Celebrating 500 Years of the English New Testament (1526 – 2026)
This year marks the 500th anniversary of one of the most world-changing books ever printed: William Tyndale’s English New Testament.
Published in 1526, it was the first printed version of the New Testament translated directly from the original Greek into English.
It was banned, burned and branded heresy, yet it ignited a movement that transformed our language, our literature and our faith.
A Man with a Mission
William Tyndale was born in 1494 in Gloucestershire, England. Gifted with languages, he eventually mastered eight and, educated at Oxford and Cambridge, his deepest passion was not scholarship but Scripture.
In an age when the Bible was chained to pulpits and locked in Latin, Tyndale longed for ordinary people to hear and read God’s Word in the language of their hearts. ‘If God spare my life,’ he vowed, ‘I will cause a boy that driveth the plough to know more of the Scripture than thou dost.’
That single sentence lit the fuse of the English Reformation.
Faith That Would Not Flee
When permission to translate was denied, Tyndale left England and became a fugitive for the faith. From Hamburg to Cologne, Worms to Antwerp, he worked by candlelight, translating in secret and printing under threat of death.
In 1526 his English New Testament began slipping back into England, smuggled in bales of cloth and barrels of grain. The authorities were furious. Copies were seized and burned at St Paul’s Cross in London. Yet the attempt to destroy God’s Word only spread it further. Tyndale’s faith was forged in danger and defined by devotion. ‘I never altered one syllable of God’s Word against my conscience,’ he wrote.
Focus That Never Faltered
For more than a decade Tyndale laboured tirelessly, translating, revising, refining. He gave us not only the New Testament but also the Pentateuch and portions of the Old Testament.
Phrases that still shape our speech flowed from his pen:
‘Let there be light.’
‘The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’
‘Fight the good fight.’
He wrote for clarity, not cleverness; for understanding. His goal was not to impress the scholar but to bless the shepherd, the farmer, the child.
Fearlessness That Faced Fire
Betrayal came in 1535. A false friend, Henry Phillips, led officers to his hiding place in Antwerp. Tyndale was arrested and imprisoned in Vilvoorde, a small town just north of Brussels, Belgium, where he spent eighteen cold, lonely months in a damp cell.
In one letter from prison, he did not beg for release but asked for a warmer coat, a lamp and, most movingly, his Hebrew Bible and grammar books ‘that I might spend my time in that study’.
On 6th October 1536 he was led from his cell to the stake. There, he was strangled and then burned, condemned for giving the Bible to ordinary people in their own language. As the flames rose, his final words rang through the air, a prayer that still reverberates through the centuries: ‘Lord, open the King of England’s eyes!’
Within two years that prayer was answered. King Henry VIII authorised the publication of an English Bible, much of it built upon Tyndale’s translation.
His Legacy Lives On
More than 80 per cent of the King James Version’s New Testament retains Tyndale’s phrasing. His words still shape our prayers, our hymns and our understanding of God. Tyndale’s life reminds us that authentic faith is not about comfort but about courage; not about applause but about obedience. His faith did not shrink, his focus did not shift and his fearlessness did not stop, even at the stake.
A Challenge for Us Today
We live in an age of abundance: dozens of Bible translations at our fingertips, apps on our phones, podcasts in our ears. Yet do we treasure the Word as he did?
Tyndale gave his life so that we might hold God’s Word in our hands. The best way to honour him is to open it, read it, live it and share it.
Let us also pray for Bible translators around the world still labouring so that every tribe and tongue may hear. There remain about 540 languages still waiting for translation work to begin.
And remember this simple truth:
If you want to hear God speak, read the Bible.
If you want to hear God speak audibly, read it out loud.
This year, Killy and I are reading through the entire Bible and encourage you to do the same. A wonderful guide is the classic Robert Murray M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan, which takes you through the New Testament and Psalms twice each year and the rest of Scripture once.
Who was M’Cheyne? Born in Edinburgh in 1813, he was a Scottish minister known for holiness, humility and heartfelt preaching. Though he died aged just 29, his devotional reading plan continues to nourish believers worldwide.
The Museum of the Bible
If you ever visit Washington DC, take time to explore the Museum of the Bible, a 430,000-square-foot masterpiece devoted to the story, history and impact of Scripture. From ancient manuscripts to cutting-edge immersive exhibits, it brings the Bible to life with awe-inspiring beauty and imagination.
It stands today as a modern tribute to the same conviction that blazed in Tyndale’s heart: God’s Word changes everything
‘The Word of God is that which we live by and that which shall judge us.’
(William Tyndale)
May the fire that burned in Tyndale’s heart burn in ours, faith unashamed, focus undistracted, and fearlessness that proclaims Christ to our world.
A Prayer
Lord, thank you for William Tyndale, for his courage, conviction and costly obedience. Thank you for every translator who labours so others may hear and read your Word.
Thank you for your Word. May we love it, live it and share it.
Give us faith that will not flinch, focus that will not fade, and fearlessness that will not fail.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
J.John
