"William Tyndale's BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. translations have been the best-kept secrets in English BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. history. Many people have never heard of Tyndale; very few have (knowingly) read him. Yet no other Englishman —not even Shakespeare—has reached so many." —David Daniell, leading Tyndale scholar
In his autobiography, famed movie actor Charlton Heston ( Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments, El Cid ) marveled that a committee could produce such a monumental classic as the King James Version of the English-language BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. of 1611.
But according to British author Brian Moynahan, William Tyndale's most recent biographer, "A complete analysis of the Authorised Version [KJV] ... was made in 1998. It shows that Tyndale's words account for 84 per cent of the New TestamentThe 27 authoritative books of the apostolic writings: the four Gospels of Christ, Acts (a history), 21 apostolic letters and the book of Revelation., and 75 per cent of the Old TestamentThose books that make up the Hebrew Bible generally accepted by Christians, Jews and to some extent Muslims. It contains a threefold division: the Law (the five books of Moses), the Prophets and the Writings. books that he translated" ( William Tyndale: If God Spare My Life , 2003, p. 1).
Tyndale's contribution to the English BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ.
DavidKing of Israel, killed the giant Goliath with a sling and stones, a man after God's own heart, only turned from God in the matter of Uriah the Hittite (1 Kings 15:5), had an affair with Bathsheba, Messiah would come from line of David, main author of Psalms and highly musical. Daniell, the leading Tyndale scholar of our modern age, adds: "William Tyndale gave us our English BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ.. The sages assembled by King James to prepare the Authorised Version of 1611, so often praised for unlikely corporate inspiration, took over Tyndale's work. Nine-tenths of the Authorised Version's New TestamentThe 27 authoritative books of the apostolic writings: the four Gospels of Christ, Acts (a history), 21 apostolic letters and the book of Revelation. is Tyndale's ..." ( William Tyndale: A Biography , 1994, p. 1).
Well before any thorough, painstaking analytical comparative study had ever been done, the noted British BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. scholar F.F. Bruce commented on the work of the compilers of the King James Version. "All the existing English versions lay before the translators ... But the abiding influence of one man in particular may be traced throughout great portions of their work, and that man was William Tyndale" ( The Books and the Parchments , 1984, p. 221).
An article in the December 2003 BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. Review said: "Careful textual comparisons reveal the debt owed by these [King James Version] translators to previous or contemporary sources. Much of the credit should go to Tyndale , whose translation, according to a recent study, was used 83 percent of the time, including for such famous lines as 'In the beginning God created the heaven and earth' (Genesis 1:1), 'Let there be light' (Genesis 1:3) and 'In the beginning was the Word' (John 1:1)" (Leonard Greenspoon, "How the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. Became the King's Owne English," emphasis added).
Whether the figure is rounded off to 90 percent or is viewed more precisely in the mid-80s, William Tyndale's contribution to the King James Version (the New TestamentThe 27 authoritative books of the apostolic writings: the four Gospels of Christ, Acts (a history), 21 apostolic letters and the book of Revelation. in particular) and the English BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. as a whole is monumental.
The early British translators
Modern mankind owes a great debt to early BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. translators like Tyndale and his predecessor John Wycliffe, the philosopher and theologian who gave the British people God's Word in the English language during the 1380s. Wycliffe's BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. preceded Tyndale's by about 150 years and proved very popular. However, heresy-hunting Catholic religious authorities eventually banned his translation.
All of these courageous men (and there were others, like Miles Coverdale and John Rogers) went through hell and high water—often risking their lives—to bring us the ScripturesThe divinely inspired writings of both the Old and New Testaments. The term Scripture is used in the New Testament to refer to both the Hebrew Bible (Luke 24:44-45) and the new apostolic writings accepted as inspired (2 Peter 3:16; 1 Timothy 5:18). in English. And once the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. in English was sufficiently established, first Britain and later America eventually caused the Word of GodThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. to be translated into many other languages—even as the English BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. itself was spread all over the globe.
Tyndale's version was the first rendering into English directly from Hebrew and Greek, the original biblical languages (along with a small portion in Aramaic). Catholic religious authorities clung to their Latin version and forbade translations into other languages. But as Tyndale noted, "The properties of the Hebrew tongue agreeth a thousand times more with the English than with the Latin" (quoted by Moynahan, p. 179).
