¤[Theme Music]¤ 00:01:30.05\00:01:40.10 ¤[Theme Music]¤ 00:01:40.10\00:01:47.30 This is It Is Written, in John Bradshaw, 00:01:49.37\00:01:52.57 thanks for joining me. 00:01:52.61\00:01:54.38 In rural England there stands a monument 00:01:54.41\00:01:57.61 to one of the great heroes of the reformation. 00:01:57.65\00:02:01.72 While he grew up a long way from the center of attention, 00:02:01.75\00:02:04.39 he's remembered as one of the giants of history. 00:02:04.42\00:02:09.26 While others formulated doctrine, 00:02:09.29\00:02:11.36 while others were preaching and teaching, 00:02:11.39\00:02:14.10 this man poured himself into translating and printing 00:02:14.10\00:02:19.50 his legacy is the Bible. 00:02:19.53\00:02:23.20 The Bible, one volume, two divisions, 00:02:29.24\00:02:33.01 the old and the New Testaments. 00:02:33.05\00:02:35.35 It's made up of 66 individual books. 00:02:35.38\00:02:38.49 Some of them are very short, 2nd John has just 13 verses. 00:02:38.52\00:02:42.92 3rd John has one more verse, but fewer words. 00:02:42.96\00:02:46.49 The book of Jude, only 25 verses. 00:02:46.53\00:02:50.30 Some books of the Bible are very long. 00:02:50.33\00:02:52.17 The book of psalms has 150 chapters 00:02:52.20\00:02:54.87 including the Bible's longest chapter psalm 119. 00:02:54.90\00:03:00.14 There are 1,189 chapters in the Bible, 00:03:00.18\00:03:04.55 more than three quarters of a million words. 00:03:04.58\00:03:07.32 It was written by shepherds, 00:03:07.35\00:03:09.08 farmers, 00:03:09.12\00:03:09.75 merchants, 00:03:09.78\00:03:10.75 scholars, 00:03:10.79\00:03:11.49 statesmen and kings, 00:03:11.52\00:03:13.52 the majority of whom had never met each other. 00:03:13.56\00:03:16.56 And the Bible says some pretty remarkable things about itself. 00:03:16.59\00:03:20.76 1 Peter 1:23 says that people are born again 00:03:20.80\00:03:25.47 through the word of God, which lives and abides forever. 00:03:25.50\00:03:29.64 The early Christian's tested the teachings of the apostles 00:03:29.67\00:03:32.14 by the Old Testament. 00:03:32.17\00:03:33.94 Jesus called God's word the truth in John 17:17. 00:03:33.98\00:03:39.41 Psalm 119 verse nine says, 00:03:39.45\00:03:42.08 "How can a young man cleanse his way? 00:03:42.12\00:03:45.39 By taking heed according to Your word." 00:03:45.42\00:03:48.89 Same chapter verse 130, 00:03:48.92\00:03:50.79 the entrance of Your words gives light. 00:03:50.83\00:03:54.83 It gives understanding to the simple. 00:03:54.83\00:03:58.30 And David said on the 105th verse of the same psalm, 00:03:58.33\00:04:02.20 "Thy word is A lamp unto my feet. 00:04:02.24\00:04:05.41 And a light under my path." 00:04:05.44\00:04:09.04 So if this is true, that the Bible is the truth, 00:04:09.08\00:04:13.35 that it cleanses, 00:04:13.38\00:04:14.32 that people are born again by it, 00:04:14.35\00:04:16.32 that it's a lamp and a light. 00:04:16.35\00:04:18.12 If that's true, then imagine a world with no Bible. 00:04:18.15\00:04:23.73 It's not that hard to imagine. 00:04:23.76\00:04:29.60 Back in Jesus day, the scriptures, and remember, 00:04:29.63\00:04:32.77 in Christ's day they only had the Old Testament scriptures, 00:04:32.80\00:04:35.97 back then the scriptures formed the framework 00:04:36.00\00:04:39.64 or the basis for society. 00:04:39.67\00:04:41.38 The word of God was widely taught, 00:04:41.41\00:04:43.95 and people had a good working knowledge 00:04:43.98\00:04:46.31 of what we today would recognize as the first 00:04:46.35\00:04:49.38 39 books of the Bible, the Old Testament. 00:04:49.42\00:04:53.36 But several hundred years after 00:04:53.39\00:04:55.52 the founding of the Christian church, by people such as 00:04:55.56\00:04:58.53 Peter and James and John, 00:04:58.56\00:05:00.70 non-biblical traditions and teachings 00:05:00.73\00:05:03.13 started to seep into christianity. 