ReformationEnglish Reformation

William Tyndale

c. 1494–1536

English biblical translator whose work from Greek and Hebrew profoundly shaped later English Bibles and Protestant religious language.

W
BornGloucestershire, England
DiedVilvoorde, Habsburg Netherlands
TraditionEnglish Reformation
EraReformation

Life and Historical Setting

Denied a safe setting for translation in England, Tyndale worked on the Continent and smuggled printed New Testaments into England. He was betrayed, imprisoned near Brussels, strangled, and burned.12

Work and Contribution

Tyndale translated from Greek and Hebrew with concise English that passed into the Coverdale, Great, Geneva, Bishops', and King James Bibles. He also wrote polemics on justification, obedience, and church authority.23

Reception and Influence

English-speaking Christianity inherited hundreds of Tyndale's memorable phrases, often without recognizing their source. Protestants remember him as a martyr for vernacular Scripture.34

Evidence, Debate, and Interpretation

He was not the first English Bible translator, and the exact percentage of later translations derived from him is often overstated. His sharp polemics and political writings belong within the conflicts of his age.45

Sources and further reading

  1. Primary sourceEnglish New TestamentWilliam Tyndale, 1526; consult a critical or authorized edition
  2. Primary sourcePentateuchWilliam Tyndale, 1530; consult a critical or authorized edition
  3. Academic scholarshipThe Reformation: A HistoryDiarmaid MacCulloch
  4. Reference workThe Oxford Encyclopedia of the ReformationOxford University Press
  5. Reference workOxford Dictionary of National Biography and regional biographical scholarshipOxford University Press and specialist reference works

Paragraph citations point to starting sources. They do not imply that every source is neutral or that sources agree with one another.

Editorial record

Source-guided profile

Version 1 · Updated

Narrative synthesis with paragraph-level starting citations. Evidence, tradition, debate, and uncertainty are labeled separately.

  1. v1 · 2026-08-25Figure profile added to or upgraded within Feason’s connected Christian encyclopedia.
Contemporary evidence
Material or textual evidence created near the person, place, or event.
Tradition
Later community memory, devotion, or institutional claim, attributed to its holders.
Historical debate
More than one responsible interpretation remains in active discussion.
Unknown
The surviving record cannot presently establish a confident answer.

Known For

  • English New Testament
  • Biblical Translation
  • Martyrdom

Key Works

English New Testament1526
Pentateuch1530

Influenced By

    Influenced

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