“Evangelion (that we call the gospel) is a Greek word and signifieth good, merry, glad and joyful tidings, that maketh a man’s heart glad and maketh him sing, dance, and leap for joy. . . . [This gospel is] all of Christ the right David, how that he hath fought with sin, with death, and the devil, and overcome them: whereby all men that were in bondage to sin, wounded with death, overcome of the devil are without their own merits or deservings loosed, justified, restored to life and saved, brought to liberty and reconciled unto the favor of God and set at one with him again: which tidings as many as believe laud, praise and thank God, are glad, sing and dance for joy.”
These words appear in the introduction of Tyndale’s New Testament, written in 1526. It was the article that appeared at the beginning of the first printed English Bible. The Bible itself had a massive impact in the English-speaking world. In fact, if you read the Bible in English even today, you owe a great debt to Tyndale. Over 80% of your Bible is dependent on him or uses his exact translation. So, who was this man?
William Tyndale (1494–1536) was born into a world where the people of England only had access to a Bible in Latin—a language reserved only for well-educated church leaders and scholars. After college and ordination into the priesthood, Tyndale became the personal tutor to a wealthy family in Gloucestershire. There, he dined and engaged in conversation with many of the Church’s clergy and he found that there was an appalling ignorance of God’s Word among them. In part, because many of the clergy didn’t know Latin, some couldn’t even read.
Let that sink in for a minute: many of those teaching God’s people each week couldn’t read the Bible. They could only speak from what they had learned in school.
Tyndale made it his mission to provide the English people with a Bible in their own language. But, for many reasons, he needed official authorization to do this. But the Church denied his request and made it illegal in England for a Bible to be produced in English. Undeterred, at age 34, Tyndale moved to Germany where it was not illegal to produce a Bible in English and began his work.
In the end, Tyndale finished the New Testament and part of the Old Testament. The completed New Testament was smuggled back into England in bolts of cloth. There it was assembled page-by-page and put into the hands of believers across the land. For the first time, English believers had the Bible in their own language. Soon plow boys in the field began knowing more of God's word than priests in pulpits.
But the Church discovered what was happening. They found smuggled Bibles and an arrest warrant was issued for Tyndale. Many attempts were made to find him and all failed. Then, one day, as Tyndale was walking to dinner with a friend and supporter of his work, two soldiers arrested him. How had they found them? He had been betrayed. His supposed friend--Henry Phillips--was no friend at all, but a spy hired to find him. Phillips had spent months cultivating a relationship with Tyndale, earning his trust, all that he might receive a large sum of money to pay off his debts by betraying him into the hands of the Church.
Tyndale was deemed a heretic and executed for producing the Word of God in language of the people on this day, October 6, 1536. Before he was burned at the stake, he was strangled. And he used his last words to utter a prayer: "Lord! Open the King of England's eyes!" Two year later, the Lord answered his prayer and approval was given for a Bible in English.
So, today, we give thanks to God for Tyndale. But more importantly, we give thanks for gospel that Tyndale help spread across England, and eventually, to the world through English Bibles.
In a day when many have a deficient view of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we must pause and ask which gospel we believe? Do we believe a “gospel” of trust that results in a better life in the here and how? Do we believe in a “gospel” that demands we obey to be acceptable to God? Do we believe a “gospel” that sees faith as getting us in, but our good works as keeping us in?
Or, like Tyndale, do we believe the biblical gospel–the good news that God graciously saves and sanctifies by grace through faith; a gospel of Christ because Christ has done everything we need for the fullness of salvation. Only the biblical gospel can truly be seen as good, merry, glad, and joyful tidings for our souls.
More resources
John Piper. "Always Singing One Note–A Vernacular Bible (Why William Tyndale Lived and Died)." The best lecture on Tyndale and his impact. It will help you appreciate him and love your Bible.
David Daniell. William Tyndale: A Biography. The best full-length biography on William Tyndale.
God's Outlaw: The Story of William Tyndale. An excellent film, depicting Tyndale's work as a reformer and Bible translator. Currently free on Amazon Prime video.
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