00:05:03.16\00:05:06.23 Some of the plainest teachings of the Bible were ignored. 00:05:06.27\00:05:10.97 If the entrance of God's word gives light, 00:05:11.01\00:05:14.71 then the obscuring of God's word 00:05:14.74\00:05:16.64 led to a period of some real spiritual darkness. 00:05:16.68\00:05:21.15 How did it happen? 00:05:22.48\00:05:23.85 In the 4th century AD, the Roman emperor Constantine, 00:05:23.89\00:05:28.16 Constantine the great, he became known as, 00:05:28.19\00:05:30.99 converted to christianity. 00:05:31.03\00:05:33.13 It was a nominal conversion 00:05:33.16\00:05:35.46 and Constantine never really abandoned paganism. 00:05:35.50\00:05:39.50 As a result, a number of pagan practices 00:05:39.53\00:05:42.60 became established within the Christian faith. 00:05:42.64\00:05:44.64 For example, the early Christians 00:05:47.31\00:05:49.48 practiced baptism by immersion, 00:05:49.51\00:05:52.25 but over time, infant baptism found its way into the church. 00:05:52.28\00:05:56.72 The venerating of relics was certainly not practiced by 00:05:56.75\00:05:58.99 the early Christians, but that too found its way 00:05:59.02\00:06:01.52 into Christianity shortly after Constantine was baptized. 00:06:01.56\00:06:04.93 The early Christians did not confess their sins to a priest, 00:06:04.96\00:06:09.43 but that found its way into church practice as well. 00:06:09.46\00:06:12.57 Now, there were some Christians who clung to the Bible 00:06:12.60\00:06:17.37 as their rule of faith and practice, 00:06:17.41\00:06:20.24 but over time the church began to drift more and more 00:06:20.28\00:06:25.61 away from the word of God. 00:06:25.65\00:06:29.12 Now come down to the 16th century, 00:06:29.15\00:06:31.52 by this time, the ruling church had been in power 00:06:31.55\00:06:34.62 for more than a 1,000 years, 00:06:34.66\00:06:36.36 and many non-biblical practices had become deeply entrenched, 00:06:36.39\00:06:41.76 worse than that, the Bible itself had become 00:06:41.80\00:06:45.13 virtually inaccessible to the vast majority of the people. 00:06:45.17\00:06:49.57 In many places, the Bible was banned. 00:06:49.60\00:06:52.34 People were forbidden to read it or to possess it. 00:06:52.37\00:06:56.18 Here in England in Coventry, 00:06:56.21\00:06:58.31 a dozen people became known as the Coventry Martyrs 00:06:58.35\00:07:01.52 after they lost their lives, they were executed, 00:07:01.55\00:07:04.72 because it was known that they disagreed 00:07:04.75\00:07:06.15 with some of the practices of the established church. 00:07:06.19\00:07:08.92 One of them was a woman who was found to have in her possession 00:07:08.96\00:07:13.03 a handwritten copy of the Lord's prayer, 00:07:13.06\00:07:15.50 The Ten Commandments and the Apostles' Creed. 00:07:15.53\00:07:18.87 She was burned at the stake for that. 00:07:18.90\00:07:22.70 There are hundreds of stories just like it, thousands even. 00:07:22.74\00:07:27.28 After centuries of drifting from the Bible, 00:07:27.31\00:07:30.58 the Word of God was out of the reach of the people. 00:07:30.61\00:07:34.22 The darkness that existed was almost palpable, 00:07:34.25\00:07:38.15 but here in England heroes stood tall, 00:07:38.19\00:07:41.79 who would cause the light of the Bible to shine again. 00:07:41.82\00:07:46.59 John Wycliffe who was born in around 1328, 00:07:50.33\00:07:53.54 became known as the morning star of the reformation. 00:07:53.57\00:07:57.17 In the 14th century the peasant class were essentially slaves, 00:07:57.21\00:08:01.14 and the influence of the ruling church was enormous. 