6.C for he was worthy to be blamed. For yerr that certayne came frobar.gif Iames / he ate with the gentyls. But when they were come / he withdrue & separated him selfe / fearinge them which were of þe circumcision. And þe other Iewes dissembled lyke wyse / in so moche that Barnabas was
brought into their simulaciobar.gif also. But when I sawe / that they went not the ryght waye after the trueth of the gospell / I sayde vnto Peter before all men / yf thou beynge a Iewe / livest after the mner of the gentyls / & not as do the Iewes: why causest thou the gtyls to live as do the Iewes? We which are Iewes by nature /
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& not synners of the gtyls / knowe that a man is not iustified by þe 7.D dedes of the lowe: but by the fayth of Iesus Christ. And therfore we have beleved on Iesus Christ / þt we myght be iustified by þe fayth of Christ / & uot by the dedes of the lawe: because that by þe dedes of þe lawe no flesshe shalbe iustified.

Yf then whill we seke to be made rightewes by Christ / we oure selves are founde synners / is not then Christ þe minister of synne? God forbyd. For yf I bylde agayne þt which I destroyed. then make I my selfe a treaspaser. But I thorow þe lawe ame deed to þe lawe: that I myght live vnto God. I am crucified with Christ. I live verely: yet now not I / but Christ liveth in me. For þe lyfe which I now live in þe flesshe / I live by the fayth of þe sonne of God / which loved me / and gave him selne for me. I despyse not the grace of God. For if rightewesnes come of the lawe / then Christ dyed in vayne.

The .iii. Chapter.

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O folisshe Galathys: who hath bewitched you / that ye shuld not beleve the trueth? To whom Iesus Christ was described before the eyes / & amobar.gifge you crucified. This only wolde I learne of you: receaved
ye the sprete by the dedes of þe lawe / or els by preachinge of þe faith? Are ye so vnwyse / that after ye have begonne in the sprete / ye wolde nowe ende in the flesshe? So many thinges there ye have suffred in vayne / if þt be vayne. 8.AWhich ministered to you the sprete / and worketh myracles amonge you / doth he it thorow the dedes of the lawe / or by preachinge of the fayth? Even as Abraham beleved God / and it was asscribed to him for rightewesnes. Vnderstonde therfore / þt they which are of fayth / the same are the chyldren of Abraham.

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For the seripture sawe afore honde / þt God wolde iustifie the hethen thorow fayth / and therfore shewed before honde glad tydinges 9.B vnto Abraham: In the shall all nacions be blessed. So then they which be of fayth / are blessed with faythfull Abraham. For as many as are vnder the dedes of the lawe / are vnder maledicciobar.gif. For it is written: cursed is every man þt cobar.giftinueth not in all thing[es] which are writt in þe boke of þe lawe / to fulfill th. That no m is iustified by þe lawe in þe sight of God / is evidt. For the iuste shall live by fayth. The lawe is not of fayth: but the man that fulfilleth the thinges contayned in the lawe (shall live in th.) But Christ hath delivered vs frobar.gif the curse of the lawe / & was made a 10.B cursed for vs. For it is writt: cursed is every one that hangeth on tree / that the blessynge of Abraham might come on the gtyls thorow Iesus Christ / and that we might receave the promes of the sprete thorow fayth.


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Brethren I will speake after the mner of men. Though it be but a mans testament / yet no m despiseth it / or addeth eny thinge therto when it is once alowed. cross.gif To Abraham & his seed were the promises made. He sayth not / in the seedes as in many: but in thy sede / as in one / which is Christ. This I saye / that the lawe which beganne afterwarde / beyonde .iiii.C & .xxx. yeares / doth not disanull the testament / that was confermed afore of God vnto Christ ward / to make the promes of none effect. For yf the inheritaunce come of the lawe / it cobar.gifmeth not of promes. But God gave it vnto Abraham by promes.

Wherfore then serveth þe lawe? 11.CThe lawe was added because of transgression (tyll the seed cam to which þe promes was made) & it was ordeyned by angels in þe honde of a mediator. A mediator is not a mediator of one. But God is one. Ys the lawe then agaynst þe promes of God? God forbid.

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How be it yf ther had bene a lawe gev which coulde have geven lyfe: then no doute rightewesnes shuld have come by þe lawe. 12.DBut þe scripture concluded all thinges vnder synne / þt the promes by the fayth of Iesus Christ shuld be gev vnto them þt beleve. cross.gif Before þt fayth cam / we were kept and shut vp vnder the lawe / vnto the fayth which shuld afterwarde be declared.

