DIY Homeschooler

William Tyndale is best known for translating the Bible into English during the Reformation. This free eBook is part of the Men with a Mission series published in the late 1800s.

The biography is written by Rev. James J. Ellis, whose other works include biographies of:

• Charles Spurgeon.
• Mary Slessor.
• John Wesley.
• John Bunyan.
• Abraham Lincoln.

In this biography, the author covers Tyndale’s life and work pulling frequently from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. In the process, it also covers the history of the English version of the Bible.

Tyndale went back to the original Greek and Hebrew text to write his English translation. After finding a printer for his English New Testament, the 6000 copies were smuggled in bales of cotton. He began work on the English version of the Old Testament after mastering the Hebrew.

Because the council of clergy at Oxford had voted to forbid the Bible being put into the hands of the common people, Tyndale’s work was not allowed. This did not stop this “man with a mission.”

After his betrayal by a friend, he was martyred for his faith. His last words were: “Lord, open the king of England’s eyes.”

Less than a year later, King Henry VIII decreed that a Bible could be sold and read by those in his realm. Tyndale’s mission was accomplished.

Concerning Tyndale himself Dr. Stoughton justly remarks: “Tyndale was eminently a great man, great in mind and heart and enterprise. His intellectual endowments were of an order to render him a match in controversy with no less a personage than the illustrious Sir Thomas More. The qualities of his heart were as remarkable as those of his head. He combined a calm and steady heroism with a childlike simplicity. No man was ever more free from duplicity, more full of meekness, and at the same time more elevated in soul by a manly courage. Ever as in his great Taskmaster’s eye, he pursued his labours in obscurity and exile, reaping no earthly benefit whatever, and looking for no reward but the smile of his Heavenly Father.”

William Tyndale

William Tyndale is a very interesting work. The author approaches the subject with interest and the book is not dry or dull.

Obviously, because of the subject matter, this is a book for older students. But it could also be used as a read-aloud.

Free eBook

• Read online
• PDF
• Various formats (EPUB, Kindle)

Suggestions

• Have students provide an oral or written narration after reading each chapter.
• Create a timeline of events in the book.
• Locate a few of the important locations on a map (England, Germany).
• Create a character study for Tyndale.

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Additional Resources

Prince of Translators: William Tyndale
Article at Ligonier by Steven Lawson used as reference.

How We Got the Bible: A Visual Journey
Illustrated guide from Zondervan that we have enjoyed. Great for complete history.