William+Tyndale


 * ~ c.1494-1536 ||
 * =[[image:William_Tyndale.jpg width="245" height="291" align="left"]] = || William Tyndale was born in October 1494 in Gloucestershire. He graduated from Oxford by 1512 and then studied at Magdalen Hall. It was obvious to his tutors he had a great ability for languages, and after graduating he went to study theology in Cambridge. At Cambridge Tyndale was appointed a priest.

Around the year 1520, Tyndale returned to Gloucestershire and became a tutor to the family of Sir John Walsh. During this time he became attached to the doctrines of the Reformation and began to preach in public. He was warned by the chancellor of the diocese of Worcester to not preach in public anymore. Tyndale replied that "If God spare my life, before very long I shall cause a plough boy to know the scriptures better than you do".

Tyndale sought to translate the Bible entirely from its original languages into English so that common people would be able to study from it. He was aided by Sir Humphrey Monmouth and ||
 * others in his work to translate the Bible into English. In May 1524, he moved from England and went to hide in Germany, where his work could continue in peace.

The printing of the New Testament in quarto book size began at Cologne in the summer of 1525, and completed at Worms, and that there was also printed an octavo edition, both before the end of that year. By 1526, the finished New Testaments began to be shipped secretly to England in barrels and merchant ships.

Impressed with the idea that the progress of the Reformation in England rendered it safe for him to leave his concealment, he settled at Antwerp in 1534, and combined the work of an evangelist with that of a translator of the Bible. During this time, he completed translating the complete Bible. He produced at least two revised editions in 1534 and 1535.

Tyndale was betrayed by Henry Philips, an agent of the Roman Catholic Church and the King of England, which sought to kill Tyndale as a heretic and traitor for translating the Bible into English. He was arrested and imprisoned in Vilvorde castle near Brussels. After being sentenced to death, Tyndale was first strangled and then burnt in the prison yard on October 6, 1536. His last words were, "Lord, open the king of England's eyes." || References: http://nathanmetz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/William_Tyndale.jpg http://www.swordsearcher.com/christian-authors/william-tyndale.html http://www.tyndalearchive.com/Brewer/Alice/WilliamT.htm
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