William Tyndale
- Father Of the English Bible -
1490 - 1536
William Tyndale was born at a time when the truths of God's Word were obscured by traditions & heresies in the Roman Catholic Church (The only denomination at the time). No one could challenge the Pope or other church leaders because possession of a Bible by those who were not priests was discouraged and even forbidden. Along with that was the fact that the Bible, and all church services (masses) were in Latin.
This put the Bible out of the reach of most people and left them in spiritual darkness. The Roman Church even had the people believing that the salvation of souls could be bought and sold with money. God, however, mercifully and graciously sent the Reformation; a time when the truths of God's Word were rediscovered. One of the men God raised up was William Tyndale. He translated the Bible into the common language of his countrymen, English.
William Tyndale was born early in the 1490's along the Welsh border. Upon growing up he attended university in Oxford and later went on to get his Master of Arts degree in 1515. He later moved to Cambridge University. It is believed that it was there that he was ordained into the clergy. It was while studying at Cambridge University that he came into contact with Martin Luther's Reformation ideas which were sweeping the campus. Over time, he became more and more dissatisfied with the current teaching of theology at universities. Tyndale would fellowship with the local clergy and was shocked by their ignorance of the Bible.
Tyndale is reported to have stated, "In the universities they have ordained that no man shall look on the Scripture until he be noselled in the heathen learning ( Greek philosophers) eight or nine years, and armed with false principles with which he is clean shut out of the understanding of the Scriptures."
Tyndale became embroiled in conflict with the local clergy, and the Roman Catholic church, because of his Reformation belief that the Bible should be made available to all people, not just the priesthood. He declared to one cleric (by quoting Erasmus's famous quote) "If God spare my life, ere many years pass, I will cause a boy who driveth the plough to know more of the Scriptures than though dost."
It was during this time in his life that he determined that he was going to translate the Bible into English so that the common people could read the Word of God for themselves. They would then be free from the ignorance, heresies, and superstitions of the Roman Catholic Church.
Until now, the only English translation available was the banned Wycliffe Bible but they had never been printed on a press and there were few copies. Also, the accuracy had to be improved because it was translated from the Latin Vulgate not the original Greek or Hebrew.
Translator in Exile
When word of Tyndale's plans to produce an English Bible got out, he was forced to flee for his life to Germany in 1524, never to return. With financial support from English merchants, Tyndale worked in Hamberg, and in 1525 his English New Testament was completed and ready for the printing press. All seemed to be going well until one of Tyndale's assistants spoke too freely over his wine and eventually, Johannes Dobneck, an enemy to the Reformation, got wind of what Tyndale was doing and planned a raid. Fortunately, Tyndale was warned in advance and was able to escape with his life, and take with him some of the copies that had already been printed. The printing press he was using was destroyed.
The Bibles were then smuggled into England. The bishops there made every effort to obtain and burn as many copies as they could get their hands on. Interestingly enough, the archbishop of Canterbury came up with the idea of buying up copies of Tyndale's New Testament, to remove them from circulation. He would then have them burned. He unknowingly thereby, provided funds that could be used to print further editions !
In 1535, Tyndale had planned to complete the translation of the Old Testament, but was betrayed by a fellow Englishman named Henry Phillips. Phillips enticed Tyndale to venture into the streets of Antwerp, where he was ambushed and taken to the prison in the castle at Vilvorde, Brussels. After nearly 1 ½ years in prison, William Tyndale was burned at the stake in Brussels on October 6, 1536. His last words were reported to be, "Lord, open the King of England's eyes."
Tyndale's Legacy
By 1539 supporters of the Reformation cause had persuaded King Henry VIII to order that every parish church make an English copy of the Bible available to all its parishioners.
What a man of courage! William Tyndale gave his life in the service of Jesus Christ to ensure that the Scriptures would be available for all to read! It was through the availability of the Scriptures that the truth of God's Word could be rediscovered, and the people could be freed from the heresies and superstitions of Rome.
We should praise God for raising up a man of such faith, courage, and commitment. For this, William Tyndale has become known as "The Father of the English Bible."
The influence of his translations is still with us today. About 90 % of the words from his New Testament translation have passed into the King James Version.
For more information refer to:
"Christianity Through the Century - A History of the Christian Church" by Earl E. Cairns. 1981 Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids Michigan.
"Great Leaders of the Christian Church - William Tyndale - Father of the English Bible." 1988 Moody Bible Institute - Moody Press, Chicago.
- Back to top of page -
-BACK TO MAIN MENU -