12 years of translating in Europe
Tyndale's English version was a BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. born in European exile. Persecution by the Catholic bishops in England required that he traverse the English Channel in 1524 to accomplish the task.
A written prohibition, composed by British clergy in 1408, strictly "forbade anyone to translate, or even read, any parts of vernacular versions of the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ., without express episcopal permission," which was adamantly refused to Tyndale by Cuthbert Tunstall, bishop of London, during the summer of 1523 (DavidKing of Israel, killed the giant Goliath with a sling and stones, a man after God's own heart, only turned from God in the matter of Uriah the Hittite (1 Kings 15:5), had an affair with Bathsheba, Messiah would come from line of David, main author of Psalms and highly musical. Daniell, Tyndale's New TestamentThe 27 authoritative books of the apostolic writings: the four Gospels of Christ, Acts (a history), 21 apostolic letters and the book of Revelation. , 1995, p. xxix).
During this fateful period Tyndale understood "at last not only that there was no room in my Lord of London's Palace to translate the New TestamentThe 27 authoritative books of the apostolic writings: the four Gospels of Christ, Acts (a history), 21 apostolic letters and the book of Revelation., but also there was no place to do it in all of England" (Tyndale, Preface to Translation of PentateuchThe Greek term for the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), the five books of Moses (penta means "five"). This term came into use when the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament ) began to be translated into Greek about 300 B.C. , 1530, emphasis added).
So Tyndale had little choice but to emigrate to Europe. Most probably his first port of call, in 1524, was Hamburg, a north German city with a fairly solid reputation for tolerance at that time—a friendly environment sorely sought by the 30-year-old translator.
Later Tyndale moved to Wittenberg in eastern Germany, where Martin Luther had dramatically confronted the Roman Catholic Church. (Luther had barely preceded Tyndale by translating the New TestamentThe 27 authoritative books of the apostolic writings: the four Gospels of Christ, Acts (a history), 21 apostolic letters and the book of Revelation. into the German language in 1522. The Old TestamentThose books that make up the Hebrew Bible generally accepted by Christians, Jews and to some extent Muslims. It contains a threefold division: the Law (the five books of Moses), the Prophets and the Writings. followed in 1534.)
Then, sometime in 1525, Tyndale traveled to Cologne, where a small portion of his English New TestamentThe 27 authoritative books of the apostolic writings: the four Gospels of Christ, Acts (a history), 21 apostolic letters and the book of Revelation. was first printed by Peter Quentell's press. The actual printing got as far as Matthew 22 before the authorities raided the premises that housed the printing press. But the wary British translator had just departed with copies of what had been completed thus far.
It was uncanny how again and again Tyndale was often just that much ahead of those who wished to halt the publication of the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. in English. The religious authorities in England, motivated by Cardinal Wolsey, had set their European counterparts against Tyndale.
Complete New TestamentThe 27 authoritative books of the apostolic writings: the four Gospels of Christ, Acts (a history), 21 apostolic letters and the book of Revelation. finally translated
Tyndale then fled with his meager operations, traveling via the Rhine River to Worms, another continental German city with a reputation for tolerance. In 1526 he managed to publish 6,000 copies of the "Worms Edition," a pocket-sized rendition of the New TestamentThe 27 authoritative books of the apostolic writings: the four Gospels of Christ, Acts (a history), 21 apostolic letters and the book of Revelation., his first complete version including all 27 books. (In 1994 the British Library purchased the sole remaining complete copy for £1 million.)
According to The Columbia Encyclopedia , "Cardinal Wolsey ordered Tyndale seized at Worms." But the translator first found refuge in Marburg, and then he decided to move on to Antwerp in Belgium. Here Tyndale completed the translation of the TorahThe Greek term for the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), the five books of Moses (penta means "five"). This term came into use when the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament ) began to be translated into Greek about 300 B.C. or PentateuchThe Greek term for the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), the five books of Moses (penta means "five"). This term came into use when the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament ) began to be translated into Greek about 300 B.C. —the five books of Moses. Then, early in 1529, this traveling translator boarded a ship bound for Hamburg, the North German city he had visited on the first leg of his European odyssey.
