THE BRITISH LIBRARY
The Wycliffe New Testament 1388

An edition in modern English language, with an introduction, the original prologues and the Epistle to the Laodiceans. Edited by William Cooper

John Wycliffe’s preaching and writing inspired the translating of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate into English, and the impact of the translation was so great that within a decade of publication, a law was passed condemning anyone caught reading it to be burned alive as a heretic.

Despite such resistance, the Wycliffe Bible was read by thousands, and even after the advent of printing and the arrival of Tyndale’s New Testament, handwritten copies ofWycliffe’s Bible were still cherished and read.

Now, for the fist time in over 600 years, the Wycliffe New Testament has been produced in modern English language. Forshall and Madden produced an old-spelling edition of it under in 1850, but the huge four volumes are a daunting prospect for the modern reader, even when a copy may be found. This present edition, published in association with the Tyndale Society, has been rendered into modern language and punctuation, so that the reader can enjoy this remarkable text for themselves.

W.R. Cooper is the editor of the recent edition of Tyndale’s 1526 New Testament, published in 2000.

Publication May 2002
544 pages, 186 x 124mm, hardback, ISBN 0 7123 4728 3
£20.00
Available from
The British Library Publishing Office
96 Euston Road
London NWI 2DB
Tel 020 7412 7704
Fax 020 7412 7768 Cheques should be made payable to
e-mail blpublications@bl.uk The British Library Bookshop