William Tyndale · Belgium · 1536
One day"It would be wrong to translate God's holy Word into English,"
the Doctor of Divinity said sternly. "Only a language like Latin or
Greek is able to fully convey God's truth. English is a vulgar
language--fine for plowmen and shopkeepers, but hardly suitable for the
Bible."
William Tyndale's eyes blazed. He was a highly educated man, fluent in
several languages, including Greek and Hebrew. "Not only can an
accurate English translation be done, it should be done. The Scriptures
of God are being hidden from the people's eyes. The only way that poor
people can read and see the simple, plain Word of God is if it is
turned into their mother tongue, English."
In the early 1500s, only scholars could read God's Word. The only legal
Bible was in Latin, which most of the common people could not
understand. Since they could not read God's Word for themselves, they
had to rely upon what others told them it said.
It was illegal to own an English Bible or even memorize Scripture in
English. In fact, in 1519, seven Christians were burned at the stake in
Coventry, England, for teaching their children the Lord's Prayer and
the Ten Commandments in English!
Before long, the two men were arguing heatedly. Tyndale quoted
Scriptures, the doctor quoted man-made traditions and church rules.
Finally, the Doctor of Divinity shouted, "It would be better to be
without God's laws than without the Pope's."
Tyndale courageously replied, "I defy the Pope and all his laws! In
fact, if God spares my life, I intend to make it possible for a common
farmer, a plowman, to know more of the Scripture than you do!"
Within a year of Tyndale's conversation with the Doctor of Divinity, he
decided it was no longer safe for him to stay in England, so he
traveled to Germany. There he lived under an assumed name while he
worked to finish his translation. When spies from England found him in
Germany, he escaped to Belgium, where he printed thousands of his New
Testaments.
In 1526, Tyndale's English New Testament began trickling into England.
The Scriptures, now referred to as the "pirate edition," were made
smaller than conventional books. This size was easier to smuggle into
bales of cotton and containers of wheat being shipped into England.
As copies poured into England, they were eagerly bought and read by all
sorts of ordinary people, who often sat up all night reading them or
hearing them read. When the Bishop of London discovered the New
Testaments, he bought as many as he could on the black market, paying
full price for them. He declared, "I intend to burn and destroy them
all." The merchant who had smuggled them into England gave the money to
Tyndale, who then printed three times as many in a revised version. The
Bishop of London had unknowingly become Tyndale's foremost financial
supporter!
When Tyndale heard the Bibles were thrown into the fire, he said, "I
expected they would burn the new Testaments. I expect they want to burn
me too! This may yet happen, if it is God's will. Even so, I know I did
my duty in translating the New Testament."
Within the next ten years, Tyndale's New Testament was widely
distributed throughout England. Bible truths were now available to
everyone, and many people discovered they could have a personal
relationship with God based on His Word. At the same time, anyone
caught with this illegal book faced severe persecution. Prisons were
overflowing and thousands of Christians were executed. Weekly, reports
of the persecutions would come to Tyndale, who remained in exile in
Europe and continued his translation of the Old Testament. Two of
Tyndale's close friends were burned at the stake. Even church
officials, once persecutors, became martyrs after finding truth in
Tyndale's work.
In the spring of 1535, a man named Henry Phillips arrived in Antwerp,
where Tyndale had been hiding. In hopes of a reward, Phillips took it
on himself to betray Tyndale. He befriended Tyndale, noting that he was
"simple and inexpert in the wily subtleties of this world." Before
Tyndale knew what was happening, Phillips had set an ambush for him.
Tyndale spent the next eighteen months in prison near Brussels,
Belgium. With the help of Miles Coverdale, he was able to complete part
of the Old Testament. During his stay in prison, his powerful preaching
and the sincerity of his life greatly influenced those around him. The
jailer, the jailer's daughter, and others of his household accepted the
Lord Jesus as their personal Savior.
On October 6, 1536, Tyndale was taken from his dungeon and strangled.
Then his body was burned. His last words were a fervent prayer: "Lord,
open the King of England's eyes!"
God honored Tyndale's prayer. Within three years, the King of England
gave instructions that a copy of the "Great Bible" completed by
Tyndale's co-worker, Coverdale, including Tyndale's New Testament be
placed in every church in England!
Tyndale's translation was so accurate that 75 years later, when the
King James Version of the Bible was published, it was based largely
upon Tyndale's work. In fact, about 90 percent of the words remain
exactly as he wrote them!
Many people today don't know that
countless martyrs shed their blood to make God's Word available in
English. Having the Scriptures available in the language of common
people challenged the established church to return to its scriptural
origins and to rediscover the truth and power of a personal
relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
What if these courageous men and women
had not taken a stand for making God's Word available to everyone?
Would we be Christians today?
What
an amazing eveing this past Saturday was! Sharing the story of
Invisible Children with so many people was such an encouragement.
We have raised over $5100 so far for children in northern Uganda!
Praise God!!! There were over 25 Volunteers, 20 children in
Childcare, and 110 People in attendance to make a grand total of over
150 people being involvend in Invisible Children.
I can't wait
for the first snow of the year. Snowboarding is one of those
activities that just FITS with me. Being up in the mountains,
looking over all of God's creation from the peak. Racing down a
run with adrenaline coarsing through your veins as the winds whips past
your face, is just one of the things that works for me. 
