Page 24 - Heros of the Faith - Textbook w videos short

[the Gospels and the epistles of Paul] were translated into all languages, of all Christian people, and that they
might be read and known."

It would be a passion, though, for which Tyndale would pay dearly.

Genius translator
He was a native of Gloucester and began his studies at Oxford in 1510, later moving on to Cambridge. By 1523
his passion had been ignited; in that year he sought permission and funds from the bishop of London to
translate the New Testament. The bishop denied his request, and further queries convinced Tyndale the project
would not be welcomed anywhere in England.

To find a hospitable environment, he traveled to the free cities of Europe—Hamburg, Wittenberg, Cologne, and
finally to the Lutheran city of Worms. There, in 1525, his New Testament emerged: the first translation from
Greek into the English language. It was quickly smuggled into England, where it received a less-than-enthusiastic
response from the authorities. King Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey, and Sir Thomas More, among others, were
furious. It was, said More, "not worthy to be called Christ's testament, but either Tyndale's own testament or
the testament of his master Antichrist."

Authorities bought up copies of the translation (which, ironically, only financed Tyndale's further work) and
hatched plans to silence Tyndale.

Meanwhile Tyndale had moved to Antwerp, a city in which he was relatively free from both English agents and
those of the Holy Roman (and Catholic) Empire. For nine years he managed with the help of friends to evade
authorities, revise his New Testament, and begin translating the Old.

His translations, it would turn out, became decisive in the history of the English Bible, and of the English
language. Nearly a century later, when translators of the Authorized, or King James Version, debated how to
translate the original languages, eight of ten times, they agreed that Tyndale had it best to begin with.

Betrayal
During these years, Tyndale also gave himself methodically to good works because, as he said, "My part be not
in Christ if mine heart be not to follow and live according as I teach." On Mondays he visited other religious
refugees from England. On Saturdays he walked Antwerp's streets, seeking to minister to the poor. On Sundays
he dined in merchants' homes, reading Scripture before and after dinner. The rest of the week he devoted to
writing tracts and books and translating the Bible.

We do not know who planned and financed the plot that ended his life (whether English or continental
authorities), but we do know it was carried out by Henry Phillips, a man who had been accused of robbing his
father and of gambling himself into poverty. Phillips became Tyndale's guest at meals and soon was one of the
few privileged to look at Tyndale's books and papers.

In May 1535, Phillips lured Tyndale away from the safety of his quarters and into the arms of soldiers. Tyndale
was immediately taken to the Castle of Vilvorde, the great state prison of the Low Countries, and accused of
heresy.

Trials for heresy in the Netherlands were in the hands of special commissioners of the Holy Roman Empire. It
took months for the law to take its course. During this time, Tyndale had many hours to reflect on his own
teachings, such as this passage from one of his tracts:

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