William Tyndale: A Biography

456 Pages·1994·18.06 MB·English

by  David Daniell

William Tyndale

~ I FRT II t t,. IAI1f:LLA Q\(.'lJ SOL\ f'I IlQrVrr N\S GVILlICLMITY'HD-\Il..IIVIVS ourl t\\ LIE lYNUI, ~INVL
(I vW.Il \rU:f-.lll. Q\1 ~O_';;I rlllCt.~ r .uuRJ~ lilt:OLOVIl. rttlrllTIAS III ~ IJt:PO_il r"..:; ,\IITV[III..£ UlIJ(\.:::
,,<,1l"'tlII1T0 N[· II,IN i'EN ... rLV\;~IO IN VI:l'UAC\I.J\N TIt\N'rER[NUO OPEl\AtIllAVAVlTAl'lGU5
."\ I~ I.v V5~ ~"'I\ nrUt \M, \IT IW>E. ItO'" IMMUUTO N4CiI L'f:.\I'QS"l'OI..V.i .M')lIu:r MAAnRio WILfOIlQ.£ 1'1\011:
~\X1ILA.~ Cl1ar.XUTIS-':. "JO_~''':A\U.AlJVII.ioW.) Par."I...'d"r.-., tj~I .. I"""I'OtIIIGtH£AAu C.ww.\'Sl\.Nx,...I\IS'Vr.J ET BoNV,.
WILLIAM TYNDALE
A Biography
DAVID DANIELL
YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS
New Haven & London
Copyright © 1994 by Yale University
All rights reserved.
This book may not be reproduced,
in whole or in part, in any form
(beyond that copying permitted by
Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law
and except by reviewers for the public press),
without written permission from the publishers.
Designed by Gillian Malpass
Set in Linotron Bembo by Best-set Typesetter Ltd., Hong Kong
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Daniell, David.
William Tyndale : a biography / by David Daniell.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-300-06132-1 (cloth) - ISBN 978-0-300-06880-1 (pbk)
1. Tyndalc, William, d. 1536. 2. Reforamtion-England-Biography.
I. Title.
BR350. T8D33 1994
270.6'On-dc20
[B] 94-17509
CIP
A catalogue record for this book is available from
The British Library
Frontispiece: Anon., William Tyndale,
mid-sixteenth century (?).
Reproduced by kind permission of
the Principal of Hertford College, Oxford.
4 6 8 975
To Andy
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements IX
Introduction 1
PART 1 THE MAKING OF THE TRANSLATOR
1 Gloucestershire 9
2 Tyndale's Oxford 22
3 Cambridge, and Gloucestershire Again 49
PART 2 GREEK INTO ENGLISH
4 To London 83
5 Cologne, 1525 108
6 Worms, 1526 134
PART 3 PERSECUTION AND POLEMICS
7 The Wicked Mammon 155
8 Tyndale and English Politics 174
9 The Obedience of a Christian Man 223
10 Sir Thomas More 250
PART 4 HEBREW AND THE OLD AND
NEW TESTAMENTS
11 Tyndale's Pentateuch 283
12 The 1534 New Testament 316
viii CONTENTS
13 'Matthew's Bible' 333
PART 5 MARTYR
14 Enter Henry Phillips 361
15 Trial and Execution 374
Appendix A The Scheme of The Parable cf the Wicked
Mammon, 1528 385
Appendix B The Structure of The Obedience cf a
Christian Man 387
Appendix C One Sentence from Isocrates' Panegyrica 391
Notes 392
Bibliography 410
Index 420
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many people have contributed to the making of this book. I want first
of all to thank Tyndale enthusiasts across the world, a band that seems
to increase daily, whose inspiring letters and phone calls have meant a
great deal in the two years of its writing. I have felt 'compassed with
so great a multitude of witnesses' as Tyndale puts it in Hebrews 12, and
I am sorry that it is not possible to mention all by name.
I am especially grateful for specialist help in London. In the Library
of University College London, John Spiers has been unfailingly re
sourceful and prompt with advice, with suggestions and even with
books in hand, showing a patience with me that cannot have been easy
amid the minute-by-minute demands from queues of students. Dr
Michael Weitzman of the Department of Hebrew Studies at University
College has illuminated my understanding of the Hebrew Bible with
great wisdom and, again, patience, in many sessions. In the later stages
Vanessa Champion-Smith did excellent research.
Professor Gerald Hammond of the University of Manchester gave
much-needed encouragement and advice throughout the writing, and
made his expertise freely available. Dr Anthea Hume of the University
of Reading gave me permission to use her unpublished 1961 doctoral
thesis, 'A Study of the Writings of the English Protestant Exiles, 1525-
35': as will be apparent, her pioneering work has influenced my
thinking at many points and I am glad to express in this book my
particular appreciation. Miss Joan Johnson, the Gloucestershire histo
rian, and Dr Joseph Bettey of the University of Bristol answered my
questions by return of post.
For help with pictures I am glad to thank Vanessa Champion-Smith
again and Tim Davies, Robert Ireland, Gertrude Starink, Andrew
Valentine and the Revd. Dr Morris West.