Wherfore the lawe was oure scolemaster vnto the tyme of Christ / þt we might be made rightewes by fayth. But after þt fayth is come / now are we no lenger vnder a scolemaster.


For ye are all the 13.D sonnes of God / by þe fayth which is in Christ Iesus. For all ye that are baptised / have put on Christ. Now is ther no Iewe nether gtyle: ther is nether bonde ner fre: ther is nether man ner woman: but ye are all one thinge in Christ Iesu. Yf ye be Christes / then are ye Abrahams seed / and heyres by promes.

The .iiii. Chapter. cross.gif

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And I saye that the heyre as longe as he is a chylde / differth not from a servaunt / though he be Lorde of all / but is vnder tuters and governers / vntill the tyme appoynted of the father. Even so we / as longe as we were chyldren / were in bondage vnder the ordinaunces of the worlde. But when the tyme was full come / God sent his sonne borne of a woman & made bonde vnto þe lawe / to redeme th which were vnder the lawe: þt we thorow eleccion myght receave the inheritace þt belongeth vnto the naturall sonnes. Be cause ye are sonnes / God hath sent the sprete of his sonne in to oure hert[es] / which cryeth Abba father. Wherfore now / thou art not a servaunt / but a sonne.
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Yf thou be þe sonne / thou arte also the heyre of God thorow Christ. cross.gif

Notwithstondinge / wh ye knewe not God / ye dyd service vnto them / which by nature were no goddes. But now seinge ye knowe god (yee rather are know of God) how is it that ye tourne agayne vnto the weake and bedgarly cerimonies / 14.B whervnto agayne ye desyre afresshe to be in bondage? Ye observe dayes / & monethes / and tymes / and yeares. I am in


feare of you / lest I have bestowed on you laboure in vayne.

Brethern I besech you / be ye as I am: for I am as ye are. Ye have not hurte me at all. 15.BYe knowe / how thorow infirmite of the flesshe / I preached the gospell vnto you at the fyrst. And my temptacion which I suffered by reason of my flesshe / ye despysed not / nether abhorred: but receaved me as an angell of god: ye as Christ Iesus. How happy were ye then? for I beare you recorde that yf it had bene possible / ye wolde have plucked out youre awne eyes / and have geven them to me. Am I therfore become youre enemie / because I tell you the truth?

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They are gelous over you amysse. Ye / they intde to exclude you / that ye shuld be ferut to them warde. It is good alwayes to be fervent / so it be in a good thinge / and not only wh I am present with you.

My littel children (of whom I travayle in birth againe vntill Christ be fassioned in you) I wolde I were with you now / & coulde chaunge my voyce: for I stonde in a doute of you

Tell me ye that desyre to be vnder the lawe have ye not hearde of the lawe? cross.gif For it is written that Abraham had two sonnes / þe one by a bonde mayde / the other by a fre woman. Yee and he which was of the bonde woman was borne after the flesshe: 16.C but he which was of the fre woman / was borne by promes. Which thinges betoken mystery. For these wemen are two testamentes / the one frobar.gif


the mounte Sina / which gendreth vnto bondage / which is Agar. For mounte Sina is called Agar in Arabia / and bordreth vpobar.gif the citie which is now Ierusalem / and is in bondage with her chyldren.

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But Ierusalem / which is above / is fre: which is the mother of vs all. For it is written: reioyce thou bar / that bearest no chyldr: breake forthe & crye / 17.D thou that travelest not. For the desolate hath many moo chyldren then she which hath an husband. 18.DBrethr we are after the maner of Isaac / chyldren of promes. But as then he þt was borne carnally / persecuted him that was borne spiritually. Even so is it now. Neverthelesse what sayth the scripture: put awaye the bonde woman & her sonne. 19.DFor the sonne of the bonde wom shall not be heyre with the sonne of þe fre woman. So then brethren we are not chyldr of the bonde woman: but of the fre woman. cross.gif

The .v. Chapter.