00:08:01.18\00:08:04.51 The catholic church essentially controlled the country 00:08:04.55\00:08:08.82 and by later in the 14th century, 00:08:08.85\00:08:10.49 the pope was receiving five times as much 00:08:10.52\00:08:13.89 gold from the government of 00:08:13.92\00:08:15.09 England as was the king. 00:08:15.12\00:08:18.09 And when it came to the teaching of God's word, 00:08:18.13\00:08:20.10 the people were living in superstition and fear 00:08:20.13\00:08:23.13 as priests as well as traveling monks and Friars 00:08:23.16\00:08:26.60 kept the people in spiritual darkness. 00:08:26.63\00:08:30.47 It was a common practice for the monks 00:08:30.51\00:08:32.57 to sell forgiveness of sin. 00:08:32.61\00:08:34.91 They would live in luxury, 00:08:34.94\00:08:36.48 fleecing the flock instead of feeding the flock. 00:08:36.51\00:08:39.98 The people were kept in darkness by monks 00:08:40.02\00:08:42.18 who were barely less ignorant of the scriptures than they were. 00:08:42.22\00:08:46.02 In 1365 pope Urban the 5th 00:08:46.05\00:08:49.06 demanded that England submit entirely to the authority 00:08:49.09\00:08:52.76 of the church of Rome, 00:08:52.79\00:08:54.03 which would have been an admission on England's part 00:08:54.10\00:08:56.97 that the pope was the legitimate sovereign of England, 00:08:57.00\00:09:01.64 as he lay on what people thought was his death bed, 00:09:01.67\00:09:04.24 the monks urged Wycliffe to recant the things that he 00:09:04.27\00:09:07.64 had said in opposition to them and the church, 00:09:07.68\00:09:10.11 but instead Wycliffe propped himself up and said, 00:09:10.15\00:09:14.05 "I will not die, 00:09:14.08\00:09:15.15 but live and declare the evil deeds of the Friars. 00:09:15.18\00:09:20.02 What Wycliffe went on to do was to translate the Bible 00:09:20.06\00:09:25.09 into the English language of the day. 00:09:25.13\00:09:27.76 At Wycliffe's third trial, 00:09:27.83\00:09:30.20 he met his accusers with these words, 00:09:30.23\00:09:32.80 "With whom think you are you contending, 00:09:32.83\00:09:35.97 with an old man on the brink of the grave? 00:09:36.00\00:09:38.41 No, with truth, truth which is stronger than you, 00:09:38.44\00:09:43.08 and will overcome you." 00:09:43.11\00:09:45.41 Wycliffe was hated by the church. 00:09:45.45\00:09:47.35 After his death, his books were burned 00:09:47.38\00:09:51.19 and even his body was exhumed and burned 00:09:51.22\00:09:53.96 and his ashes were cast into the River Swift near Lutterworth. 00:09:53.99\00:09:57.19 His followers were persecuted, 00:09:57.23\00:09:59.73 and it was enshrined in law that to translate the Bible 00:09:59.76\00:10:03.06 into English without a license was a punishable crime. 00:10:03.10\00:10:08.80 110 years after Wycliffe's death, 00:10:08.84\00:10:11.47 another man came on the scene, 00:10:11.51\00:10:12.91 another Bible translator, 00:10:12.94\00:10:15.74 when William Tyndale was born in 1494, 00:10:15.78\00:10:18.58 superstition controlled people's lives, 00:10:18.61\00:10:21.08 kings could sentence people to death for petty reasons, 00:10:21.12\00:10:24.59 popes could issue decrees that had no basis in scripture, 00:10:24.62\00:10:28.96 and yet people accepted that as the will of God for their lives, 00:10:28.99\00:10:32.23 without the Bible they couldn't know 00:10:32.26\00:10:33.56 whether the church was right or wrong. 00:10:33.60\00:10:37.10 As Hosea 4 verse 6 says, 00:10:37.13\00:10:39.53 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” 00:10:39.57\00:10:43.24 By the time William Tyndale was born, 00:10:43.27\00:10:45.07 John Wycliffe's translation of the Bible was out of date, 00:10:45.11\00:10:47.91 because the English language had changed substantially. 00:10:47.94\00:10:52.11 Wycliffe and his followers had been known as Bible men. 00:10:52.15\00:10:56.18 100 plus years later, 00:10:56.22\00:10:58.55 another Bible man was needed. 00:10:58.59\00:11:02.46 Back with more in a moment. 00:11:02.49\00:11:03.46 ¤[Music]¤ 00:11:03.49\00:11:08.40 Now here is a question for you, 00:11:11.47\00:11:12.67 can God be trusted? 