Tyndale and the first English Bible.

While Luther was opening a closed Bible to the people of Germany in the early 1500’s, Tyndale was impelled by the Spirit of God to do the same for England. Wycliffe’s English Bible of 1382 AD had been translated from the Latin text, which contained many errors. Predating the first press, it had never been printed, and the cost of manuscript copies was so great that only wealthy men or nobles could obtain it. In 1516, a year before the appearance of Luther’s theses, Erasmus had published his Greek and Latin version of the New Testament. Now for the first time the word of God was printed in the original Greek language. In this work many errors of former versions were corrected, and understanding was more clearly represented. It led many among the educated classes to a better knowledge of the truth and gave a new impetus to the work of reform. But the common people were still largely excluded from God’s word. Tyndale was to complete the work of Wycliffe in giving the Bible to his countrymen.

A diligent student and an earnest seeker for truth, he had received the gospel from the Greek Testament of Erasmus. He fearlessly preached his convictions, urging that all doctrines be tested by the Scriptures. To the churches claim that they alone could explain it, Tyndale responded: “Do you know who taught the eagles to find their prey? Well, that same God teaches His hungry children to find their Father in His word. Far from having given us the Scriptures, it is you who have hidden them from us; it is you who burn those who teach them, and if you could, you would burn the Scriptures themselves.”

Tyndale’s preaching excited great interest: many accepted the truth. But the priests were on the alert, and no sooner had he left the field than they by their threats and misrepresentations endeavoured to destroy his work. Too often they succeeded. “What is to be done?” he exclaimed. “While I am sowing in one place, the enemy ravages the field I have just left. I cannot be everywhere. Oh! if Christians possessed the Holy Scriptures in their own tongue, they could of themselves withstand these sophists. Without the Bible it is impossible to establish the laity in the truth.”

A new purpose now took possession of his mind. “It was in the language of Israel,” he said, “that the psalms were sung in the temple of Yahweh; and shall not the gospel speak the language of England among us? . . . Ought the church to have less light at noonday than at the dawn? . . . Christians must read the New Testament in their mother tongue.”

It was not long after that a learned Catholic teacher, engaging in controversy with him, exclaimed: “We were better to be without God’s laws than the pope’s.” Tyndale replied: “I defy the pope and all his laws; and if God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that drives the plough to know more of the Scripture than you do.”

The purpose which he had begun to cherish, of giving to the people the New Testament Scriptures in their own language, was now confirmed, and he immediately applied himself to the work. Driven from his home by persecution, he went to London, and there for a time pursued his labours undisturbed. But again, the violence of the priests forced him to flee. All England seemed closed against him, and he resolved to seek shelter in Germany. Here he began the printing of the English New Testament. Twice the work was stopped; but when forbidden to print in one city, he went to another. At last, he made his way to Worms, where a few years before, Luther had defended the gospel before the Counsel. In that ancient city were many friends of the Reformation, and Tyndale furthered his work without any hindrance. Three thousand copies of the New Testament were soon finished, and another edition followed in the same year.

With great earnestness and perseverance, he continued his labours. Notwithstanding the English authorities had guarded their ports with the strictest vigilance, the word of God was in various ways secretly conveyed to London and thence circulated throughout the country. The church attempted to suppress the truth, but in vain. The bishop of Durham at one time bought off a bookseller who was a friend of Tyndale his whole stock of Bibles, for the purpose of destroying them, supposing that this would greatly hinder the work. But, on the contrary, the money supplied, purchased material for a new and better edition, which, but for this, could not have been published. When Tyndale was afterward made a prisoner, his liberty was offered him on condition that he would reveal the names of those who had helped him meet the expense of printing his Bibles. He replied that the bishop of Durham had done more than any other person; for by paying a large price for the books left on hand, he had enabled him to go on with good courage.

Tyndale was betrayed into the hands of his enemies, and at one time suffered imprisonment for many months. He finally witnessed for his faith by a martyr’s death; but the weapons which he prepared have enabled other soldiers to do battle through all the centuries even to our time.

Hunted on the Continent, betrayed by an Englishman for pay and condemned to die a heretic, Tyndale was tied to a stake, strangled with a rope and torched outside a castle near Brussels on Oct. 6, 1536. In 1611 King James I produced the first authorised English translation. 84% of it is said to be Tyndale’s original work. PTL