William Tyndale (sometimes spelt Tindale) (c. 1484 – October 6, 1536) was a 16th century priest and scholar who translated the Bible into an early form of Modern English. Although numerous partial and complete English translations had been made from the 7th century onward, Tyndale's was the first to take advantage of the new medium of print, which allowed for its wide distribution.
His date of birth is unclear, with sources giving dates varying between 1484 and 1496. About 1494, 1495 or 1496 seem most common. He was born most probably at North Nibley (15 miles s.s.w. of Gloucester), England.
He went to school at Magdalen College School, Oxford and Cambridge University, and about 1520 became tutor in the family of Sir John Walsh, at Little Sodbury in Gloucestershire.
Tyndale studied the Scriptures and began to endorse the doctrines of the Reformation, views which were considered heretical, first by the Catholic Church, and later the Church of England. The open declaration of his sentiments in the house of Walsh, disputes with Roman Catholic officials, and especially his preaching, stirred up conflict. He left there and went to London (about Oct., 1523), where he began to preach, and made many friends among the laity, but none among ecclesiastics.
With support from Sir Humphrey Monmouth and others, he began his effort to translate the Bible into common English. Because his translation was not authorized by the Church, and contained notes and commentary promoting his Reformation views, he was prevented from working on it in England.
He then went to Germany about May, 1524, to continue his translation work there. He appears to have visited Hamburg and Wittenberg; but the place where he translated the New Testament, although conjectured to have been Wittenberg, can not be named with certainty.
It is, however, certain that the printing of the New Testament in quarto was begun at Cologne in the summer of 1525, and completed at Worms, and that there was likewise printed an octavo edition, both before the end of that year. From an entry in Spalatin's Diary, Aug. 11, 1526, it seems that he remained at Worms about a year; but the notices of his connection with Hermann von dem Busche and the University of Marburg are utterly unwarranted conjectures; and, it being now an established fact that Hans Luft never had a printing-press at Marburg, the colophon to Tyndale's translation of Genesis, and the title pages of several pamphlets purporting to have been printed by Luft at Marburg, only deepen the seemingly impenetrable mystery which overhangs the life of Tyndale during the interval between his departure from Worms and his final settlement at Antwerp.
His literary activity during that interval was extraordinary. When he left England, his knowledge of Hebrew, if he had any, was of the most rudimentary nature; and yet he mastered that difficult tongue so as to produce from the original his translation.
Tyndale's translation was banned by the authorities, and Tyndale himself was burned at the stake in 1536 at Vilvoorden (6 miles n.e. of Brussels), Belgium, at the instigation of agents of Henry VIII and the Anglican Church. His last words were, "Lord, open the king of England's eyes."