William Tyndale
William Tyndale, the"Father of the English Bible", was the first person to translate and publish the bible in English from the original texts that were in Greek and Hebrew. He dedicated his life to that task, facing constant opposition and spending most of his life on the run from the members of the Church of England.
He was most probably born at North Nibley in England, although no one is completely sure as the documentation from that time is not very good. He was born in 1494 and died in 1536 in Belgium. He went to school at Oxford, Magdalen Hall and Cambridge as a theologian and scholar.
He translated the bible from Greek and Hebrew into an early form of Modern English and distributed it all over England. He was also the first person to use Gutenberg's printing machine to mass produce his translation of the Bible. His translation of the Bible also included notes and commentary on his 'heretical' views.
Tyndale's translation was banned by the authorities and considered to be hearsay by the church, and Tyndale was burnt at the stake in 1536, by the orders of Henry VIII and the Anglican Church. Tyndale's last words were "Lord, open the king of England's eyes." His prayer was, in effect, answered three years later when the first publication of King Henry VIII's "Great Bible" was published in 1539 in English.
Tyndale is not well known in history, even though he was a major player in the translation of the bible into English and a chief promoter of the Reformation in England. Tyndale and the people who followed who also translated the bible and worked on making it available to everyone were a major part of the Reformation, making it possible for everyone to read and understand the bible and, because of that, understand that the actions of the church were wrong.
This was a major step forward for the people of Europe and one of the main steps in the Reformation, but just because the bible was translated into English did not mean that the people could read it, as many people in England were illiterate. This means that not everyone was able to read the bible, but most people were able to hear about the bible from someone who could read the bible.
He was most probably born at North Nibley in England, although no one is completely sure as the documentation from that time is not very good. He was born in 1494 and died in 1536 in Belgium. He went to school at Oxford, Magdalen Hall and Cambridge as a theologian and scholar.
He translated the bible from Greek and Hebrew into an early form of Modern English and distributed it all over England. He was also the first person to use Gutenberg's printing machine to mass produce his translation of the Bible. His translation of the Bible also included notes and commentary on his 'heretical' views.
Tyndale's translation was banned by the authorities and considered to be hearsay by the church, and Tyndale was burnt at the stake in 1536, by the orders of Henry VIII and the Anglican Church. Tyndale's last words were "Lord, open the king of England's eyes." His prayer was, in effect, answered three years later when the first publication of King Henry VIII's "Great Bible" was published in 1539 in English.
Tyndale is not well known in history, even though he was a major player in the translation of the bible into English and a chief promoter of the Reformation in England. Tyndale and the people who followed who also translated the bible and worked on making it available to everyone were a major part of the Reformation, making it possible for everyone to read and understand the bible and, because of that, understand that the actions of the church were wrong.
This was a major step forward for the people of Europe and one of the main steps in the Reformation, but just because the bible was translated into English did not mean that the people could read it, as many people in England were illiterate. This means that not everyone was able to read the bible, but most people were able to hear about the bible from someone who could read the bible.