William Tyndale

c. 1494 – c. 1536

William Tyndale (c. 1494-1536) was an English biblical scholar and reformer who produced the first printed English translation of the New Testament, working directly from Greek and Hebrew sources. Forced to work in exile on the continent, he was betrayed, condemned for heresy, and executed near Brussels in 1536. His translations profoundly shaped later English Bibles, including the King James Version.

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Life events

Born in Gloucestershire, England
c. 1494

Tyndale was born into a family of yeoman farmers and clothiers in Gloucestershire, probably near Dursley.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Birth ✓
Received his Bachelor of Arts from Magdalen Hall, Oxford
4 July 1512

Tyndale took his BA at Oxford on 4 July 1512 and proceeded to the MA in 1515, becoming a skilled linguist.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Served as tutor in the household of Sir John Walsh at Little Sodbury
c. 1521

While working as a tutor and preaching locally in Gloucestershire, Tyndale resolved to translate the Bible into English.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Career ✓
Sought support in London for an English Bible translation
1523

Tyndale moved to London and unsuccessfully sought the patronage of Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall for his translation project.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Relocation ✓
Left England for the continent
1524

Unable to work safely in England, Tyndale sailed for the continent, never to return, and pursued his translation in Germany and the Low Countries.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Relocation ✓
Published the first printed English New Testament at Worms
1526

Tyndale's complete English New Testament, translated from the Greek, was printed at Worms and smuggled into England, where church authorities condemned and burned copies.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Published The Obedience of a Christian Man
October 1528

From his base in Antwerp, Tyndale published this influential treatise on royal authority and scripture, which was reportedly read by Henry VIII.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Published his English translation of the Pentateuch
1530

Tyndale's translation of the first five books of the Old Testament from the Hebrew was printed and circulated in England.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Betrayed and arrested in Antwerp
May 1535

Tyndale was betrayed by Henry Phillips, arrested by imperial authorities, and imprisoned in the castle of Vilvoorde near Brussels.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Executed at Vilvoorde
c. 1536

Condemned for heresy, Tyndale was strangled at the stake and his body burned, traditionally on 6 October 1536.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Death ✓