Thankful Thursday: William Tyndale and his Bible

Today's "Thankful Thursday" is not about one of my own ancestors.  It is about a man who helped my ancestors - and me.

Willliam Tyndale (1494-1536) translated the Bible into English.  That may not seem very earth-shattering - until you consider the times he lived in.  To possess the scriptures in English was to invite the death sentence, unless you had a licensed copy (presumably the only people who were allowed licences were clergymen!).

William Tyndale

The printing press had recently been invented, and Tyndale took advantage of this "new technology" to get his Bible-in-English into the hands of the people.  (Of course, there were other translations, but only Tyndale's came directly from the Greek and Hebrew.)  It was taken as a challenge to the rulings of the Church.  Tyndale was a very brave man!

I owe a debt of gratitude to William Tyndale.  Without him (and therefore his Bible), the ancestors of mine who were searching for spiritual truth would have been lost.  We see Bibles on shelves and in hotel rooms and don't give them another thought.  My own quest for spiritual truth would have been made much more difficult.

Thank you, William Tyndale.