William Tyndale (c. 1494-1536) was an English scholar and leading figure in the Protestant Reformation. He is best known for his translation of the Bible into English in the early 1500s. Tyndale’s Bible translation was the first to draw directly from Hebrew and Greek texts instead of the Latin Vulgate. His work later became the basis for many English translations of the Bible, including the King James Version.
Some key facts about William Tyndale:
- Born in Gloucestershire, England around 1494
- Educated at Oxford and Cambridge universities
- Became fluent in 8 languages including Greek, Hebrew, Latin, German, Spanish, French, Italian and English
- First translated the New Testament from Greek to English starting in 1525
- Printed and smuggled copies of his New Testament translation into England starting in 1526
- Later translated parts of the Old Testament from Hebrew into English
- His translations were condemned as heretical by English church authorities
- Fled England to continue his translation work on the continent in 1524
- Betrayed and arrested in Antwerp in 1535 after years in hiding
- Convicted of heresy and treason in a church trial
- Executed by strangulation and burning at stake in 1536
- After his death his major works were published and smuggled back into England
- His translations laid the groundwork for the King James Bible and many other English translations
Early Life and Education
William Tyndale was born around 1494 in Gloucestershire, England. His exact birth year and birth place are not known with certainty, but historians believe he was born in the late 1480s or early 1490s near Dursley or Slimbridge. His family was relatively prosperous and owned land in the region. As a boy, Tyndale likely attended grammar school where he mastered Latin. He later studied at Magdalen Hall (later Hertford College) at Oxford University starting around 1506 when he was around 12 years old. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree from Oxford, Tyndale studied at Cambridge University starting around 1517 and was influenced by leading humanist scholars of the time.
At Cambridge, Tyndale expanded his knowledge of ancient Greek and was exposed to Erasmus’ newly compiled Greek New Testament and translation of the book of Matthew into Latin in 1519. Tyndale became fluent in 7 languages: Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Italian, Spanish, English and German. This mastery of languages equipped him for his future translation work.
Influence of Humanism and the Reformation
Tyndale was influenced by new ideas and scholarship taking hold at the time. Humanism was a Renaissance movement that focused on the study of classical texts, grammar, rhetoric, poetry and ethics. Humanists called for improvements in education and scholarship. The humanist approach to textual analysis impacted Tyndale’s attitudes towards studying and translating the Bible from its original languages.
Tyndale was also influenced by Martin Luther and other early Reformers taking hold in continental Europe. In the early 1500s, Luther began openly challenging certain doctrines and corrupt practices of the Roman Catholic church. His writings and activism sparked the Protestant Reformation movement. Like Luther, Tyndale rejected the authority of the Pope, clerical celibacy, purgatory, indulgences, saint worship and other Catholic doctrines not clearly supported in Scripture. Tyndale desired to translate the New Testament so the common man could read it for himself.
Desire to Translate the Bible into English
Tyndale was ordained as a priest in 1521. He developed a passion for translating the Bible into English so that even plowboys could read and understand Scripture for themselves. At the time, dominant church leaders opposed translating the Bible from Latin into common English. The only authorized English Bibles were Wycliffe’s translation from the Latin Vulgate in the 1380s and a limited revision by John Purvey in 1388. Both Wycliffe’s and Purvey’s Bibles had been condemned by the church.
In a heated dispute with a clergyman who opposed English Bible translation, Tyndale said, “If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plow shall know more of the Scripture than thou dost.” This statement reveals Tyndale’s key motivation—to make the Scriptures accessible to the common man in language he could understand.
Starting in 1523, Tyndale sought permission and funds to translate the New Testament into English from the Bishop of London, Cuthbert Tunstall. He received no support for this effort which church leaders feared would undermine their authority. By 1524 it became clear to Tyndale that he would receive no support for Bible translation work in England. He decided to exile himself to Europe and pursue his passion to translate Scripture from the original Greek and Hebrew.
Exile in Europe and Translation Work
In 1524 Tyndale sailed to Hamburg, Germany where he hoped to quietly translate the New Testament into English and have it printed and smuggled back into England. For the next decade Tyndale lived in exile as a fugitive constantly on the run from English authorities seeking to thwart his translation efforts. He moved around to cities in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium including Hamburg, Wittenberg, Cologne, Worms, Marburg, Antwerp and others.
Tyndale began translating the Greek New Testament into English in 1525 possibly in Wittenberg or Hamburg. His revised Greek-English New Testament was ready by 1526. Tyndale could not safely print his New Testament translation in England because of heavy opposition from Bishop Tunstall and Sir Thomas More. So two printers in Cologne agreed to print the first edition of Tyndale’s revised Greek-English New Testament starting in 1525. Tyndale was assisted by his friend John Frith who helped proofread and edit his translation.
Tyndale’s translation plans were uncovered by John Cochlaeus, an opponent of Martin Luther. Cochlaeus alerted church officials to Tyndale’s activity which forced him to flee Cologne before the first printing was completed. Only one incomplete copy of the Cologne edition is known to have survived.
