“Both - depending on who is doing it, paying for it, and printing or copying it. If you’re rich, then the expense is unimportant. Now, how many Bible translators do you know who are rich? Oh, right, almost none.”
Of course, there’s the big elephant in the room, called the printing press, which had been around since about the 1450s, which Tyndale made great use of. Though still not cheap, it apparently was not a huge detriment to the Christians who risked their lives to get them to the common people.
“Catholic Bibles or Biblical books were still made by hand in England. Tyndale was mass producing his. Both efforts show an interest in the Bible in England.”
Most likely the Bibles in English they had were those left over from Wyclif, and that, only owned by the very rich. Obviously, the demand was not caused because they had an abundance of Papist Bibles in English. Though you are free to produce these Bibles, whether or not they were authorized, who authorized them, and how many were in circulation, at least an estimate.
“Of course, there’s the big elephant in the room, called the printing press, which had been around since about the 1450s,”
No, that is more properly called moveable type printing. When people use the term “printing press” it all too often conjures up images of electrically operated machines. Those only came 4.5 centuries later.
“...which Tyndale made great use of. Though still not cheap, it apparently was not a huge detriment to the Christians who risked their lives to get them to the common people.”
You’re making a non-point. Catholics printed Bibles as well - they were the first ones to do so. German Catholics printed many Bible or New Testament editions before Luther did so. So?
“Most likely the Bibles in English they had were those left over from Wyclif, and that, only owned by the very rich.”
If only owned by them, that merely shows how expensive full Bibles were when hand made. Also, the Gasquet thesis about pre-Reformation Bibles cannot be ignored. You probably don’t even know what that is, right?
“Obviously, the demand was not caused because they had an abundance of Papist Bibles in English.”
There was always a demand and still is. I have dozens of Bibles - actually I am probably grossly underestimating the number. Demand for books - especially the Bible - is never satiated by a leap forward in technology to produce more massive quantities of them. What happens today is that many people who read the Bible have multiple copies of it - because it is now cheap to buy them (even $200 Bibles are comparatively cheap to Bibles 500 years ago).
“Though you are free to produce these Bibles, whether or not they were authorized, who authorized them, and how many were in circulation, at least an estimate.”
I have no idea what you’re trying to say there. It seems you posted a string of clauses with no particular point.