Pursuing a vision
Master Tyndale happened to be in the company of a learned man and, in
disputing with him ... the man said, "We are better to be without God's
laws than the pope's." Master Tyndale, hearing this, replied, "I defy
the pope and all his laws;" and added, "If God spare my life, ere many
years I will cause a boy that driveth the plough to know more of the
Scripture than thou dost." (Foxe, Book of Martyrs)
At that time, printing had just been invented, although translating the
Bible was considered heretical. These were dangerous times for
Scripture translations. Even still, Tyndale said, "It is impossible to
establish the lay people in any truth, except the Scriptures be laid
before their eyes, in their mother tongue." He fled to Germany in 1524,
later to Belgium. He continued his work, translating the New Testament
from the original tongue; and first began to print his first edition
with marginal notes in a quarto edition at Cologne, but he was
compelled to halt the printing and flee the city to avoid arrest. {Only
a single copy of it (as far as Matthew chapter 22) survives, now in the
British Museum.} Tyndale was forced to leave England and finish his
work in Worms, Germany, and in the year of our Lord 1526, he printed
the version (anonymously) in smaller octavo format. The shrewd
religious authorities knowing that they could not stop this version
from reaching England's shores, planned to buy up all the copies and
burn them. It backfired, as they bought these copies from merchants,
the money was given to Tyndale to print up even more copies. And
because his enemies did so much carp at it, pretending it to be full of
heresies, he wrote to John Frith, as followeth, "I call God to record
against the day we shall appear before our Lord Iesus, that I never
altered one syllable of God's Word against my conscience, nor would do
this day, if all that is in earth, whether it be honor, pleasure, or
riches, might be given me."
In 1535, Tyndale had planned to complete the translation of the Old
Testament, but was betrayed by a fellow Englishman feigning to be his
friend who was really being paid to betray him. This man enticed
Tyndale to venture into the streets of Antwerp, where he was ambushed
and taken to the prison in the castle at Vilvorde, Brussels. Trials for
heresy in the Netherlands were in the hands of special commissioners of
the self proclaimed "holy roman empire". It took 16 months for the law
to take its course. A letter from him during this time, in Latin, has
survived:
'I believe, most excellent Sir, that you are not unacquainted with the
decision reached concerning me. On which account, I beseech your
lordship, even by the Lord Iesus, that if I am to pass the winter here,
to urge upon the lord commissary, if he will deign, to send me from my
goods in his keeping a warmer cap, for I suffer greatly from cold in
the head, and am afflicted with a continual catarrh, which is much
increased in this cell. A warmer coat also, for that which I have is
very thin: also cloth for repairing my leggings; my overcoat is worn
out: the shirts also are worn out. He has a woolen shirt of mine, if he
will please send it. I have also with him leggings of heavier cloth for
overwear. He likewise has warmer nightcaps: I also ask to be allowed to
use a lamp in the evening: it is indeed weariesome sitting alone in the
dark.
But most of all I beg and beseech your clemency to be urgent with the
commissary, that he will kindly permit me to have my Hebrew Bible,
Hebrew Grammar, and Hebrew Dictionary, and that I might employ my time
with that study. Thus likewise may you obtain what you most desire,
saving that it further the salvation of your soul. But if, before the
end of winter, a different decision be reached concerning me, I shall
be patient, and submit to the will of God to the glory of the grace of
Iesus Christ my Lord, whose spirit may ever direct your heart. Amen.'