William Tyndale was born over 160 years after John Wycliffe, and was just a few years younger than Martin Luther. Tyndale was very intellectually gifted. He could read and speak seven languages well, in addition to Greek and Hebrew. Tyndale and Luther shared many ideals concerning the church’s need for Reformation based on the doctrine of justification by faith (Rom 1:17 “…the righteous shall live by faith…”).
One of the precursors to the Reformation was a book by Desiderius Erasmus – the first printed edition of the New Testament in its original Greek, as best as he could compile it. Erasmus’ work spawned a thirst for knowledge of Biblical languages around the Western World, including in Tyndale. It is generally understood by historians that it was Tyndale’s study of the Greek New Testament that awakened the desire in him to
share the good news of justification by faith, and faith alone.
Tyndale requested permission from the Bishop of London to translate the New Testament in English – a request that was promptly denied. Continued queries by Tyndale showed that there was no significant official of the Church in England who would welcome such an undertaking.
Tyndale, impassioned with his vision, fled England to some of the free cities of Europe. He certainly spent some time in the Lutheran city of Worms and, though no record of a visit exists, almost certainly met with Martin Luther during his time there.
It was from Worms, in 1525, that Tyndale’s first edition of the New Testament in English emerged. Counsellor to King Henry VIII, Sir Thomas More (“Lord Chancellor and pursuer of heretics”, author of Utopia, later martyred the year before Tyndale over his refusal to acknowledge Henry VIII as head of the Church of England and refusal to approve the annulment of Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon) became the chief opponent of Tyndale and covertly purchased the books from the smuggler so as to burn them. More would have been dismayed to know that Tyndale was on the verge of financial trouble at that time, and the infusion of cash from More is what kept his work alive.
He is said to have claimed that “the plough-boy armed with the Scriptures” understands more of the Christian faith than the local priests.
Tyndale was forced into hiding as both More in England and the Catholics in Europe were hunting for him to charge him with heresy. He moved from safe house to safe house – and was so secretive that no record of where he stayed exists to this day. Even while on the run and engaged in his intellectual studies, he maintained the habit of service. According to John Foxe (Foxe’s Book of Martyrs) Tyndale made the practice of giving two days per week to ministry wherever he was, often visiting the poor or other English religious refugees. Other days were spent in writing, translating, and prayer.
Tyndale was betrayed by a confidant named Henry Phillips in the Spring of 1535. He was arrested near Brussels and languished in prison for about a year and a half. He was sentenced to be strangled and burned at the stake. Just prior to his execution, after refusing an opportunity to recant, Tyndale is said to have cried out the prayer, “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.”
A brief report from an agent to Lord Cromwell two months later contains the statement, “They speak much of the patient suffering of Master Tyndale at the time of his execution.”
Was Tyndale’s prayer answered? Three years later, in 1539, the first ‘Authorized’ English translation was printed, the “Coverdale Bible.” A few other authorized translations were allowed, until King James I himself commissioned scholars to produce a Bible translation, with work beginning in 1604 and completing in 1611. While the King James translators could not give credit to someone convicted of heresy, the fact remains that over 80% of the 1611 King James Bible follows Tyndale’s translation almost identically.
William Tyndale produced the first English Bible to be produced on a printing press, the first English Bible to be based on the Hebrew and Greek text, and was the English counterpart to Martin Luther’s Reformation zeal. His insistence on the primacy of the Scriptures echoed that of John Wycliffe, his predecessor of over 150 years.
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, John Foxe
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/scholarsandscientists/william-tyndale.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/william_tyndale
http://www.tyndale.org/tyndale.htm
Tyndale requested permission from the Bishop of London to translate the New Testament in English – a request that was promptly denied. Continued queries by Tyndale showed that there was no significant official of the Church in England who would welcome such an undertaking.
Tyndale, impassioned with his vision, fled England to some of the free cities of Europe. He certainly spent some time in the Lutheran city of Worms and, though no record of a visit exists, almost certainly met with Martin Luther during his time there.
It was from Worms, in 1525, that Tyndale’s first edition of the New Testament in English emerged. Counsellor to King Henry VIII, Sir Thomas More (“Lord Chancellor and pursuer of heretics”, author of Utopia, later martyred the year before Tyndale over his refusal to acknowledge Henry VIII as head of the Church of England and refusal to approve the annulment of Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon) became the chief opponent of Tyndale and covertly purchased the books from the smuggler so as to burn them. More would have been dismayed to know that Tyndale was on the verge of financial trouble at that time, and the infusion of cash from More is what kept his work alive.
He is said to have claimed that “the plough-boy armed with the Scriptures” understands more of the Christian faith than the local priests.
Tyndale was forced into hiding as both More in England and the Catholics in Europe were hunting for him to charge him with heresy. He moved from safe house to safe house – and was so secretive that no record of where he stayed exists to this day. Even while on the run and engaged in his intellectual studies, he maintained the habit of service. According to John Foxe (Foxe’s Book of Martyrs) Tyndale made the practice of giving two days per week to ministry wherever he was, often visiting the poor or other English religious refugees. Other days were spent in writing, translating, and prayer.
Tyndale was betrayed by a confidant named Henry Phillips in the Spring of 1535. He was arrested near Brussels and languished in prison for about a year and a half. He was sentenced to be strangled and burned at the stake. Just prior to his execution, after refusing an opportunity to recant, Tyndale is said to have cried out the prayer, “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.”
A brief report from an agent to Lord Cromwell two months later contains the statement, “They speak much of the patient suffering of Master Tyndale at the time of his execution.”
Was Tyndale’s prayer answered? Three years later, in 1539, the first ‘Authorized’ English translation was printed, the “Coverdale Bible.” A few other authorized translations were allowed, until King James I himself commissioned scholars to produce a Bible translation, with work beginning in 1604 and completing in 1611. While the King James translators could not give credit to someone convicted of heresy, the fact remains that over 80% of the 1611 King James Bible follows Tyndale’s translation almost identically.
William Tyndale produced the first English Bible to be produced on a printing press, the first English Bible to be based on the Hebrew and Greek text, and was the English counterpart to Martin Luther’s Reformation zeal. His insistence on the primacy of the Scriptures echoed that of John Wycliffe, his predecessor of over 150 years.
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, John Foxe
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/scholarsandscientists/william-tyndale.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/william_tyndale
http://www.tyndale.org/tyndale.htm
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