William Tyndale
During the early 1500’s, nearly four hundred men and women gave their lives fighting for protestant reformation. During this time, the Roman Catholic Church controlled much of Europe and was very powerful and corrupt. Many Christians broke away from the Catholic Church, seeking reformation. It started with Martin Luther and his “95 Theses” in 1517, and continued into the next century. These brave men and women believed that salvation came from faith in Jesus alone, not by works, and that the Bible should be in the people’s hands, not just the high priesthood of the Catholic Church. William Tyndale, one influential Christian Reformer, was called by God to translate the Bible into English and share the good news that everyone is saved not by works, but by faith alone (Pettinger). He followed this calling, influencing numerous people, to the point of death. William Tyndale is one of the most influential figures in early protestant reform because of his translation of the Bible into English, his use of the printing press, and his unwavering faith in God.
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Tyndale was called by God to translate the Bible into English. He believed the Bible should be available in English and to all people. The Catholic Church was very corrupt and power hungry. They controlled and regulated all Bibles because they wanted to keep their power. The Church was afraid that they would lose their power if the people of the church read the Bible for themselves. To keep this from happening, they used the Latin Bible that was hard to understand and “filtered the Bible,” preaching only what they wanted the people to hear. Also, translating the Bible was made illegal. This corruption motivated Tyndale. He wanted people to be able to read and understand scripture directly and not through the filter of the church (Pettinger). He was willing to take a step of faith, even with the risk of being arrested or killed. Translating the Bible was his passion. Being a well-educated man, he was ready for the task ahead of him. Tyndale knew seven languages, including Greek and Hebrew, like a native (“William Tyndale – Translator of the first English New Testament.”). He used the original Greek and Hebrew language to translate the New and Old Testament into a modern, easy to read English Bible (Daniell 288). Whenever Tyndale translated, he used every day words and created a rhythmic pattern, making sure to always be clear in his writing (Daniell 92). Daniell explains that “The Word of God must speak directly in a way that can be understood by the reader alone. The bare text, if given whole, will interpret itself” (141). Tyndale created a “language for the Word of God which speaks to the heart” (Daniell 135). Before William Tyndale’s death in 1536, he completed the entire New Testament and half of the Old Testament (Daniell 278).
His translation opened the flood gates of biblical knowledge for all generations to come (Daniell 279). Tyndale made it possible for men and women to read and understand God’s Word in their own homes. Readers of his translation were “brought to the light of the Gospel” and empowered to stand up for their faith (Daniell 196). Some even gave their life standing up for Christianity (Daniell 196). Tyndale’s Bible did not only influence the people of his time; it continues to influence the people of today. Tyndale’s Bible became the basis for all English Bibles (Scott). It is estimated that around 80% of the King James Bible is Tyndale’s (“William Tyndale – Translator of the first English New Testament.”) This means the Bible of today is a result of Tyndale’s work as a
translator. Tyndale’s success in translating and dispersing Bibles was dependent on the printing press. The invention made printing faster and cheaper, increasing the mass production of Bibles. This greatly impacted Tyndale’s goal of getting The Word to the people (Daniell 176). Tyndale translated and printed the Bible in the city of Cologne, Worms, and finally Antwerp (Daniell 108). Each city had a printing press Tyndale could use to print the Bible (Daniell 169). After completing the New Testament in Worms, six thousand copies were smuggled back into England (Daniell 134). The wide spread of Bibles throughout England would not have been possible without the printing press. The invention allowed Tyndale’s Bible to reach the hands of many. The success Tyndale had in translating is remarkable, and so was his faith! Tyndale’s entire life was devoted to God. He lived the life of a servant, translating and writing for the benefit of others. Also, he had the courage and faith to stand up to the Church. Despite the risks, William Tyndale continually followed God’s calling for his life, until his arrest in 1535 (Daniell 361). Even then he shared God’s Word, converting the prison keeper and his daughter (Daniell 381). Soon after his arrest, William Tyndale was condemned as a heretic, degraded from the priesthood, and handed over to the authorities for punishment (Daniell 374). Finally, Tyndale was strangled to death and burned at the stake (Daniell 382). His last words were, “Lord, open the king of England’s eyes” (Daniell 383). His final prayer was answered just four years later when King Henry VIII demanded for the printing of English translations, which were heavily based on Tyndale’s translations (“William Tyndale – Translator of the first English New Testament.”). Tyndale’s life is a testament of true faith. He never backed down and always followed God’s calling for his life. He is an inspiration to others. William Tyndale’s faith in Jesus empowered him to do amazing things. Because of his faith, his translation of the Bible into English, and his use of the printing press, William Tyndale influenced millions. It is said that his work as a translator has influenced the English language more than even Shakespeare (Daniell 2). Tyndale’s life is a true example of faith. Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Tyndale was strong and courageous, and the Lord used him in mighty ways.
