Protestant Bible: A Journey Through Centuries

Wycliffe's death did not end people's desire for an English translation of the Bible. Working toward that objective, an obscure scholar, William Tyndale, went beyond merely translating the church's Latin Bible. Tyndale used Greek and Hebrew manuscripts to create his English translation.

"Let my people go"

"The truth shall make you free"

"Am I my brother's keeper?"

In fact, 85% of the King James Version of the Bible was taken directly from Tyndale's translation.

Although Tyndale's translated words are still with us today, his Bibles (this link is to the Gospel of Luke in Tyndale's 1536 New Testament) were burned in special ceremonies in London and Antwerp. Cardinal Wolsey, no doubt at Henry VIII's direction, wanted to eliminate all English Bibles from the land.

Tyndale and his editor, John Rogers, were executed for translating the Bible into a language which common people could understand. As they were publicly strangled, then burned at the stake, Tyndale's last words were for the King of England.

He prayed for Henry VIII to see the light and allow Tyndale's English translation to stand. One year after Tyndale's death, Henry VIII allowed it.

Today, only three known copies of the Tyndale New Testament (which had to be published outside Britain) are known to exist. In 1994, the British Library paid more than 1 million pounds for its copy (which was published in Germany).