William Tyndale Biography

William Tyndale was an English scholar and theologian who is most celebrated for his work of translating the Bible in English. A gifted linguist, his work was praised after his death and formed a vital part of later Bible translations. Born in England, Tyndale was educated at Oxford and Cambridge University where he became a strong supporter of church reform. He firmly believed that people should be able to read the Bible in their own language and was keen on translating it in English. He was ordained as a priest and became a chaplain but his controversial opinions began alarming the church authorities. Subsequently, Tyndale moved to London and later to Germany, with the intention of translating the New Testament into English, an act that was strictly banned. After his English New Testament was completed and printed, its copies were smuggled into England and denounced by the Roman Catholic authorities. Tyndale was accused of heresy and thereafter, he went into hiding for few years. Later, he moved to Belgium where he was arrested by the imperial authorities. He was convicted of heresy and sentenced to death by being strangled and burned at the stake. Within few years of his execution, King Henry VIII published the English ‘Great Bible’ based on Tyndale’s work. His phenomenal work formed the basis of all subsequent English translations of the Bible and profoundly affected the development of the English language