November 14, 2005
God’s Word Will Prevail
God was preparing the ground, in readiness for William Tyndale. All over the world, from north to south, east to west, things were happening, in readiness for this man being used of God in England.
In 1453 The Muslim Turks captured the great city of Constantinople and drove out hordes of Christian Greek scholars, and many of these scholars fled the country and a lot took refuge in various parts of Europe. And because of their arrival in European cities, and there scholarliness in Greek, there was a great resurge on interest in the classic languages of Latin and Greek.
In 1455 The Latin Vulgate was published for the first time.
Greek was taught for the first time at Paris University.
The first Greek publications such as Greek dictionaries appeared.
A her brew Bible was published.
First Greek teacher at Oxford University.
Erasmus published the first Greek edition of the NT.
Just one event thousands of miles away in Constantinople, led to all these events.
William Tyndale was born aproximately 1484 in Gloucester. He entered Oxford University at 12 years old, and stayed until he was 23. While there, he studied, languages, philosophy, literature, and theology. And was finally ordained into priesthood.
Later on, he also studied at Cambridge University, where it seems likely Erasmus was one of his teachers. Other students at the time included, Thomas Cramner, Hugh Latimer, both who were later martyred for their faith.
Later, in his late 20’s he became a chaplain in the house of Sir John Walsh, and taught Sir John’s children. But he crossed swords with the local priests because of his preaching and teaching. And it was charged that he was spreading heresy.
England’s current Religious state
Though Godliness could be found in many parts of England, the name of John Wycliffe was largely forgotten. Some people still read Wycliffe’s Bible in secret even though year’s previously any further translations into English had been prohibited. And to read an English Bible carried the risk of, if being found out, they would suffer excommunication. The truth that Wycliffe and his Lollards had preached was driven to be not spoken of openly, but it never was fully abolished.
1530 King Henry Vlll established the Church of England under his supreme headship, after breaking with the Roman church. He tried to present himself as an English pope, in that all people in England submit to him, and his tyranny in the church and state, under fear of death to not do so.
After a Roman Bishop said to Tyndale that we would be better to be without God’s law than the pope’s law, William Tyndale blood boiled in righteous indignation. And he replied:
"I defy the pope, and all his laws. If God spares my life err many years, I will cause a boy who drives a plough to know more of the Scriptures than you do."
From that time on, Tyndale’s goal was to make the Bible available to everyone. Translating the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts into English.
Because Wycliffe’s Bible was translated from Latin into English, and because of the language changes in English, and it was not from the language of the original manuscripts, it was somewhat outdated and difficult to read.
The Bishop of London refused to give Tyndale a licence to translate the Bible into English, so he knew that to do so in England would be impossible . So he went to Germany. And his knowledge of Hebrew grew there. He was so fluent in many languages, that whichever language he spoke, it was impossible to tell that was not his native tongue. He printed and smuggled back into England 6,000 copies of his New Testament, and the Bishop of London found out these Bibles were appearing and so he bought all of them, and proceeded to burn every one of them.
Tyndale was appalled at this turn of events, but owing to his first print being bought, the money enabled Tyndale to finance printing a second edition. And the Old Testament.
Neither the church or the King wanted any English translations of the Bible in England, so any bought in, had to be done covertly. False claims were made about Tyndale translation, including poor translation and inaccuracies. But this didn’t’ stop people wanting to read it. Thomas Moore, described Tyndale as "a drunken brute and servant of Satan." But Thomas Moore’s attempts to discredit Tyndale which everyone knew from knowledge of Tyndale were not in any way, shape or form accurate, ended up discrediting himself.
1534 Tyndale was hiding in Antwerp, and the Papacy was after him. They had driven him out from one place to another but as yet been t unable to catch him. But as like Jesus, betrayed by a kiss, he was also betrayed by a friend, and captured and imprisoned in Belgium
In August 1536 he was condemned as a heretic. He was defrocked from the church. A church assembly gathered, in a town square, and Tyndale was led out, in his robes, and his hands were scraped as a sign that he no longer had any benefits as a church man. Bread and wine were given him, and immediately taken back off him. Then he was stripped of his clergy’s clothes. And handed over for his crimes against the state. He remained for two more years in the dungeon at Belgium.
Oct 1536 he was led out for execution. He was asked once again to renounce his doctrine. His last words were Lord, open the King of England’s eyes He was bound to the stake, strangled till he was dead, and then burned at the stake. One year after his death, his final words and prayer was answered. King Henry Vlll licensed a new English translation of the Bible, called Matthew’s Bible, which included all of Tyndale’s New Testament.
In 1538 the King told every church in England that they had to have these Bibles.
And after Tyndale’s death, a Bishop was heard to utter, “The lay people do now know the Holy Scriptures better than us.â€
Tyndale’s words spoken all those years before, to another Bishop, were now a reality.
"I defy the pope, and all his laws. If God spares my life err many years, I will cause a boy who drives a plough to know more of the Scriptures than you do. "
75 Years after Tyndale’s death, King James l authorized the King James version of the Bible, most of which was Tyndale’s’s work.
James l motives for authorizing the KJV was to stop people reading the footnotes in the Genevan version. But not long after the Authorized Version, appeared the footnotes from the Genevan version started to appear in it.
God’s Word will prevail!
John 17
14 "I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.
