Yesterday was the commemoration of William Tyndale. He was executed for heresy on this day in 1536 in Antwerp, Belgium. Tyndale is of enormous significance for the history of Christianity in England, and indeed for the history of the English language.

At a very early age, he took it upon himself to begin translating the New Testament into English. In England, unlike the continent, it was illegal to translate the Bible into English, or to possess an English translation. Tyndale made his way to Wittenberg in the early 1520s where he came under Luther’s influence. His translation of the New Testament, which was published in 1525, included English translations of Luther’s prefaces to the books of the New Testament.

Quickly, Tyndale moved away from Luther theologically, to a position that emphasized the importance of the divine law, and of human actions (good works). It may have been through Tyndale’s influence that the English Reformation was shaped more by Calvin than by Luther

Tyndale was a polemicist and engaged with Thomas More in a lengthy polemic that showed neither of them at their best. Ironically, both were executed in 1536–More by Henry VIII and Tyndale by Catholics in Belgium.

It is said that at least 80% of Tyndale’s translation made its way into the King James Version of the Bible, published in 1611.