Maddie (Cromar) Senator

History of the English Language

Tyndale Biography Review
Daniell, David. William Tyndale: A Biography. USA: Yale. 1994. Print.
This detail-rich book about William Tyndales life is written by a man with a lot of
learning on the subject. David Daniell studied at Oxford and there received his Bachelor of Arts,
Master of Arts, and a BA degree in theology. He later received a postgraduate degree at the
University of Tubingen as well as a PhD in Shakespeare studies from the University of London,
where he became a professor of English. Daniell has written several other books on Tyndale as
well and founded the Tyndale Society, which aims to spread knowledge about Tyndales life and
works and encourage further study of him. Daniell teaches that without Tyndale, there would
have been no Shakespeare. Since Shakespeare used many allusions to the Bible in his works, he
is indebted to Tyndale.
In this biography, Daniell explains the massive importance of Tyndales contributions to
the English language as a translator of the Bible into English. Daniell explains that King Jamess
celebrated Authorized Version of the Bible is actually a completion and slight revision of
Tyndales work: nine-tenths of the New Testament and the first half of the Old Testament are
due to him. Whats more, Tyndale was an exceptionally talented linguist who knew eight
languages including Greek and Hebrew, which were not spoken with any degree of proficiency
by most English people at his time (3). When Tyndale translated, he strove to be clear above all
else (149). He was talented enough to preserve the sense of the original Hebrew or Greek rather
than the literal words in circumstances where it was logical. Because of his careful work,
Tyndale has left a long list of phrases that are now common in the English language. According
to Daniell, at a time when English was struggling to find a form that was neither Latin nor

French, Tyndale gave the nation a Bible language that was English in word-order and lilt, one
that has lasted to this day (3).
Tyndale was able to produce a Bible that has lasted for so long and affected so
many lives for of several reasons. Tyndale came from a family of prosperous wool
manufacturers and merchants, and was thus likely exposed to many languages at a young age
(14). Tyndale was well educated, studying Greek, Latin, and theology at Oxford where he
received his MA. Martin Luther had already translated the Bible from Latin into German, but
when Tyndale began his work he did not copy Luthers but created an important English work.
Daniell emphasizes that Tyndale was his own man, seeming to follow Luthers version in some
places, but only when he agreed that what was written was correct. Tyndale showed a striking
avoidance of complicated or technical abstract words, going for plain vocabulary, as concrete as
possible, and had a desire always to give the doctrine whole (125). He used monosyllabic
English words much more often than polysyllabic Latin words (330), and phrase after phrase
came from English life as lived in the 1520s by English people, such as a city that is set on a
hill cannot be hid and no man can serve two masters (135).
Tyndale probably had no idea how much his translation would come to influence English
speakers of the world, but he did know that he had been called of God. It was his goal that a boy
that driveth the plough shall know more of the Scripture than learned men (3). Many of the
clergy in England couldnt even read the Latin Bible, yet the laypeople had to take their word as
doctrine. As a result, Tyndale translated with the goal of absolute clarity in mind (149).
Tyndales genius (136) with the English language gave us the Bible that Christians are so
familiar with today. For example, one of the reasons the church leaders in England were so angry
with him is because he translated some words to have very different meanings from what was in

the Latin vulgate. For example, he translated the Greek ekklesia to congregation, implying that
the gathering of Christians together is a congregation of equals, not a church of divisions and
hierarchies, thus saying that the Catholic leaders were not essential (122). Tyndale gave the
plain scriptural word to the English people and allowed them to interpret it with their own hearts.
Tyndale was very aware of different registers in the New Testament and translated them
into English accordingly. There is a noticeable difference in the way he writes a parable, a high
and dramatic event, or a casual journal-type entry (139). Even now, Tyndales English Bible
feels very modern and more accessible than the Authorized Version that came out almost one
hundred years later (135). Daniell tells us that Tyndale had insight into the Greek such as no
other scholar or translator had at the time (317), and for that, readers of the English New
Testament are indebted to Tyndale.
Although Tyndale was martyred before he could complete his work, English Bible
readers are indebted to him for much of the Old Testament as well as the New. Daniell explains
that Tyndales Genesis was something strikingly new. He was translating not the Latin, but the
Hebrew. And he was writing recognizable English (284). Almost no one in England during
Tyndales time even knew of the existence of the Hebrew language, and it would have been very
difficult to learn. The fact that Tyndale could translate Hebrew so well, and into such English
that reflected the Hebrew sense, is astounding. It was he who first translated the Hebrew name
for Christ into EnglishJehovahthus introducing English readers to the Lord for the first time
(318). Tyndales translation makes the most sense of all the other Bible translations, including
Luthers, the Authorized Version, and the Latin vulgate, and its legacy has been passed down
through many English readers over the centuries.

Although Daniells book is very dense, his meticulous attention to detail proves that he
has researched Tyndales life exhaustively and can be considered an expert on the subject. When
a conclusion about Tyndales life is uncertain, Daniell is quick to point it out. But he also
explains with thorough evidence why he has reached a conclusion, assuring readers that he truly
knows of which he speaks. Daniells passion for his research is obvious. The book could have
been much shorter had Daniell focused exclusively on Tyndales life and avoided discussing all
the intricacies of the political and religious world he was a part of and all the people who may
have had a connection to Tyndale, no matter how small. However, as Daniell said several times
in the biography, much research is yet to be done on Tyndale. Why leave out anything that could
be of help to other researchers when Daniells research has already been done?
That being said, there were some times in the book when it was hard to follow Daniells
narrative. He would mention the name of a historical person or throw out references to the
Council of Trent and assume that his readers would be familiar with them. If his intended
audience was mainly other scholars of Tyndale, perhaps he was justified in this, but for the
average reader, a brief explanation would be helpful. The book is thick enough that a few more
pages wouldnt hurt it. Also, although it can be imagined that editing this book must have been a
difficult task, there were some problem areas in the text. For example, on page 340, there are two
occurrences of the word as right next to each other, and there were some confusing sentences.
The punctuation of the book could also be confusing at times, with commas put in at strange
places. However, these are trivial issues, and the book as a whole is a magnificent and thorough
work that scholars of the Bible, the 1500s, Shakespeare, and even just the interested reader will
gain much from reading. Daniell is to be commended and thanked for shedding more light on the
life of the great William Tyndale and giving him the attention and remembrance he deserves.