William Tyndale

Timeline

1. c. 1494–1523Gloucestershire · EuropeBorn in Gloucestershire (exact place unknown), he studied at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, earning bachelor's and master's degrees, then furthered his studies at Cambridge, where he encountered Martin Luther's Reformation ideas. Fluent in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Italian, French, and German, he had outstanding linguistic ability to translate the Bible directly from the originals. Ordained in 1521, he later served as tutor and priest at the Walton estate in Gloucestershire.
2. 1524–1526Worms · EuropeAfter seeking support from the Bishop of London for a Bible translation in England in 1523 and being refused, he left England in 1524 for Hamburg, Germany, then visited Wittenberg where Martin Luther was. In 1525 he began printing an English New Testament in Cologne, but was forced to move to Worms under pursuit by Catholic authorities. In 1526 the printed English New Testament (about 6,000 copies) was formally published at Worms and immediately smuggled into England.
3. 1526–1535Antwerp · EuropeSheltered in the house of English merchants in Antioch, he continued revising the New Testament and translated the Pentateuch (published 1530) and historical books of the Old Testament. During this period he engaged in fierce polemics with Thomas More over the principles of Bible translation, insisting that ordinary people should read the Bible directly in plain English. Henry VIII offered a reward for his capture, but Tyndale always evaded capture resourcefully.
4. 1535–1536Vilvoorde · EuropeLured out of his refuge by the English agent Henry Philips in 1535, he was arrested and imprisoned at Vilvoorde Castle. After about 16 months of trial he was convicted of heresy. On October 6, 1536 he was strangled and then burned, crying out at the end, 'Lord, open the King of England's eyes!' His translation later became the linguistic basis of the King James Bible (1611), with about 83% of the wording retained.