William Tyndale: Vulgar Tongue

During the summer of 1422, a young Englishman would change the course of history by capturing a vision for translating the Bible into the 'vulgar tongue.' William Tyndale taught himself Greek, Hebrew and Latin and became convinced of the Reformations emphasis on “sola-scriptura,” that our understanding God and salvation should be based on Scripture alone.

While walking among the fields of Little Sodbury Manor, he committed himself to translating the Scriptures from Latin into the language of the common Englishman. This decision would brand him as a criminal and for the rest of his life, he would be hunted by the English royalty and finally martyred for his translation work. Tyndale's legacy continues down to the present day. Much of the King James Bible comes straight from the Tyndale’s translation and many of his phrases are still evident in the NIV translation of today; such as, ‘in him we live and move and have our being.’

In John 17:14, Jesus said of his disciples, "I have given them Thy word; and the world has hated them.’

As Christians today, we should realize that men, like Tyndale, suffered harsh persecution so that we might have the Word of God in our own language. And that a commitment to the Bible will causes us, in many ways, to be at odds with our postmodern culture.

Tyndale’s maltreatment never deterred him from his devotion to God’s Word and it should never prevent us from tenaciously living a life committed to biblical revelation.