Anonymous
ID: q+ImI9s4
7/9/2025, 10:16:47 PM No.509949661
Historians generally agree that William Tyndale was executed primarily for translating the Bible into English, an act deemed heretical by the English church authorities and the Catholic Church during his time. Key points from historical perspectives include: • David Daniell, in his biography William Tyndale: A Biography (1994), argues that Tyndale’s translation threatened the ecclesiastical monopoly on scripture, as it empowered laypeople to interpret the Bible, clashing with the church’s control over religious doctrine. • *Brian Moynahan, in God’s Bestseller: William Tyndale, Thomas More, and the Writing of the English Bible (2003), emphasizes that Tyndale’s work was seen as a direct challenge to the authority of the Latin Vulgate and the Catholic hierarchy, leading to his prosecution for heresy. • John Foxe, in his Acts and Monuments (1563, also known as Foxe’s Book of Martyrs), documents Tyndale’s execution as a result of his biblical translation efforts, portraying him as a martyr for making scripture accessible to the common people. • *Eamon Duffy, in The Stripping of the Altars (1992), notes that the church viewed Tyndale’s translation, especially his inclusion of reformist notes, as a subversive act that fueled Protestant ideas, prompting his arrest and execution in 1536. These historians highlight that Tyndale’s death was a direct consequence of his translation work, which was outlawed by English authorities under Henry VIII, who, despite later breaking with Rome, initially supported the suppression of vernacular Bibles. Tyndale was betrayed, arrested in Antwerp, and executed after a trial for heresy.
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