00:11:12.70\00:11:15.00 And I have the answer for you. 00:11:15.04\00:11:16.87 Can God be trusted? 00:11:16.91\00:11:18.77 That's our offer today it's absolutely free to you. 00:11:18.81\00:11:21.68 Can God be trusted and can the Bible be trusted? 00:11:21.71\00:11:24.88 Call us on (800) 253 3000 00:11:24.91\00:11:28.05 or visit us online at www.itiswritten.com, 00:11:28.08\00:11:33.52 or you can write to the address on your screen. 00:11:33.56\00:11:36.06 I'd like you to receive our free offer, 00:11:36.09\00:11:38.39 can God be trusted? 00:11:38.43\00:11:40.63 ¤[Music]¤ 00:11:40.96\00:11:43.06 >>Announcer: Planning for your financial future 00:11:43.10\00:11:44.63 is a vital aspect of Christian stewardship. 00:11:44.67\00:11:48.50 For this reason, It Is Written is pleased to offer 00:11:48.54\00:11:51.34 free planned giving and estate services. 00:11:51.37\00:11:54.18 For information on how we can help you, 00:11:54.21\00:11:56.58 please call 800-992-2219. 00:11:56.61\00:12:01.42 Call today, or visit our website, 00:12:01.45\00:12:03.65 HisLegacy.com. 00:12:03.69\00:12:05.99 Call 800-992-2219. 00:12:06.02\00:12:10.46 ¤[Music]¤ 00:12:10.93\00:12:19.47 >>John: Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 00:12:19.50\00:12:22.30 William Tyndale was born in Gloucestershire England 00:12:22.34\00:12:24.77 in around the year 1494. 00:12:24.81\00:12:27.24 His family moved here during the wars of the roses. 00:12:27.28\00:12:30.28 A series of wars for control of the English throne 00:12:30.31\00:12:32.95 between the house of York and the house of Lancaster. 00:12:32.98\00:12:36.38 Tyndale was educated at Hartford college in oxford, 00:12:36.42\00:12:40.22 and earned a master's degree in theology in 1515. 00:12:40.26\00:12:44.73 He was fluent in eight languages, 00:12:44.76\00:12:47.60 including Hebrew and Greek, 00:12:47.60\00:12:50.53 the languages in which the Bible was originally written. 00:12:50.57\00:12:54.57 In 1521, he moved here to the little village of Little Sudbury 00:12:54.60\00:12:59.74 where he became the chaplain in the home of Sir John Walsh. 00:12:59.77\00:13:03.78 In fact, this church is built from the actual stones, 00:13:03.81\00:13:08.15 and according to the plan of the church, 00:13:08.18\00:13:10.45 Tyndale ministered in when he lived right here. 00:13:10.49\00:13:14.22 He had a deep respect for the Bible, 00:13:14.26\00:13:16.12 much like that which Martin Luther had. 00:13:16.16\00:13:18.83 And it wasn't long, and that respect for the word of God 00:13:18.86\00:13:22.23 got Tyndale in a lot of trouble. 00:13:22.26\00:13:26.17 John Fox, the author of the famous Fox's book of martyrs 00:13:26.20\00:13:30.71 reported on a conversation William Tyndale had. 00:13:30.74\00:13:34.24 Someone said to him, 00:13:34.28\00:13:35.58 “We had better be without God's laws, than the pope's.” 00:13:35.61\00:13:39.41 Tyndale replied, 00:13:39.45\00:13:40.28 “I defy the pope and all his laws. 00:13:40.32\00:13:43.85 And if God spares my life ere many years 00:13:43.89\00:13:46.96 I will cause the boy that driveth the plow 00:13:46.99\00:13:49.69 to know more of the scriptures than thou doest.” 00:13:49.72\00:13:54.03 It was here in Little Sudbury that William Tyndale 00:13:54.10\00:13:56.97 felt the call to translate the Bible into English. 00:13:57.00\00:14:00.24 So he left here the following year for London 00:14:00.27\00:14:02.97 to get the support he needed. 00:14:03.00\00:14:05.04 He was looking for the blessing of a certain bishop, 00:14:05.07\00:14:07.88 a man who had praised the work of a dutch theologian Erasmus. 00:14:07.91\00:14:11.25 When Erasmus translated the New Testament, 00:14:11.28\00:14:14.38 but Tyndale didn't get the support he needed. 