The Broken Wharfe Podcast EP 46 The 1526 Revolution: William Tyndale and His English New Testament - Ft. Stephane Simonnin
In this episode, we're joined by Stephane Simonnin and Oliver Allmand-Smith to explore the extraordinary story of William Tyndale and his groundbreaking English translation of the New Testament. Published in 1526, Tyndale's work defied the religious authorities of his day and forever changed the course of the English language, the Christian faith, and Western civilization.
Topics covered:
Who was William Tyndale and what drove him?
Learning Greek and Hebrew in 16th-century England
Fleeing to Germany to translate and print the New Testament
The role of English merchants in smuggling Bibles
Why the Church feared the Bible in English
Tyndale's translation choices: "congregation" vs. "church"
The lasting legacy of 1526 for Protestantism and Bible translation
Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction & Welcome
1:00 - Meet Stephane Simonnin
4:12 - Tyndale's Life & Biographical Background
8:29 - What Prepared Tyndale for His Great Work?
13:00 - The Impact of Tyndale's English New Testament
14:26 - Why Translating the Bible into English Was So Dangerous
18:22 - Why Were Authorities So Opposed to the Bible in English?
19:58 - What People Discovered (and Didn't Find) in the New Testament
20:49 - Parallels Between Tyndale's Era and Christ's Ministry
22:11 - Reformation, Not Revolution: Going Back to the Bible
26:00 - Was Tyndale a Separatist? His Translation Choices
28:30 - The Tension Between Personal Bible Reading & Preaching
32:32 - The Logistics: Merchants, Printers & Smuggling Bibles
36:47 - Tyndale's Romantic Zeal & the Plowboy Quote
40:52 - Tyndale's Legacy 500 Years On
41:08 - The 1689 Confession on Scripture in the Vulgar Tongue
44:14 - A Catholic Cardinal's View of the Reformation
45:49 - Closing Thoughts & Farewell
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