A Bible Built for a New Audience
In 1526, William Tyndale published an English New Testament. It was the first English Bible to be mass-produced, and by 1536 perhaps 16,000 copies were circulating in England. Because it was printed abroad and smuggled into the country, possessing its ideas could be an act of religious defiance.
Translation as Argument
Tyndale’s choices did more than make Scripture readable. They reflected Protestant theology. He translated the Greek word charis as “favour” rather than “grace,” reducing emphasis on sacraments as channels through which grace was given. He used “love” rather than “charity,” weakening the traditional association between salvation and good works.
For metanoeite, Tyndale chose “repent” rather than “do penance.” The first suggested an inward turning toward God; the second supported the Catholic sacrament of confession. His New Testament also included an epilogue explaining Luther’s teaching that people were justified by faith alone.
Words Enter the Struggle
These decisions challenged teachings about confession, penance, purgatory, and the role of priests. The printed Bible helped Protestant ideas reach academics, merchants, and other readers connected to continental Europe. At Cambridge, reform-minded students gathered at the White Horse tavern, earning the nickname “Little Germany.”
Tyndale’s influence lasted far beyond the immediate crisis. His translation formed the basis of subsequent English translations until the twentieth century. The English Reformation was fought not only in royal proclamations and churches, but also in the meanings of ordinary words.