Biography of william tyndale pdf download

William Tyndale research essay By Leanne Carter (2010) William Tyndale was martyred by being garrotted and burnt at the stake, for translating the bible into English. Tyndale's burning passion was for every layman to read the bible for themselves, in their native tongue. Tyndale born in Gloucestershire, sometime in the 1490s, was educated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, 1506. He began his Bachelor of Arts at Oxford University in 1512, as well as becoming a sub deacon. He received his Master of Arts in 1515, gaining him entry to study Theology. Tyndale became very fluent in eight languages: Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Spanish, French, Italian, English and German, which helped him with translating the bible, from the Latin. In 1522, at the age of 28, he served as a tutor in the home of Sir John Walsh, in Little Sodbury, Gloucestershire. While staying there, he declared his intentions to translate the bible into English for every layman, as they were ignorant of the churches influence over them. Many battles were set before him, as the Constitutions of Oxford prohibited anyone to translate the bible into English. To this day, Tyndale's translation still influences the modern English language. Tyndale came across many obstacles trying smuggling the bible into England, which in turned he was arrested and martyred. Looking at Tyndale's life, we can see how translating the bible into English, became a passion for him, and endured many obstacles, so every man, women and child, could read the bible in their own native language. After his studies, Tyndale joined the household of Sir John Walsh, as a tutor to his children. As the Lord of the Manner, Sir John regularly entertained the local clergy, at his table. On one occasion while in the company of these learned (clergy) men, arguments 1 arose concerning issues relating to the bible (Fox 15), one clergyman made an outburst, saying: “We were better to be without God's law than the Pope's” (Piper 30), shocked, Tyndale replied: “I defy the Pope and all his laws”, and further added: “If God spared my life, ere many years pass, I will cause a boy that driveth the plough shall know more of the Scriptures than thou dost” (Lane 193). Tyndale was aware of the corruption and abuse within the Catholic Church (Piper 38), from the Doctrine of Purgatory. Tyndale, saw purgatory as a plot by the priesthood to collect revenue from the poor and rich alike (Dickens 20), while taking advantage of their parishioners and their livelihoods (Tyndale and Daniel xiv). The official Bible was the Latin Vaulgate, and with the majority of lay people not knowing any Latin they could not read it, enabling Priests and Popes to manipulate the scriptures (Lane 22). This made the people dependent on their spiritual leaders for spiritual knowledge and instruction (Tyndale x). Tyndale, left Sodbury for London, as the clergy accused him of heresy, making it dangerous for him to stay. While in London, Tyndale sort permission from Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall, to translate the bible, but was forbidden, since in 1408, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Arundell, created the Constitutions of Oxford which said: “It is a dangerous thing, as witnesseth blessed St. Jerome to translate the text of the Holy Scripture out of one tongue into another, for in the translation the same sense is not always easily kept.... We therefore decree and ordain, that no man, hereafter, by his own authority translate any text of the Scripture into English or any other tongue...and that no man can read any such book... in part or in whole” (Piper 2006). This document prohibited any unlicensed laity from teaching, writing theology or translating 2 the bible into English, with the consequences of being burnt alive at the stake. This way the church could keep their authority over the people, as translating the bible would threaten this. They also feared a revolt from the people, once doctrines would be exposed as being unbiblical. Also another argument the church used was how the roughness of the English language and prevailing illiteracy would affect the translation being true and accurate. With all these obstacles in front of Tynale, it was unsafe for him to stay in London, so he exiled to Germany, in 1524 (Lane 93) to do the translation. For the first time in history, the New Testament was translated into English from the Greek and Hebrew in printed form. Tyndale wanted to translate the text truthfully, so the lay person had direct access to knowledge in the Scriptures. This translation became a subsequent influence on the English language, with many phases, words and expressions, that came about through his translation from the Hebrew and the Greek. Such phases as: “Blind leading the Blind” (Matthew 15:14), “Flesh and Blood” (Matthew 16:17), “Turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39), “Cast your pearls before swine” (Matthew 7:6) and “Wolf in sheep's clothing” (Matthew 7:15) are commonly used. Many people today unknownly use Tyndale's phases such as: In a “twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthains 15:52), and am I “my brothers keeper” (Genesis 4:9) and “fight the good fight” (1 Timothy 6:12) and many more. Newspapers headlines today still quote Tyndale, and has reached more people than even Shakespeare. Though some words and phases Tyndale introduced, upset the hierarchy in the Catholic church by redefining “priests” as “elders or overseers” and the “Church” as a “congregation” undermining their social status and power. There were other words that had no direct English translation, for example the Greek word “agape” was hard to differentiate between various types of love. Tyndale had to chose the word best suited for the text, he choose “love” rather than “charity” (Ward). This shows, not only was he a theologian but also a talented linguist (Ward). 