William Tyndale

Tyndale, William (c. 1494–1536), English biblical translator. A Roman Catholic priest, he translated the New Testament from Greek and Hebrew to the English vernacular in his effort to stem church corruption, but he was unable to get his work published in England. He left for Germany in 1524, where he succeeded; he then had copies smuggled into England. While in Germany, he befriended Martin Luther and was strongly influenced by him. Despite the ban on his translated Bibles in England, Tyndale wrote tracts defending the English Reformation. In 1535 he was arrested by Roman Catholic authorities in Antwerp, Belgium, tried and convicted of heresy, and the following year was executed. His translations form the basis of the King James (Authorized) Version of the Bible, which is in common usage today.

See also: Bible.