William Tyndale: Greater than Shakespeare

Your word is a light on my path.

William Tyndale: Greater than Shakespeare
A statue of Tyndale in London's Whitehall Gardens CREDIT: Getty
đź’ˇ
Learn the keywords, read the article, answer the questions, and then book a lesson with a language tutor.

Key words

The Reformation was a major movement in 16th-century Europe.

  • Purgatory: the place to which Roman Catholics believe that the spirits of dead people go and suffer for the evil acts that they did while they were alive, before they are able to go to heaven

It is their belief that he is in purgatory.

  • Clergy: religious leaders, especially Christian priests, ministers, etc.

We were surprised when he announced he wanted to join the clergy.

  • Disillusioned: unhappy because of discovering the truth about someone that you respected

All of the teachers are thoroughly disillusioned with their colleague.

  • Heretic: someone who has beliefs that are against a particular religion

Roman Catholics labeled people who translated the Bible as heretics.


Read the article to find the answers

  1. Which languages was William Tyndale fluent in?
  2. Which version of the Bible did the Roman Catholics use?
  3. How were Bibles made before the invention of the Gutenberg printing press?
  4. Why was William Tyndale killed?

A disillusioned priest

William Tyndale was educated at both Oxford and Cambridge, where he became fluent in Greek, Latin and Hebrew. He worked as a priest in England but became disillusioned with the Church's beliefs and traditions. Influenced by Martin Luther, he began to study the Bible more closely and became convinced that it should be accessible to all people, not just the clergy.

The Bible was not widely available in England at that time. The Church used the Latin Vulgate, which most people couldn't read because they didn't know Latin. Also, before the invention of the printing press, books were copied by hand, which was a slow and expensive process. The Bible was therefore rare and expensive, and only the wealthiest people could afford to own a copy.

A heretic

The Church argued that only the clergy could understand the Bible, and so it was illegal to produce or own a Bible written in English. Tyndale strongly disagreed with this view and, despite the law which punished so-called heretics by burning them at the stake, began to translate the Bible into English. He believed that the Bible should be available for everyone to read.

Tyndale completed his translation of the New Testament and began printing it in Germany, but the printing was stopped by the clergy who tried to have him arrested. He escaped to Worms and his friends smuggled the English translation of the Bible into England. Tyndale's Bible was the first to be printed rather than handwritten, which made it possible to produce large numbers of copies quickly and cheaply. It became very popular, very quickly.

Betrayed

Tyndale was eventually betrayed by a friend and arrested in Antwerp. He was imprisoned for over a year. As well as being punished for translating the Bible, he was also punished for not believing in purgatory and for saying that people should not pray to idols. He was strangled and burnt at the stake.

Greater than Shakespeare

William Tyndale's translation of the Bible had an enormous impact on the English Reformation, the modern English language and the level of knowledge of Christianity around the world. His work greatly influenced the development of the English language and its impact on the lives of people around the world cannot be measured.

He also inspired people in other countries to do the same, helping to spread Protestantism and the idea that the Bible should be accessible to all. By making it possible for ordinary people to read the Bible, he fuelled the Protestant Reformation, which led to the freedom of religion that many countries enjoy today.


Members Area

Improve your English with other members in our community.

Join the conversation

Discussion questions

  • Do you have any questions about any of the vocabulary or grammar in this article?
  • Do you know the Bible passage quoted at the top of this article?
  • What do you know about the history of the English language?
  • Do you have freedom of religion in your country?

Book a Lesson

Improve your English language communication skills by practicing with a qualified and experienced native speaker.

Schedule your lesson here