Father of the English Bible is no other than William Tyndale, who was 42 years old when he was strangled and burned at the stake after he translated Greek to English, which was seen as offense of heresy and treason. His effort over 500 years ago has indeed helped the Christian faith to spread more across the globe, Making it to be without limit of Greek Language.

William Tyndale was a well educated man of Oxford and Cambridge, who got his drive to translate the Bible in order to correct the ‘Biblical ignorance of the priests.’ According to the records at one point in his life, Tyndale told a priest, “If God spares my life, and many years pass, I will cause that a boy that driveth the plow shall know more of the Scriptures than thou dost.”

Presently, seventy-five percent of the Revised Standard Version and ninety percent of the King James Version of the Holy Bible are derived from the translations of Tyndale, to whom Christianity owes so much. His labor largely contributed to the availability of the Bible in nearly every language of communication on earth today, enabling believers to read it. Unexpectedly, the majority of those phrases continue to exhibit the influence of his knowledge of Hebrew and Greek.

Tyndale successfully completed his mission during a period when the translation of the Bible into English was virtually prohibited. He traveled to London in order to request authorization from Bishop Tunstall to translate the Bible into English, but the Bishop denied his request. Tyndale, despite the disapproval of others, persisted in carrying out what appeared to be God’s will in the most evident way possible. Under the patronage and assistance of a few British merchants, he resolved to travel to Europe in order to finalize the printing of his translation and smuggle it back into England.

Tyndale set departure for Germany in 1524. He labored on the New Testament in Hamburg before locating a printer in Cologne to produce the manuscript. Soon thereafter, an opponent of the Reformation who had the press seized learned of Tyndale’s activities. Tyndale, having successfully escaped with the printed pages, proceeded to the German city of Worms, where the New Testament was subsequently published. Six thousand duplicates were printed and smuggled into England at the time.

The Bishops exerted every effort possible to eliminate the Bibles. Copyright was ceremoniously burned at St. Paul’s by Bishop Tunstall. Archbishop of Canterbury funds the purchase of copies for their destruction. The funds were utilized by Tyndale to publish improved editions. The individual persisted in concealment amidst the merchants of Antwerp and initiated the translation of the Old Testament during the King’s emissaries’ worldwide and European search for him.

The acquisition of a copy of Tyndale’s “The Obedience of a Christian Man” by King Henry VIII furnished the monarch with the justification necessary to seize control of the Church in England from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534. Tyndale was detained and incarcerated for more than a year in the castle of Vilvoorde (Filford), located outside of Brussels, in 1535. The Roman Catholic Church authorities condemned Tyndale’s works, and Tyndale himself was charged with heresy. An Englishman ultimately located him and feigned to be his friend before delivering him to the authorities.

Following a year and a half of incarceration, he was tried for heresy, specifically for holding, among other things, the belief that the grace of God was sufficient for salvation and in the forgiveness of sins. He was publicly executed [burned alive at the stake] on October 6, 1536, in a small Belgian municipality, following his condemnation in August 1536.

Reportedly, as Tyndale burned to death, he prayed, “Lord, open the eyes of the king of England.”

Three years later, in 1539, King Henry VIII mandated that each parish church in England provide its members with a copy of the English Bible as an initial partial response to the supplication. Today, Tyndale’s prayer is amply fulfilled; not only does it open the King’s senses, but it also demonstrates that the Bible is a universally applicable tool. To be precise,

The 54 academicians responsible for composing the King James Bible in 1611 heavily influenced one another by Tyndale and translations that were in line with his work.
Tyndale secured the 26th position in the BBC’s 2002 election of the 100 Greatest Britons.

The labour of our hero past is not in vain indeed. Tyndale effort has helped transformed the world in helping the work of missionaries and evangelist. He is forever celebrated.