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Stond fast therfore in þe libertie wher with Christ hath made vs fre / & wrappe not youre selves agayne in þe yoke 20.A of bondage. Beholde I Paul saye vnto you / that yf ye be circumcised / Christ shall proffit you nothinge at all. I testifie agayne to every man which is circumcised that he is bounde to kepe the whole lawe. Ye are gone quyte frobar.gif Christ as many as are iustified by the lawe / & are fallen from grace. We loke for & hope in the sprite / to be iustified thorow fayth. For in Iesu Christ / nether is circumcision enythinge
worth / nether yet vncircobar.gifcision / but 21.A faith which by love is mighty in operacion. Ye did runne well: who was a let vnto you / that ye shuld not obey the trueth?
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Ev that counsell that is not of him that called you. A lytell leven doth leven the whole lompe of dowe.

cross.gif I have trust towarde you in the Lorde / þt ye wyll be none other wyse mynded. He that troubleth you shall beare his iudgemt / what soever he be. 22.BBrethren yf I yet preache circcision: why do I then yet suffre persecucion? For then had the offence which the crosse geveth / ceased. I wolde to God they were seperated from you which trouble you. Brethr ye were called in to (libertie) only let not youre libertie be an occasion vnto the flesshe / but in love serve one another. 23.BFor all þe lawe is fulfilled in one worde / which is this: thou shalt love thyne neghbour as thy selfe. Yf ye byte & devoure one another:

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take hede lest ye be consumed one of another.

24.Ccross.gif I saye walke in the sprete / & fulfill not þe lustes of þe flesshe. For þe flesshe lusteth contrary to þe sprete / & þe sprete cobar.giftrary to þe flesshe. Tese are cobar.giftrary one to the other / so þt ye cnot do that which ye wolde. 25.CBut & yf ye be ledde of the sprete / then are ye not vnder the lawe. The dedes of the flesshe are manyfest / whiche are these / advoutrie / fornicaciobar.gif / vnclnes / wantannes / ydolatrye / witchecraft / hatred / variaunce / zele / wrath / stryfe / sedicion / sectes /

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envyinge / murther / dronknes / glottony / and soche lyke: of the which I tell you before
as I have tolde you in tyme past / that they which cobar.gifmit soche thing[es] / shall not inherite / þe kyngdome of God. But 26.D þe frute of sprete is / loue / ioye / peace / longesufferinge / gtlenes goodnes / faythfulnes / meknes / temperancye. Agaynst suche ther is no lawe. They þe are Christis / have crucified the flesshe with the appetites and lustes cross.gif cross.gif Yf we lyve in the sprete / let vs walke in the sprete. Let vs not be vayne glorious / provokinge one another / & envyinge one another.

The .vi. Chapter.

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Brethren / yf eny m be fallen by chace into eny faute: ye which are spirituall helpe to amende him / 27.A in the sprete of meknes: consyderynge thy silfe / lest thou also be tempted. Beare ye one anothers burth and so fulfill the lawe of Christ. If eny m seme to him silfe that he is somwhat wh in dede he is nothynge / the same deceaveth hym silfe in his ymaginacion. Let every man prove his awne worke / and then shall he have reioysinge in his awne silfe / 28.A and not in another For every man shall beare his awne burthen.

Let him that is taught in þe worde minister vnto him þt teacheth him in all good thing[es]. Be not 29.A deceaved / God is not mocked. For what soever a man soweth /

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þt shall he reepe. He that soweth in his flesshe / shall of þe flesshe reepe corrupciobar.gif. But he þt soweth in þe sprete / shall of the sprete reepe lyfe everlastinge. Let vs not be wery of well doynge. For when the tyme is come / 30.B we shall repe with out werines.
Whill we have therfore tyme / let vs do good vnto all men / and specially vnto them which are of the housholde of fayth. cross.gif

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Beholde how large a letter I have written vnto you with myne awne honde. As many as desyre with vtwarde apperace to please carnally / they constrayne you to be circumcised / only be cause they wolde not suffre persecucion with the crosse of Christ. For they them selves which are circumcised / kepe not the lawe: but desyre to have you circumcised / that they myght reioyce in youre flesshe.

God forbyd that I shuld reioyce but in the crosse of oure Lorde Iesu Christ / wherby the worlde is crucified as touchinge me / and I as concerninge the worlde. For in Christ Iesu nether circcision avayleth eny thinge at all nor vncircumcisiobar.gif: but a 31.C new creature. And as many as walke accordinge to this rule / peace be on them / and mercy / and vpon Israel that pertayneth to God. From hence forth /

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let no man put me to busynes. For I beare in my bodye þe markes of the Lorde Iesu. Brethren the grace of oure Lorde Iesu Christe be with youre sprete. Amen.

Vnto the Galathyans written from Rome.

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