3 The first completed English New Testament was printed in 1526, at Colonge, while authorities were alerted and soldiers of the Holy Roman Empire raided the printing press (Lane 94). Which required the translation to be smuggled into England, consealed in bails of cloth. By October of 1526, Tyndale's translation had been banned by Bishop Tunstall in London, which he preached against it, while having copies publically burnt at St Pauls Cross. Ironically, Tundstall brought up a considerable amount of copies, which in effect financed further printing (Lane 194). Of the 6000 copies printed, only two of this edition have survived. With the rising influence the bible, people were burnt alive at the stake for obtaining copies, and use it to teach their children. Tyndale watched as the rising tide of persecution and felt the pain of seeing young men, women and even child, burnt alive, who were converted by reading his translation. In 1535, Tyndale was betrayed by a fellow Englishman, Henry Phillips, who gained his confidence only to treacherously arrange for his arrest. One can gain a glimpse into the prison conditions he endured in the cold, damp dungeon in Vilvorde Prison for 500 days. He wrote a letter in September 1535, from his cell addressed to an unnamed officer of the castle: I believe, right worshipful, that you are not ignorant of what has been determined concerning me; therefore I entreat your Lordship, and that by the Lord Jesus, that if I am to remain here during the winter, you will request the Procureur to be kind enough to send me from my goods, which he has in his possession, a warmer cap, for I suffer extremely from cold in the head, being afflicted with a perpetual catarrh, which is considerably increased in the cell. A warmer coat also, for that which I have is very thin: also a piece of cloth to patch my leggings: my overcoat has been worn out; my shirts are also worn out. He has a woollen shirt of 4 mine, if he will be kind enough to send it. I have also with him leggings of thicker cloth for the putting on above; he also has warmer caps for wearing at night. I wish also his permission to have a candle in the evening, for it is wearisome to sit alone in the dark. But above all, I entreat and beseech your clemency to be urgent with the Procureur that he may kindly permit me to have my Hebrew Bible, Hebrew Grammar, and Hebrew Dictionary, that I may spend my time with that study. And in return, may you obtain your dearest wish, provided always it be consistent with the salvation of your soul. But if any other resolution has been come to concerning me, before the winter is over, I shall be patient, abiding the will of God to the glory of the grace of my Lord Jesus Christ, whose Spirit, I pray, may ever direct your heart. Amen (Bibliotheca Augustana n.d) Then on the 6th of October, in 1536, he was brought to the place of execution, and was tied to the stake, and then strangled first by the hangman, and then consumed with fire, in the town of Vilvorde (Foxes 20). His last reported words were: “Lord, open the king of England’s eyes”. Tyndale's prayer was answered in 1539, King Henry VIII, encouraged the printing of the English translation of the Bible (Lane 194) and to be read publicly. Therefore, Tyndale accomplished his life's work, so that every man, women and child could read the bible in their own native language. He saw the problem of the church interfering in ordinary peoples lives, and addressed it by giving them their own bible to read, accurate and true. This enabled the people to seek the scriptures for their own spiritual guidance, rather than being reliant on the priests. He overcame all the obstacles of the Constitutions of Oxford and the people who tried to stop the printing process and 5 distribution. Tyndale's translation has given us the english lanuage that is used to day with his gifted talent as a linguist and theologian. Though, Tyndale was martyred, he did not die in vain, while uttering in his last breathe “Lord, open the king of England's eyes” it came to past. Works cited: Bibliotheca Augustana. Tyndale's Letter to the Vilvorde Prison Governor, the Marquis of Bergen-op-Zoom. n.d. 20 October. 2010 http://www.hsaugsburg.de/~harsch/anglica/Chronology/16thC/Tyndale/tyn_letp.html DeCoursey, Matthew and Christina. The Life of William Tyndale. n.d. 20 October. 2010. http://www.tyndale.org/DeCoursey/life.html. Foxe, John. Foxe's Book of Martyrs: Select Narratives. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Piper, John. Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ. Illinois: Good News Publishers, 2009. Lane, Tony. A Concise History of Christian Thought: completely revised and expanded edition. New York: T & T Clark, 2007. Piper, John. Always Singing One Note – A Vernacular Bible, Why William Tyndale Lived and Died, 2006. 21 October. 2010 http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/biographies/alwasy-singing- onenoteavernacular-bible#_ftn46. Tyndale, William. New Testament. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Limited. 2002. Tyndale, William, and David, Daniell. The Obedience of a Christian Man. London: Penguin Books: London. 2009. Ward, Tim. William Tyndale: The Father of the English Prose. 2003. 22 October. 2010. http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~cpercy/courses/6362Ward1.htm . 6 7