It was on this fateful voyage that William Tyndale experienced a major setback in his quest to translate the entire BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ.. Somewhat like the apostle Paul before him so many centuries before, Tyndale was shipwrecked somewhere off the coast of the Netherlands. His entire English PentateuchThe Greek term for the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), the five books of Moses (penta means "five"). This term came into use when the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament ) began to be translated into Greek about 300 B.C. , freshly translated, perished in the sea.
Tyndale biographer Brian Moynahan wrote: "The shipwreck on the Dutch coast had cost him, 'both money, his copies and time,' [John] Foxe [author of Foxe's Book of Martyrs ] says. He lost all of his books, and was 'compelled to begin all again anew, to the 'doubling of his labours.' The reference books he will have had to replace include the Hebrew text of the Old TestamentThose books that make up the Hebrew Bible generally accepted by Christians, Jews and to some extent Muslims. It contains a threefold division: the Law (the five books of Moses), the Prophets and the Writings., Hebrew grammars and the Septuagint" ( William Tyndale: If God Spare My Life , p. 177).
I remember reading about Ernest Hemingway's feelings when he learned that his first wife Hadley had lost the manuscript of The Sun Also Rises (later to become the first of the famous American author's successful novels) on a train journey. Like the determined Hemingway who rewrote the novel, Tyndale showed his mettle by translating the TorahThe Greek term for the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), the five books of Moses (penta means "five"). This term came into use when the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament ) began to be translated into Greek about 300 B.C. all over again in the home of Hamburg resident Margaret Von Emmerson. Some believe he may have been assisted by Miles Coverdale.
Wrote F.F. Bruce: "Next to Tyndale, the man to whom the lovers of the English BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. owe the greatest debt is Myles Coverdale (1488-1569). Coverdale was not the scholar that Tyndale was, but the best part of his life was devoted to the task of making the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. accessible to his fellow countrymen in their own tongue" ( The English BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ.: A History of Translations , 1963, p. 53).
A translator of skill and courage
Many BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. scholars since have praised the courage, resourcefulness and stubborn persistence of Tyndale. Consider, for example, The Cambridge History of the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. : "England was fortunate to have in William Tyndale the man who could do what was wanted, a man of sufficient scholarship to work from Hebrew and Greek, with genius to fashion a fitting English idiom and faith and courage to persist whatever it cost him" (S.L. Greenslade, editor, 1963, p. 141, emphasis added).
In any event, Tyndale spent most of 1529 translating the PentateuchThe Greek term for the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), the five books of Moses (penta means "five"). This term came into use when the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament ) began to be translated into Greek about 300 B.C. from Hebrew into English—finally finishing it in 1530. He said of the book of Deuteronomy: "This is a book worthy to be read in day and night and never to be out of hands ... and a very pure gospel" (quoted by Moynahan, p. 179).
William Tyndale reached the apex of his translating skills with the revised New TestamentThe 27 authoritative books of the apostolic writings: the four Gospels of Christ, Acts (a history), 21 apostolic letters and the book of Revelation. of 1534. For instance, in Matthew's GospelThe good news of God's everlasting kingdom to be established on earth after Christ's return and how we may be a part of that kingdom. This message was central to the teaching of Jesus Christ and the apostles. The term is used about 100 times in the New Testament . he replaced "Blessed are the maintainers of peace" (1526 version) with the more direct and pleasantly familiar "Blessed are the peacemakers" (1534). Also, in Philippians he replaced "Perform your own salvation" (1526) with "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (1534, emphasis added).
In those few years remaining to him, sometime between 1530 and early 1535, Tyndale also translated Joshua, Judges and the six historical books of 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles along with the book of Jonah. "By the spring of 1535 he had certainly finished translating the historical books of the Old TestamentThose books that make up the Hebrew Bible generally accepted by Christians, Jews and to some extent Muslims. It contains a threefold division: the Law (the five books of Moses), the Prophets and the Writings., Joshua to 2 Chronicles" (DavidKing of Israel, killed the giant Goliath with a sling and stones, a man after God's own heart, only turned from God in the matter of Uriah the Hittite (1 Kings 15:5), had an affair with Bathsheba, Messiah would come from line of David, main author of Psalms and highly musical. Daniell, The BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. in English , 2003, p. 152). F.F. Bruce adds that he translated Jonah in 1531 ( The Books and the Parchments , p. 215).
