William Tyndale (1494–1536) is famous for translating the Bible into English, providing a base for the venerable King James Version.
There's an interesting similarity between Tyndale's and Paul's letters from prison.
The letter, translated from Tyndale’s Latin by J. F. Mozley, reads as follows:
I beg your lordship, and that of the Lord Jesus, that if I am to remain here through the winter, you will request the commissary to have the kindness to send me, from the goods of mine which he has, a warmer cap; for I suffer greatly from cold in the head, and am afflicted by a perpetual catarrh [nasal inflamation], which is much increased in this cell; a warmer coat also, for this which I have is very thin; a piece of cloth too to patch my leggings.
My overcoat is worn out; my shirts are also worn out. He has a woolen shirt, if he will be good enough to send it. I have also with him leggings of thicker cloth to put on above; he has also warmer night-caps. And I ask to be allowed to have a lamp in the evening; it is indeed wearisome sitting alone in the dark.
But most of all I beg and beseech your clemency to be urgent with the commissary, that he will kindly permit me to have the Hebrew Bible, Hebrew grammar, and Hebrew dictionary, that I may pass the time in that study. In return may you obtain what you most desire, so only that it be for the salvation of your soul. But if any other decision has been taken concerning me, to be carried out before winter, I will be patient, abiding the will of God, to the glory of the grace of my Lord Jesus Christ: whose spirit (I pray) may ever direct your heart. Amen
— W. Tindalus
— The Last Days of William Tyndale
But perhaps the parallels go further than simply wanting clothing and books.
The New Testament's 27 books were declared canonical at the Councils of Carthage, 397 by the Greek speaking Orthodox Church (long before the Roman Church split away).
The commonly accepted theory is that these books, and many others, were collected and studied for three centuries before the eventual 27 books were accepted.
This means that what we know as the Bible is dependent upon the judgement of many people over a long period of time.
Matthew 24:35 records that Jesus stated “… My words will by no means pass away”.
Would Jesus really have relied upon the judgement of men to decide what his words would be?
Would he really have let the process take three hundred years?
An alternative theory is that the Christian books were collected and edited by the apostles, in particular Paul, Peter, and John.
In his old age, John prepared the final collection and distributed it throughout the Church.
The Bible as we know it is actually the result of the work of a very few men, all of whom lived during Jesus's time on Earth, and all of whom knew him well.
We see from Colossians 4:16 that Paul intended his epistles to be shared among all groups, not only those to whom they were addressed:
Now when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.
In 2 Peter 1:12,15, Peter refers to providing something that would serve as a reminder of God's truth:
… I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. …
Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.
Later, in verse 3:16, he spoke of Paul's epistles:
… which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
Notice the direct implication here, that Paul's epistles were already considered to be scripture.
Then consider the last chapter of the Bible:
For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;
and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
— Revelation 22:18–19
John appears to be referring directly to the Book of Revelation, but is it not possible that this warning, located at the end of the final book of the Bible, was intended to apply to the entire collection; that John had already collected and edited the 27 books of scripture and had just completed them?
Now, in this light, consider Paul's request in 2 Timothy 4:13:
Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come — and the books, especially the parchments.
Even more telling, consider the Syriac Peshitta translation of this verse, in particular how the word φαιλόνης (“cloak”) is translated not as a piece of apparel to be worn, but as a container (similar to how we refer to a “book jacket”):
When you come, bring the bookcase and the books that I left in Troas with Qarpus, especially the parchment scrolls.
Is there any reason not to consider this as a request for his copy of the scriptures that the apostles had written and collected so far?
This verse serves as confirmation that we have the complete Greek scriptures, as determined by the Apostles.