Roland H. Bainton opens the door to the life of Martin Luther one the greatest theologians of all time. Dr. Bainton, who was a minister along with serving as a faculty member for forty-two years at Yale’s school of Divinity. Mr. Bainton celebrates the life of this great Christian leader, by bringing to life one of the greatest events in the history of the Christian church and society which was the Great Reformation of the fifteen hundreds. The church-history changing act of nailing his 95 theses to the church door of Wittenberg on October 31, 1517 set Luther on course to become a man worthy of study by those who follow him and seek biblical truth. In Dr. Bainton’s work “Here I Stand” we will investigate Martin Luther’s stand
James Kittelson’s biography on the life of Luther is thought provoking and informative. Kittelson does not have a concise thesis, but as it is a biography the central theme of Luther the Reformer is an insightful narrative of Martin Luther’s life from his birth in Eisleben until his death on February 18, 1546 in Eisleben. Kittelson thoroughly and with great detail and sources explains Luther’s mission to reform the catholic church. Luther the Reformer seeks to condense Luther’s life in a manner which is more easily read for those who do not know the reformer’s story well. Luther is portrayed not only as a theologian throughout the book, but as a person with struggles and connections throughout the Germanic region in which he lived. Luther’s theology is portrayed throughout the entirety of the book, and Kittelson approaches Luther’s theology by explaining Luther’s past. The inclusion of
Out of the plays that we could have chosen to produce, I have decided to go with Molière’s, “Tartuffe.” This play is a comedy that comes from 17th century France and is heavily influenced by two large sources of experience for Molière. Those sources are the rules and structure for a play put in place by the French academy and the lessons of improvisation taught by the Commedia dell’Arte. This piece is written in fives acts that are in a unique alexandrine style of verse which have 12 syllables in a line and usually ends with rhyming words. The reason I chose this play is because, in my opinion, things like television, movies, plays, and other forms of media and entertainment are meant to transport you away from all the bad things happening in real life and focus you on something fun and/or interesting. I find this play to have a lot of fun moments that can be mined for even more comedy and I think it has the good chance to keep a large audience entertained for a long period of time. To accomplish my goal I will use elements of situational comedies, France in the 1660’s, and one of Molière’s plays, “A school for girls.”
First, before exploring Luther’s rejection of the peasant revolt, one must examine his explanation of Christian freedom. Written in 1520, The Freedom of a Christian proclaimed the new freedom to be found in salvation by faith alone. His doctrine liberated people from works but also from the laws of the Old Testament. Salvation was found in the promise of Go...
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The protestant reformation of 16th century had both: immediate and long term effects. Thus, we can see that it was a revolution of understanding the essence of religion, and of what God is. The protestant reformation is said to a religious movement. However, it also influenced the economical, political and social life of people. The most global, short term effect of the reformation was the reevaluation of beliefs, and, as a result, the loss of authority of the Holy Roman Empire. The long term effects were: the emergence of new heretical movements, the declining of papacy, thus the reevaluation of people’s view on the church and life values.
While numerous theological issues had been brewing for some time, the Reformation was officially began in 1517 by a man named Martin Luther. Martin Luther was a professor of biblical theology who had several issues with the Catholic Church. His complaints or disputes with the Catholic Church are known as his 95 Theses. In his 95 Theses, Martin Luther argued that God offers salvation through faith alone and that religious authority comes from the Bible alone which posed a challenge to the authority of the Catholic Church. After sparking the Reformation, Martin Luther made it his goal to incorporate the church congregation in the praise and worship part of church service. A detrimental and vital aspect of Christianity, Martin Luther believed this needed to be done. Along with his followers, Martin Luther made continuous...
During Luther’s early life he faced a severe inner crisis. When he sinned he looked for comfort in confession and followed the penance, the fasting, prayer and observances that the church directed him. But, he found no peace of mind and worried about his salvation. But reading St. Paul’s letters he came to believe that salvation came though faith in Christ. Faith is a free gift, he discovered, it cannot be earned. His studies led him to a conclusion that, “Christ was the only mediator between God and a man and that forgiveness of sin and salvation are given by god’s grace alone” (Martin Luther, 01). Historians agree that, “this approach to theology led to a clash between Luther and the Church officials, precipitating the dramatic events of Reformation”.
This quote by Gene Nowlin in his book The Paraphrased Perversion of the Bible summarizes the composition of the Bible. Throughout life, Christians grasp tightly to these words of God in hopes to inherit the Kingdom of God one day. In order to do this, they must study the Bible closely and apply it to their lives daily. Without the proper Bible, this may become a difficult task to accomplish. Although the various translations of the Christian Bible are exceptionally similar in their message, some have quite a few differences and perversions that set them apart from one another. Many of them even leave out several potentially important verses in their revision. These variations contribute to the justification of one translation being more reliable and accurate than the other versions.
The Protestant Reformation was a major European movement in the 16th century that reformed the Catholic Church. The Reformation imposed in medieval Christianity, this was toward the beginning of the modern era. A German Augustinian by the name of Martin Luther King (1483-1546) put a document called the 95 thesis in a town called Wittenburg. HIs 95 thesis challenged some important Roman Catholic beliefs.
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Tyndale had been forced to flee England, because of the wide-spread rumor that his English New Testament project was underway. Furious inquisitors and bounty hunters searched constantly for Tyndale's trail to arrest him and eliminate his project. Devine intervention stopped their plans, and in 1525-1526 the Tyndale New Testament became the first printed edition of the scripture in the English language. Subsequent printings of the Tyndale New Testament in the 1530's were often elaborately illustrated. They were burned as soon as the Bishop could confiscate them, but copies trickled through and actually ended up in the bedroom of King Henry VIII.
Martin Luther demonstrated the visionary leadership characteristics of change management, diversity, FRLD, and team building to begin a reformation. He started his reform in 1517 when he learned that the Roman Catholic Church was selling indulgences ,a ticket to heaven, in order to rebuild St. Peter’s Basilica. With the individual consideration of others in mind, he recognized this as immoral and saw the need for change and took on the role as change agent. Using the conceptual approach by focusing on principles, ideas and alternatives, he established a sense of urgency when he wrote his Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences, better known as his 95 Theses. In these theses, he reiterates some of the founding beliefs of the church in an effort to initiate change. He then distributes the information to the public in order to include them and stimulate their intellect and then set up a place of meeting to seek different perspectives. He then delivers the same theses to church directors to involve the respected leaders in order to develop his guiding coalition. Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education LM06-2SG Change Management (1 Mar 13) step 2 Creating the Guiding Coalition asserts that “assembling ...