Tyndale sailed for Germany in May of 1524, never to set foot in his native land again. Upon his arrival in Hamburg, he visited Martin Luther in Wittenberg and remained there until April, 1525. While at Wittenberg, he worked on his translation with the help of a secretary, William Roye. In the spring of 1525, Tyndale returned to Hamburg to collect some money he had left with Monmouth. He and Roye then traveled to Cologne and arranged for the printing of the New Testament. Johannes Cochlaeus, dean of St. Mary’s Church at Frankfurt, discovered the plan and obtained an order from the Cologne Senate which prohibited the printers from proceeding with the work. In addition, Cochlaeus warned Henry VIII to watch the British seaports in order to prevent the translation’s arrival in England.

Before Cochlaeus could confiscate the papers, Tyndale and Roye escaped to Worms in October of 1525, taking the already printed sheets with them. They hired Peter Schoeffer, a printer with Lutheran sympathies, to complete a new printing of the New Testament. In spite of the precautions taken by the king and the bishops, the copies of the Testament were smuggled into England early in 1526 by enterprising merchants and were widely circulated and sold.

When the translation was discovered in London in the early fall of 1526, the church authorities met to discuss possible courses of action. Tunstall recommended prohibition, and the prelates unanimously agreed to burn all copies of the book which were found. Acting on their decision, Tunstall denounced and burned the work at Paul’s Cross. People were warned to rid themselves of all copies of the Testament or face excommunication. The prelates’ goal was to cleanse England of all Tyndale’s translations; the Archbishop of Canterbury bought copies simply to destroy them. After the bishops learned that Tyndale was the source of the translation, he was forced to leave Worms to escape arrest. Roye had left earlier for Strasbourg, so Tyndale went alone to Marburg in 1527. He was able to write there under the protection of the Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel and probably visited other cities as well. Near the end of 1529, he moved to Antwerp.

During this same period, Tyndale published The Parable of the Wicked Mammon (1527), which discusses the parable of the unjust steward and justification by faith, and The Obedience of a Christian Man, and How Christian Rulers Ought to Govern (1528), his most important original work, intended as a defense of the reformers against charges of encouraging disobedience of the government. He also finished translating the first five books of the Old Testament, and the Pentateuch was printed in January, 1530, probably at Marburg. This edition of the Pentateuch included a general preface, a preface to each book, a glossary, and marginal notes.

The Practice of Prelates, printed in 1530, criticized both the English government and the Church’s practices; unfortunately, however, Tyndale could not accurately judge the political revolution in England from his place of refuge on the Continent. Nevertheless, the book described the ways in which the pope and clergy had gone from poverty and humility to universal supremacy, a topic with which Tyndale was most familiar. In The Practice of Prelates, Tyndale also spoke out against the king’s attempts to obtain a divorce from Catharine of Aragon, and Tyndale’s fierce stand on this controversial issue made for him many enemies. Displeased with Tyndale’s criticism of the Church, Sir Thomas More, a layman and Member of Parliament, wrote an essay in 1529, defending the doctrines and practices of the Church. In 1531, Tyndale’s answer appeared as a clear argument for reform and a sharp criticism of More’s work. This controversy continued for several years; More asserted the authority of the Church, and Tyndale replied by quoting Scripture; their discussion defined the issues but brought no agreement.

In 1531, Thomas Cromwell became a privy councillor, and he sent Stephen Vaughan, an English envoy in the Netherlands, to find Tyndale and offer him safe conduct back to England. Cromwell advocated a “one king, one law” policy which Tyndale also recommended; Cromwell probably wanted Tyndale to help him wage a literary war in support of this policy. Tyndale, however, refused to return, as he feared for his safety. This proved to be a wise decision; during the following year, Henry commissioned Sir Thomas Elyot to find and apprehend Tyndale. Tyndale left Antwerp as a consequence, returning in 1533 when the situation again seemed safe. In 1534, he moved into the home of Thomas Poyntz, an English merchant, and worked on his revised translations of the Pentateuch and the New Testament, which were issued in 1534.

In 1535, Tyndale met a young Englishman, Henry Phillips, who falsely declared himself a supporter of religious reform. Phillips posed as an admirer and friend of Tyndale and then betrayed him to the Belgian imperial officers. Tyndale was arrested in May, 1535, and imprisoned at the castle of Vilvorde. Poyntz zealously worked for his release but failed and was also imprisoned. In 1536, Tyndale was tried for heresy, condemned, and sentenced to death. On October 6, 1536, at Vilvorde, Tyndale was strangled and burned at the stake.

Summary

Although William Tyndale left England and lived in exile for twelve years before his death, his name became well known in his native land because of his work on the Bible. His translations of the New Testament and Pentateuch from their original languages into English were endorsed by the translators of the King James Version in 1611 for their accuracy and style. His work set the standard for later versions because of its simplicity, forcefulness, and lack of Latinized expressions. His literary style also influenced future English writers encouraging the use of simple, ordinary language and idioms.

Tyndale was one of the most important English reformers. Although Tyndale was not a public figure, his writings are scholarly expositions of the reformist views. His Bible translations and treatises were important factors in promoting the Reformation in England, and his writings give the reformist perceptions of the ecclesiastical and royal governments.

Before Tyndale was executed, he prayed aloud that God would open the eyes of the King of England. Within a year, a version of the English Bible, based largely on Tyndale’s work, circulated in England with the king’s permission. Within two years, the English Bible was set up in every English church so that all could come and read it for themselves. Thus, Tyndale’s vision of a Bible for the people was realized.

Bibliography

Bainton, Ronald H. Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1951. The most popular biography of Luther, comprehensive in its details. Useful in understanding the man who was so highly esteemed by Tyndale.

Bruce, F.F. History of the Bible in English. 3d ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978. A scholarly work which traces the English Bible from its beginnings in picture form to the many versions available in the 1970’s. Includes some English history, biography, and comparisons of excerpts from different translations.

Demaus, Robert. William Tyndale. Revised by Richard Lovett. Amsterdam: J.C. Gieben, 1971. A reprint of the London edition of 1886. Considered to be the standard authority on Tyndale. Gives an accurate account of his life and works as well as the historical details of that era.

Durant, Will. The Reformation: A History of European Civilization from Wyclif to Calvin, 1300-1564. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1957. Considers religion in general and explores the problems and conditions of the Catholic Church, particularly after 1300. Discusses the Reformation in relation to politics, economics, art, and the social revolution.

Elton, G. R. Reform and Reformation: England, 1509-1558. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1977. A study of the reigns of Tudor rulers Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I and the ways in which reform shaped English politics, religion, and behavior. Gives no facts on Tyndale, but the background information on this period of time is helpful.

Mozley, J.F. William Tyndale. New York: Macmillan, 1937. A good biography that covers some material not included in Demaus’ original work. Includes a chapter on Tyndale’s translation of the New Testament.

Spitz, Lewis W. The Protestant Reformation: 1517-1559. New York: Harper and Row, Publishers, 1985. Emphasizes the Reformation as the outstanding achievement of the age but includes the significant developments in other areas of life throughout Europe. Argues that the Reformation was of even more critical importance to history than the Renaissance.