Tyndale quickly arranged with the printer Peter Quentell in Worms to complete the printing of the revised New Testament. Two editions of Tyndale’s revised Greek to English New Testament were printed in Worms in 1526 likely from April to October. These octavo sized Worms editions were much smaller than traditional church Latin texts and easy to smuggle into England hidden in bales of cloth or barrels of flour.
The title given to Tyndale’s 1526 New Testament was:
The Newe Testamente diligently corrected and compared with the Greke by Willyam Tindale and fynesshed in the yere of oure Lorde God MDXXVI
His revised English New Testament was the first printed in the English language and the first translated from the original Greek. He used Erasmus’ Greek text as his primary source rather than translating from the Latin Vulgate. Tyndale’s translation captured the original Greek meanings more accurately. His word choices were simple, direct and easy for the common man to understand.
In 1530, Tyndale published a revised New Testament and began translating parts of the Old Testament including the Pentateuch and the book of Jonah. His partial translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew to English drew on Luther’s German translation and the Latin Vulgate. Tyndale’s Pentateuch was printed at Antwerp by Merten de Keyser in 1530. That same year two revised versions of Tyndale’s New Testament were also printed in Antwerp. Tyndale continued working to improve his translations.
Opposition from Church and State Authorities
As Tyndale’s translations became available in England, Bishop Tunstall ordered them to be burned in London in 1527. Sir Thomas More wrote strongly against Tyndale and his translation efforts, seeing them as undermining church authority. In 1529, Henry VIII also denounced Tyndale’s work and ordered his translations to be burned. Tyndale was branded a heretic both by church and state authorities in England. Many Catholic officials opposed translating the Bible from Latin into the local common languages of the people. They preferred to keep the Scriptures in Latin which gave the clergy more control over interpretation.
In 1530, Tunstall set up a scheme to buy up all the copies of Tyndale’s New Testament translation on the continent then burn them. Ironically, Tyndale used the money he received from Tunstall’s agent to fund a revised edition of his New Testament! Tyndale continued evading capture and revising his translations while in hiding and exile.
In May 1535, Tyndale was finally betrayed by his friend Henry Phillips who tricked him into capture outside Antwerp. He was imprisoned for over 500 days in Vilvoorde Castle near Brussels used for holding heretics. In prison he likely continued revising his translations of Genesis and the New Testament books of Matthew and Mark among other writings.
Trial and Execution
In 1536 Tyndale was tried for charges of heresy and treason in a church court. He was condemned to die despite efforts by prominent English merchants and the English government to save him. At the castle in Vilvoorde on October 6, 1536 Tyndale was “strangled to death while tied at the stake, and then his dead body was burned”. He cried out his final prayer, “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.” Just 3 years later, Henry VIII authorized an English translation of the Bible known as the “Great Bible” which was essentially Tyndale’s work.
Tyndale remained faithful, courageous and determined to his calling unto death. Reportedly his final words were, “Oh Lord, open the eyes of the king of England!” Tyndale’s prayer was answered shortly after his death when King Henry VIII finally allowed English Bibles to be printed and read by the common people. Even religious opponents like Bishop Tunstall later praised Tyndale’s translations. Despite intense persecution, Tyndale succeeded in translating and printing the first complete New Testament in English directly from Greek so that common people could read God’s Word.
Legacy of Tyndale’s Bible Translation
Tyndale’s translations formed the foundation of many subsequent English Bible versions. Here are some of Tyndale’s major contributions and their impact:
- First printed English New Testament (1526) – Tyndale’s revised Greek-English New Testament was the first printed in the English language. It was translated directly from the original Greek rather than Latin.
- Pentateuch translation (1530) – Tyndale’s translation of the first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch, directly from Hebrew into English.
- Revised New Testament (1534) – An improved revision of Tyndale’s 1526 New Testament addressing critics and revising the translation.
- Simple, memorable translations – Tyndale used simple English words and sentence structures that were easy for common people to read and understand.
- Introduced new terms – Tyndale coined new English Bible terms like “Jehovah”, “mercy seat”, “scapegoat”, “atonement”, “salvation”, “grace”, “bondage”, “holy”, “beautiful”, “brokenhearted”, and many more that became permanently fixed in English Bibles.
- Influenced later Bible versions – Tyndale’s word choices and phrasing permeated later historic English Bible versions like the Geneva Bible (1560), Bishops’ Bible (1568) and King James Bible (1611). The King James Version retained over 90% of Tyndale’s wording.
- Made the Bible accessible – Tyndale’s clear, direct translation in the common language opened up Scripture for the average person to read and understand.
William Tyndale made a tremendous sacrifice to translate the Bible into common English so the simple ploughboy could comprehend God’s Word. Despite intense opposition, he succeeded in creating the first printed English New Testament from Greek and several books of the Old Testament from Hebrew. His 190 years after his death the church recognized Tyndale as a true Reformer. In 1870 Tyndale was added to the Calendar of Saints in the Church of England honoring his tremendous contribution which opened up Scripture to the masses.