These manuscripts were passed on to John Rogers, who published them in Matthew's BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. in 1537. DavidKing of Israel, killed the giant Goliath with a sling and stones, a man after God's own heart, only turned from God in the matter of Uriah the Hittite (1 Kings 15:5), had an affair with Bathsheba, Messiah would come from line of David, main author of Psalms and highly musical. Daniell adds: "John Rogers assembled all of Tyndale's biblical translations, and a complete English BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. was printed by Matthew Crom in Antwerp" ( The BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. in English , p. 157). John Rogers was himself martyred later during Queen Mary's reign.
In May of 1535, the authorities finally found and arrested Tyndale in Antwerp, halting his goal of translating the entire BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. into English.
A martyr's death near Brussels
William Tyndale had moved back to what is now Belgium, where his life ended in painful martyrdom at Vilvorde, approximately six miles from Brussels—capital city of Belgium and in modern times the European Union's principal base of operations. Although the prison where he had been incarcerated has long since disappeared, nearly 10 years ago I visited a somewhat similar nearby prison site constructed in the Napoleonic age. Tyndale's experience must have been horrendous beyond imagination.
I later learned that Tyndale's cell was dug under and adjacent to a river—clearly a catalyst for even worse conditions than the Napoleonic prison. Yet he desperately wanted to continue his translating work on the Old TestamentThose books that make up the Hebrew Bible generally accepted by Christians, Jews and to some extent Muslims. It contains a threefold division: the Law (the five books of Moses), the Prophets and the Writings. even in a dank, damp, dark cell void of any sunlight (see "William Tyndale and the ApostleAn exclusive ecclesiastical role historically held by very few; literally "one sent," but for a particular purpose: to deliver a message. In the New Testament this refers to a special envoy or messenger of the gospel; a special messenger from God (Luke 11:49; Revelation 18:20); more specifically the original 12 (Peter, John, Andrew, etc.) plus Paul, Barnabas and a few others. Jesus Christ is called the Apostle (Hebrews 3:1). Paul," page 24).
We who normally read the ScripturesThe divinely inspired writings of both the Old and New Testaments. The term Scripture is used in the New Testament to refer to both the Hebrew Bible (Luke 24:44-45) and the new apostolic writings accepted as inspired (2 Peter 3:16; 1 Timothy 5:18). in circumstances many times more comfortable should deeply appreciate the raw courage of these early translators. Some of these men died to bring you the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ.. In 1531 Tyndale had told Stephen Vaughn of "the great danger wherewith I am everywhere compassed" (quoted by Daniell, The BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. in English , p. 153).
On Oct. 6, 1536, at age 42, William Tyndale was affixed to the stake, strangled and then burned.
The religious establishment martyred this man who some scholars believe, in his mastery of the English rhythm, phrasing and styling, has never been equaled as a BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. translator. F.F. Bruce caught the spirit of his genius: "Tyndale, working under the white heat of potential martyrdom, rises at times to a poetic glow, transcending the style of the original Greek" (The Books and the Parchments, 1950 edition, p. 13).
There is a story that even King Henry VIII of England apparently wanted to spare the translator's life, but Roman Catholic authorities insisted on his execution. Tyndale's last words on the stake consisted of a prayer that God would open the eyes of the king of England.
But in the meantime, F.F. Bruce summarized the disheartening circumstances: "Tyndale died a martyr's death, vilified by authorities in church and state in England. Nothing was too bad to say about his translation. Thousands of copies were seized on entering this country and publicly burned" ( The Books and the Parchments , 1984, p. 216).
Yet, paradoxically, Tyndale's final prayer was answered only months later when the English-language BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. was finally accepted by the crown. "Within months of Tyndale's martyrdom, a complete English BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ., two-thirds of it Tyndale's work, and licensed by Henry VIII, was circulating in Britain" (Daniell, The English BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. , p. 157).
Although Tyndale received no personal credit in the aftermath of his death—and even several centuries afterwards—F.F. Bruce adds: "But when royal policy changed in England ... and the translation of the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. into English was authorised, the version which won the royal favour and was placed in every parish church in England [able at last to be read by everyone who could read] was basically Tyndale's ..." ( The Books and the Parchments , 1984, p. 216).
What a debt we owe to those who gave their lives to give us the Word of GodThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ.! GN
