Friday, July 1, 2011

CONTACT: Stephen Abbott, Publisher, Abbott ePublishing, 603-341-0372; publisher@abbottepublishing.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Abbott ePublishing Tyndale21 Version of the Gospels Published

Abbott ePublishing announces the publication of the Abbott ePublishing Tyndale21 Version of the New Testament Gospels, an updated, modern English version of the first printed English Gospels translated by William Tyndale in 1526.

Also known as the Abbott ePublishing Version, this is the first stage of a proposed full New Testament revision of the New Testament translation made by William Tyndale in1526.

The electronic book is being sold for $2.99 on the company’s website, www.abbottepub.com/tyndale21gospels.html in Adobe Portable Document format (.pdf.) The eBook contains the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

General editor and Abbott ePublishing principal Stephen Abbott says the new version is not a “translation,” but rather an update of the 16^th Century text that Tyndale produced.

"It was a remarkable and important text in the history of translations,” said Abbott. “It was the first New Testament printed in English, it laid the foundations and gave much of the familiar wording to the King James Version of 1611, and was the first English Bible to be translated directly from the Greek language.”

All the English Bibles up until that time had been translations from the Latin Vulgate, but Tyndale's New Testament was taken from the compilation of all Greek manuscripts known at that time.

The scholars who created the King James Version of the Bible in 1611 relied heavily on Tyndale's translation. Some estimate that nearly 83 percent of the King James Version New Testament contains Tyndale’s wording.

“His renderings are unique and sometimes more starkly beautiful than many, many that have come after, as will be readily seen in this translation,” said Abbott ePublishing

Tyndale’s early 16^th Century language is updated in this edition for 21^st Century ears.

“The thought, ‘What if William Tyndale’s 1526 version was the only one Christians had used for the last 400 years, and it now needed to be updated into more modern English?’ was constantly considered,” said Abbott. “It was, in fact, the theoretical basis for this revision. Words and phrases that have clearly changed meaning were updated to 21^st Century English.

The Abbott ePublishing Tyndale21 Version is not a word-for-word update of Tyndale’s translation, and discretion was used when called for, he said.

“This is neither a ‘thought-for-thought’ nor ‘word-for-word’ rendering of the Gospels from ancient Greek texts,” he said. “It is instead an adaptation of an earlier English translation. Phrases are not deliberately put into over-casual speech. The majesty, dignity and grace of the English of Tyndale’s era remain.”

Sample Scriptures in the Abbott ePublishing Tyndale21 Version:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For whoever asks receives; and he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks it will be opened. Is there any man among you who, if his son asks him for bread, would offer him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he gives him a snake?” Matt. 7:7-10

“And he looked around at them angrily, grieved at the blindness of their hearts. And he said to the man: Hold out your hand. And he did. And his hand was restored just as healthy as the other one.” Mark 3:5

“They worship me in vain, teaching doctrines that are nothing but the precepts of men. Because you lay aside the commands of God and instead observe the traditions of men - like baptizing pitchers and cups, and many other kinds of things you do.” Mark 7:7-8

“Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together and running over, will men put into your lap. For the same measurement with which you are measuring, that same will be used to measure you.” Luke 6:38

“And he said to them, Give, then, to Caesar the things which belong to Caesar, and to God the things that which pertain to God.” Luke 20:25

“For God so loved the world, that he has given his only Son, that none who believes in him would die, but would have eternal life.” John 3:16

Abbott ePublishing was launched in 2009 as a New England-based publisher of original, affordable electronic books. They can be found online at abbottepub.com.

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