William Tyndale (c. 1494-1536) attended both Oxford and Cambridge where he excelled as a Greek scholar. Inspired by the efforts of Martin Luther to make the Bible available in a German translation, Tyndale decided to do the same for English speaking Christians. He went to Germany to study Hebrew under Jewish scholars and while there translated and published a New Testament in 1525. It was smuggled into England and soon was being widely circulated. He moved to Belgium in 1534 where he was arrested and imprisoned. He was tried and convicted of heresy and was strangled and burned at the stake two years later. His final prayer was that the eyes of the King would be opened to the need for the Bible to be placed in the hands of all believers and not just the clergy. His New Testament, although banned and burned, demonstrated the desire for an English translation in the common vernacular and inspired others to continue Tyndale’s work.
