William Tyndale was born in the Gloucestershire village of Melksham Court, Stinchcombe, approximately 1494[b].
Prior to his execution, William Tyndale, an English biblical scholar and linguist, rose to prominence in the Protestant Reformation. His translations of the Bible into English are well recognized, and he was influenced by the writings of notable Protestant Reformers like Martin Luther.
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The German version of Luther’s translation of the Christian Bible was published in 1522. The Tyndale translation was the first English translation to use the printing press, the first of the new English Bibles of the Reformation, and the first English translation to use Jehovah (“Iehouah”) as God’s name as preferred by English Protestant Reformers. Tyndale’s translation also made direct use of Hebrew and Greek texts. It was interpreted as a direct challenge to the Catholic Church’s hegemony as well as to the English legislation upholding the church’s position. Tyndale’s writings kept playing a significant part in the dissemination of Reformation ideals throughout the English-speaking world and eventually the British Empire.
The Great Bible and the Bishops’ Bible, both approved by the Church of England, were among the later English translations of the Bible that drew on Tyndale’s translation. The 47 academics who worked for seven years to develop the King James Version[3] in 1611 heavily drew from Tyndale’s original work and other translations that were ancestors of his. [4] According to one assessment, the King James Version’s New Testament has 83% of Tyndale’s language, while the Old Testament contains 76%.
Tyndale was detained in 1535 and imprisoned for more than a year in the castle of Vilvoorde (Fulford) outside of Brussels. He was found guilty of heresy in 1536, strangled to death, and then his body was burned at the stake.
Tyndale came in at number 26 in the BBC’s 2002 list of the 100 Greatest Britons.
These are men worthy of Emulation. Our Christianity today my not have prosperous journey if men like these were not on the scene. We celebrate this great man today.