Introducing Tyndale

by William Tyndale, John Piper, Robert J. Sheehan

Among the many memorials to the 'great and the good' in London's Westminster Abbey, there is one made of black marble and inscribed with letters of gold which 'This tablet was placed here ... in thankful commemoration of William Tyndale, translator of the Holy Scriptures into the language of the English people. A martyr and exile in the cause of liberty and pure religion, he fulfilled the precept which he had taught, "There is none other way into the kingdom of life than through persecution and suffering of pain and of very death after the example of Christ"'.

English-speaking Christians especially owe a great debt of gratitude to William Tyndale. In Introducing Tyndale John Piper introduces the reader to the deeply moving story of Tyndale's life and death. This serves to whet the appetite for what comes an extract from one of Tyndale's significant works in which the reformer clearly explains and robustly defends the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in response to one of his fiercest critics. A brief epilogue by the late Robert J. Sheehan outlines Tyndale's many-sided legacy, bringing the book to a fitting conclusion.

Introducing Tyndale brings to life Tyndale the man, his writings and legacy, for twenty-first-century Christians, and encourages the further exploration of Tyndale's works.

Genres: History, Biography

110 pages, Paperback

Published April 17, 2017

About the author

William Tyndale (/ˈtɪndəl/; sometimes spelled Tynsdale, Tindall, Tindill, Tyndall; c. 1494–1536) was an English scholar who became a leading figure in Protestant reform in the years leading up to his execution. He is well known for his translation of the Bible into English. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther. While a number of partial translations had been made from the seventh century onward, the spread of Wycliffe's Bible resulted in a death sentence for any unlicensed possession of Scripture in English—even though translations in all other major European languages had been accomplished and made available. Tyndale's translation was the first English Bible to draw directly from Hebrew and Greek texts, the first English one to take advantage of the printing press, and first of the new English Bibles of the Reformation. It was taken to be a direct challenge to the hegemony of both the Church of England and the laws of England to maintain the church's position. In 1530, Tyndale also wrote The Practyse of Prelates, opposing Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon on the grounds that it contravened Scripture.

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of the book is a bit of a misnomer by making it sound like a biographical piece, which it is not (biographical comments are included in the introduction by John Piper, and lesser so--more analysis--in the epilogue by Robert Sheehan). It is an introduction to the writings of William Tyndale (1490-1536), in particular his response to the vitriolic response of Thomas More )1478-1535) to Tyndale's translation of the New Testament. While it is a brief work (103 pp.), you will not read it in an afternoon, it will require some work on the reader's part. Even with the inclusion of the editor's notes on the English of 500 years ago (thank you!), I found it difficult reading but don't let that dissuade you. This excerpt from the pen of Tyndale illuminates his passion for our Lord Jesus Christ, and may it increase mine!

[Pig Rieke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the last half of a millennium, every English speaking plowman who has taken a Bible in their hands owes a debt of gratitude to William Tyndale. This little book provides a succinct introduction to Tyndale’s life, an extended portion of his writing against Thomas More, and a treatment of his enduring legacy. In an ahistorical time, books like this are of value. But as Tyndale would remind us, not more so than Scriptures that he lived and died for.

[Miska Wilhelmsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and concise introduction to William Tyndale.

[Cameron Borders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concise and good