William Tyndale, priest and translator- 6 October

On a few Anglican calendars, October 6 commemorates William Tyndale (c. 1494-1536). He was from Gloucestershire and studied at Oxford and Cambridge. After unsuccessful attempts to gain official support for a translation of the Bible into English, he seems to have left England for the Continent in 1524. He is known to have resided in Hamburg and Antwerp and may have spent time in Wittenberg and other German cities. 

Like many during the period, his theology was in flux. Influences seem to have included English Lollardy and Renaissance Christian humanism as well as Lutheran and Reformed theologies. Of course, Tyndale's greatest work was translating the Bible from ancient languages into 16th-century English. The New Testament was published in 1526, and the Old Testament remained incomplete at his death. In 1535, he was arrested by Hapsburg officials at Antwerp in modern Belgium (possibly betrayed by agents of English bishops). In  October 1536, he was strangled at the stake and his body burned. Supposedly, Tyndale's last words were, "Lord, open the eyes of the King of England."

Tyndale's great legacy is in all subsequent English Bible translations. (He also influenced the development of the English language possibly more than Cranmer or Shakespeare.) Ironically, despite his early rejection by English officials, Tyndale's work became the basis of works by Miles Coverdale, John Rogers, and several "official" translations during the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Tyndale's work also influenced the Roman Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible of 1582 and 1609-10. The great majority of words in the Authorized or King James Version of 1611 reflect Tyndale, and later revisions such as the Revised Standard Version and the English Standard Version continue the English translation tradition started by Tyndale.

Thus, all English-speaking Christians are indebted to the efforts of William Tyndale. He loved the Bible more than his own life, and he left a legacy for people with diverse theologies. May the Lord open all our eyes to the truths of Holy Scripture!