Tyndale's New Testament

William Tyndale (?1494 –1536) was an English scholar who became a leading figure in Protestant reform in the years leading up to his execution. He is known for his translation of the Bible into English. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther. A number of partial translations had been made from the seventh century onward, but the spread of Wycliffe's Bible led to the death penalty for anyone found in unlicensed possession of Scripture in English--though translations were available in all other major European languages.

Tyndale's translation was the first English Bible to draw directly from Hebrew and Greek texts, the first English one to take advantage of the printing press, and first of the new English Bibles of the Reformation. It was taken to be a direct challenge to the hegemony of both the Roman Catholic Church and the laws of England maintaining the church's position.