William Tyndale

William Tyndale (sometimes spelled Tindale) (ca.1484 - October 6, 1536) was a 16th century priest and scholar who translated the Bible into an early form of Modern English. Although numerous partial and complete English translations had been made from the 7th century onward, Tyndale's was the first to take advantage of the new medium of print, which allowed for its wide distribution. For his efforts in bringing the Bible to the common people, Tyndale was eventually martyred by burning on the stake in Belgium.

Works

He completed a translation of the entire Pentateuch,

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the Books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings,

Related Topics:
Joshua - Judges - Ruth - First and Second Samuel - First and Second Kings

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First and Second Chronicles, contained in Matthew's Bible

Related Topics:
First and Second Chronicles - Matthew's Bible

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of 1537, and of the Book of Jonah, so excellent,

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indeed, that this work is not only the

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basis of those portions of the Authorized Version,

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but constitutes nine-tenths of that translation,

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and very largely that of the Revised Version.

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His Biblical translations appeared in the following

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order: New Testament, 1525-26; Pentateuch,

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1530; Jonah, 1531. There is no general title

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of the Pentateuch; each book has its own title.

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In addition to these he produced the following

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works. His first original composition,

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A Pathway into the Holy Scripture, is really a

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reprint, slightly altered, of his Prologue to the

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quarto edition of his New Testament, and had

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appeared in separate form before 1532;

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The Parable of the Wicked Mammon (1527); and

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The Obedience of a Christian Man (1527-28). These several works

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drew out in 1529 Sir Thomas More's Dialogue.

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In 1530 appeared Tyndale's Practyse of Prelates,

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and in 1531 his Answer to the Dialogue,

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his Exposition of the First Epistle of St. John, and the

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famous Prologue to Jonah; in 1532,

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An Exposition upon the V. VI. VII. Chapters of Matthew; and in

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1536, A Brief Declaration of the Sacraments,

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which seems to be a posthumous publication.

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Joshua-Second Chronicles also was published after his death.

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To translate the Bible, Tyndale introduced new words and phrases into the English language: "Jehovah", "Passover" (as the name for the Jewish holiday), "scapegoat", "atonement" (= at + one + ment, meaning "to unite" or "to cover", which springs from the Hebrew kippur, the Old Testament version of kippur being the covering of doorposts with blood), "the powers that be", "my brother's keeper", "the salt of the earth", and "a law unto themselves".

Related Topics:
English language - Jehovah - Passover - Scapegoat - Atonement

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It has been asserted that Tyndale's place in history has not yet been sufficiently recognized as a translator of the Scriptures, as an apostle of liberty, and as a chief promoter of the Reformation in England. In all these respects his influence has been singularly under-valued, at least to Protestants. His translation was undeniably Lutheran in tone, replacing traditional words with new ones that argued a shift in the balance of religious power: ?Congregation? instead of Church; ?elder? in place of priest; and ?repentance? for penance, but these are generally recognised as accurate by most modern translations.

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The statement found in almost all histories, that Tyndale translated from the Vulgate and Martin Luther, is most damaging to the reputation of the writers who make it. In fact, his translations were made directly from original Hebrew and Greek sources. For example, the Prolegomena in Mombert's William Tyndale's Five Books of Moses show conclusively that Tyndale's Pentateuch is a translation of the Hebrew original.

Related Topics:
Vulgate - Martin Luther

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A monument commemorating the life and work of Tyndale has been erected on the Thames Embankment, London. There is also a memorial tower, the Tyndale Monument, erected in 1866 and prominent for miles around, on a hill above his birthplace of North Nibley.

Related Topics:
Thames - London - Tyndale Monument - North Nibley

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