William Tyndale

WILLIAM TYNDALE By Dr. Newton M. Hall The year 1925 marked the 400th anniversary of the first publica- tion of the New Testament in the English language from the transla- tion prepared by William Tyndale. There is< no name more worthy of reverence in the history of the translation of the Bible than his. Since his day there have been many translations of the Bible, notably the Coverdale Edition of 1535; the Great Bible of 1539; the Geneva Bible of 1560; the Bishop's Bible of 1568; the King James Version of 1611; and the Revised Version of our own times. However, we must go back to William Tyndale as the real source of much that is best in the King James Version. Three-fourths, perhaps, of the King James Version is based directly on William Tyndale's translation. A recent writer says, "Tyndale gave the world more than a religious vocabulary; he founded a language, and since his day there has not been one writer, or speaker of English, whether in prose or poetry, who, if his style has endured, did not tune his ear and time his rythms to the music of William Tyndale." He was born in 1484 and attended Cambridge University. In his day there were two views of the Bible. One view was that the Bible was for the clergy only, whose duty and privilege it was to interpret it to the layman. The other democratic view was that the Bible was a common possession of humanity and must be opened freely to humanity. It was Tyndale who made the famous statement to the ecclesiastics of his time: "If God spare my life 'ere many years I will cause the boy that driveth the plough shall know more of the Scripture than thou doest. I wish that the plowman might sing parts of them at his plough, and the weaver at his shuttle, and that the traveler might beguile with their narration the weariness of the way." He was driven out of England and then out of Germany. He managed to get his translation printed and it was smuggled into England where it had immense influence. Then it was proscribed and publicly burned. How effectual was this suppression may be known from the fact that, of the Quarto Edition of the Testament which he published, only one mutilated fragment remains. Of the Octavo Edition, only two copies are known to exist. Tyndale was staying at Antwerp where he was betrayed into the hands of the authorities. He was strangled and his body burned, but his work was done. You can burn books and you can attempt to suppress truth, but the soul of the book cannot be burned and truth cannot be permanently suppressed. The English of Tyndale is par- ticularly strong and effective and it is the basis of the King James Version. It may not be too much to say that the best of the King James Version comes from Tyndale's translation. Some of his render- ing is very quaint and effective.

944 IMPROVEMENT ERA The whole Christian world today remembers William Tyndale with gratitude, and his work lives in the translation which is called the King James Version. Let us remember him as a man who was great in character, a great believer in the democracy of faith, and really the founder of our English tongue. — Selected. Clouds and Rain 'Tis raining, little flow'r, And from each roof and tower Drips fast the chilly show'r, Sped by the breeze. With angry drops beset, Your pretty face is wet, You tremble and you fret, As do the trees. My heart is pained to see The cold rain fall on thee, Thou art so dear to me, Sweet dainty flow'r. And yet it must be so If you would thrive and grow, That you should undergo The drenching show'r. Unlike my wayward face, No frowns becloud your face On which is found no trace Of discontent. Logan, Utah The heavy storm cloud lowers, The savage wind now roars, While rain incessant pours, Yet you're content. If one so weak and frail, So delicate and pale, Can meet the raging gale And not complain; Should one so strong as I, The storms of life decry, And pout and frown and sigh. While clouds remain? We must have clouds and rain, Sorrow, sadness, and pain, Our fullest strength to gain; 'Tis life's great plan. We shall have light and sun When clouds their work have done 'Tis thus the best is won In flow'rs and man. Samuel B. Mitton Mesa. Arizona Beyond The Static Zone If men can tune on an aerial wave, And hear the world afar, Why cannot souls beyond the grave Tune in from the topmost star? If human tongue can conquer space In flood of song and tone, Why cannot prayer wing on apace Beyond the static zone? If friendship speaks in joy and trial And girdles land and sea, What must God hear when he turns the dial And listens to you and me? Bertha A. Kleinman.