A Single Life

Ever wonder how important one life can be to the Church and to the work of Christ? Here’s a story you should know.

Saturday 6 October is the Feast Day of William Tyndale, an English priest in the Catholic Church, but much influenced by the Reformation in Germany. Tyndale was the first person to translate large portions of the Bible directly from Hebrew and Greek texts into English. It was also the first Bible to benefit from the invention of the printing press and so became the first “mass produced” Bible. Wait! There’s more! His translation was used by many of the English translations that followed with about 90% of the King James Version from Tyndale’s work and one third of his text being quoted word for word.

Tyndale used “thou” rather than “you” a usage continued in other translations including KJV. What’s important about this is that the word was almost obscure in his time and when it had been used, was used with a sense of familiarity or even disrespect. He, of course, gave it a more majestic tone, which many revere to the present.

What many don’t know about Tyndale is that his translation challenged Catholic teaching. One example that became very important for reformers, and especially the English Puritans, was his translation of the Greek word ekklesia as “congregation” rather than “church.” The importance of this was to support reformers who were arguing that the church was a visible body of believers including clergy rather than setting clergy apart as somehow essential to the structure. One outcome was the Presbyterian and Congregational Churches, both of which eliminated bishops and changed the role of deacon radically.

He also translated the word presbuteros as “elder” rather than “priest.” Reformers held that the people could elect elders who then offered guidance to the congregation and that the Church didn’t need a priest to offer sacrifices. In short, his translation undercut Catholic authority, especially that of the clergy who had considerable power since they alone could administer the sacraments.

One other example of his dramatic impact was his translation of metanoeite  as “repent” rather than, as the Catholic Bible did, “do penance.” This undercut the sacrament of penance and, again the power of priests. On authority of the Bible, people were to be able to confess directly to God, rather than a priestly intermediary.

There were other issues as well, but perhaps the biggest contribution he made was to make an English text of the Bible available to everyone. No longer did the Church control the Bible and its interpretation. Tyndale famously said his purpose in doing the translation was to “cause a boy that driveth the plough to know more scripture” than the clergy of the day.

Tyndale’s work was not well accepted by the English clergy, still being Catholic. Henry VIII was opposed to the translation being available in England, but it was smuggled into the country in huge numbers—he couldn’t staunch the flow. Henry had Tyndale executed in 1536; he was strangled and then burned at the stake. His dying request was that Henry’s eyes would be opened to the need for this translation. Two years later, Henry authorized The Great Bible which was based largely on Tyndale’s work. His version was also the backbone of the Geneva Bible that went to Jamestown in 1607 and in 1620 on the Mayflower.

There’s actually a lot more to be said about this remarkable man who gave his life for the principle of access to God’s Word. He was writing on the continent because of the bounty on his head. A friend betrayed him. Giving your all can be costly. Ask Jesus about that.

Peace, Jerry