Introducing Tyndale, published by the Banner of Truth Trust, paperback, 109 pages, £5.50, obtainable from the Free Presbyterian Bookroom.
William Tyndale deserves to be remembered wherever English is spoken for his pioneering work in translating the Bible into his native language. But Tyndale was not only a translator; he wrote several works in defence of the true religion (these occupy two substantial volumes in the current Banner of Truth reprint).
The main part of the book under review is an extract from Tyndale’s An Answer to Sir Thomas Moore’s Dialogue. Moore became Lord Chancellor of England in 1529. He fiercely opposed Protestant doctrines and was a persecutor of those he called heretics. Yet in 1980, amazingly, Moore was added to the Church of England’s “calendar of saints and heroes of the Christian Church”. Less surprisingly, Pope John Paul II made him patron saint of statesmen and politicians. In 1528, Moore wrote A Dialogue Concerning Heresies; it claimed that Rome was the one true Church, established by Christ and the Apostles; Moore defended her authority, traditions and practices. Tyndale’s 1531 Answer was from a firmly-Scriptural position.
The extract used to introduce Tyndale to twenty-first-century readers begins with his explanation of the Scripture meanings of the word church and of his translation of the word as congregation – which he did because “the clergy . . . had appropriate[d] unto themselves the term that of right is common unto all the whole congregation of them that believe in Christ”. Tyndale goes on to defend his use of repentance rather than penance – “when all the Scripture preacheth that Christ hath made full satisfaction for our sins to God-ward”. So he gives the testimony of Scripture: “Repent . . . and believe the gospel, or glad tidings, that is brought to you in Christ, and so shall all be forgiven you, and henceforth live a new life”. On the matter of women preaching one would wish that Tyndale had expressed himself differently, yet we should be very thankful for how sound his doctrine was.
Clearly the English in the extract is not altogether that of today, but it is manageable, with out-of-date words being explained in footnotes. The spelling has been updated, probably in the nineteenth century.
The book begins with a 29-page introduction by John Piper, which helpfully describes the historical background (though one would not necessarily recommend John Piper’s other writings, and why should Reformed readers be familiar with the world of “movies”?) The final 16 pages give a fine summary of “William Tyndale’s Legacy” by the late Robert Sheehan. He naturally begins with: “Since Tyndale the English [speaking] people have had the Bible available to them”. Other headings include: “Tyndale restored the authority of Scripture in the Church”, “Tyndale gave great emphasis to the doctrine of justification by faith alone”, and, “Tyndale laid the foundation for the Puritan commitment to holy living” – which does not include watching films. It is good that this generation should learn of this important figure, who suffered death for his remarkable efforts for the cause of Christ.