On This Day In History: He Wanted The Bible To Be Available To All – Burned At The Stake On Oct 6, 1536

AncientPages.com - On October 6, 1536, William Tyndale, who wanted the Bible to be available to all people, was burned at stake. He was a prominent figure in Protestant reform in the years following his execution.

Tyndale was an academic who believed that the Bible should be available for all to read. He translated the Bible into English, much of the work on the Continent, and published it in England before he was captured and executed.

William Tyndale was born about 1490 at North Nibley, Gloucestershire. He was educated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford (now Hertford College), where he studied languages, taking a Bachelor’s degree in 1512 and a Master’s degree in 1515.

He planned to begin his studies in theology when he discovered that the study of scripture was not included in the Oxford syllabus. His response was to leave Oxford for Cambridge, where he organized a group of scholars who met regularly at the White Horse Inn to translate, interpret and discuss the Bible. He became convinced that the church was covering up the truth, that people had the right to know what was included in scripture, and that it should be translated into English.

Tyndale decided to translate the Bible into English, so he contacted one of the prominent churchmen for help. He was rejected and informed that there was no place for scripture in the vernacular and that scripture was the preserve of the church.

Those not part of the clergy had no business to read the Bible, and if Tyndale persisted, he would be prosecuted for heresy. Hoping to work in secret, Tyndale left for Germany in 1524.

William Tyndale believed that the Bible should be available for all to read. Image credit: Foxe's Book of Martyrs - Public Domain

In 1525, he published an English version of the New Testament at Cologne, but the church establishment had it suppressed. An edition printed at Worms had more success, and hundreds of copies were smuggled into England and Scotland. His translation introduced numerous new words and expressions into the English language. Examples of Tyndale’s creations are ‘atone,’ literally ‘at one’, ‘Passover,’ and ‘scapegoat.’ He also invented English idioms such as ‘the apple of his eye,’ ‘filthy lucre,’ and ‘the powers that be’.

His work was condemned in England, and copies were publicly burned. Also, Tyndale was condemned as a heretic. He was forced to hide in Antwerp, but he was finally betrayed.

In 1536 was put on trial for heresy; even a plea from the English chancellor, Thomas Cromwell - did not help.

Tyndale was burned at stake at Vilvoorde, Belgium, on October 6, 1536. At the time of his death, several thousand copies of his New Testament had been printed, but only one intact copy survives at the British Library, London.

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