00:14:14.42\00:14:17.35 Convinced the people of England needed the Bible 00:14:19.42\00:14:22.19 in their own language, 00:14:22.22\00:14:23.99 Tyndale left England in 1524 for Europe, 00:14:24.03\00:14:27.50 and made his way to Wittenberg where Martin Luther was living. 00:14:27.56\00:14:32.53 Luther had translated the New Testament into German 00:14:32.57\00:14:35.47 a couple of years before. 00:14:35.50\00:14:37.67 And now Tyndale set about working on a translation 00:14:37.71\00:14:40.64 of the Bible that would impact Christianity in Great Britain 00:14:40.68\00:14:45.55 and around the world. 00:14:45.58\00:14:47.55 He was helped by a priest named William Roy. 00:14:47.58\00:14:50.55 And within a year or two the translation was finished. 00:14:50.59\00:14:54.76 After some challenges owing to the opposition 00:14:54.79\00:14:57.13 Luther was facing, 00:14:57.16\00:14:58.73 Tyndale had translated the New Testament into English. 00:14:58.76\00:15:02.40 He had the printing done in Worms, 00:15:02.43\00:15:04.97 the city where Martin Luther's trial, 00:15:05.00\00:15:06.84 before emperor Charles V was held. 00:15:06.87\00:15:09.74 More copies were printed 00:15:09.77\00:15:10.87 in what was then the dutch city of Antwerp. 00:15:10.91\00:15:13.81 And in the months that followed, 00:15:13.84\00:15:15.64 those Bibles were smuggled into England and Scotland. 00:15:15.68\00:15:20.05 But smuggling an English language version of the Bible 00:15:20.08\00:15:22.58 across the English channel wasn't an easy matter. 00:15:22.62\00:15:26.79 That bishop who refused his permission to Tyndale 00:15:26.82\00:15:29.56 to translate the Bible into English back then, 00:15:29.59\00:15:32.46 he stood up a lot of opposition to the project. 00:15:32.49\00:15:34.76 In fact, he commanded that Tyndale's Bible be burned. 00:15:34.83\00:15:39.23 Booksellers were banned from selling the book. 00:15:39.27\00:15:42.27 Now burning the Bible in public, 00:15:42.30\00:15:43.84 what that did was generate a lot of sympathy 00:15:43.87\00:15:47.01 for the whole project, 00:15:47.04\00:15:48.38 even among supporters of church and state. 00:15:48.41\00:15:51.68 People didn't like to see the Bible treated in that way, 00:15:51.71\00:15:54.28 burned in the streets. 00:15:54.32\00:15:55.18 Here's what one historian said, 00:15:55.22\00:15:57.55 “The spectacle of the scriptures being put the torch 00:15:57.59\00:16:00.96 provoked controversy even amongst the faithful.” 00:16:00.99\00:16:04.16 But there was worse to come. 00:16:05.16\00:16:07.96 In January of 1529, the catholic cardinal Thomas Wolsey 00:16:08.00\00:16:12.23 condemned Tyndale as a hieratic. 00:16:12.27\00:16:15.37 This attracted the attention of England's King Henry VIII 00:16:15.40\00:16:19.07 who acted swiftly against this new reformer. 00:16:19.11\00:16:22.94 Henry was even more upset with Tyndale, 00:16:22.98\00:16:24.98 because of Tyndale's public disagreement with 00:16:25.01\00:16:27.05 Henry's intention to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon, 00:16:27.08\00:16:30.69 so that he could marry Anne Boleyn. 00:16:30.72\00:16:35.76 Tyndale contained 00:16:35.79\00:16:36.89 that that Henry VIII's divorce lacked biblical support. 00:16:36.93\00:16:40.46 Henry wasn't open to constructive criticism, 00:16:40.50\00:16:42.90 but fortunately for Tyndale he was in the Netherlands 00:16:42.93\00:16:46.03 and Henry couldn't touch him there. 00:16:46.07\00:16:48.60 He continued to speak out, 00:16:48.64\00:16:50.07 not only about Henry VIII's morals, 00:16:50.11\00:16:52.61 but also about the teachings of the Bible as his writings 00:16:52.64\00:16:55.71 would spread news about his convictions spread also. 00:16:55.74\00:17:00.28 Like Luther, Tyndale maintained that the Bible 00:17:00.32\00:17:04.05 should be the supreme authority 00:17:04.09\00:17:05.69 in matters of faith and practice. 00:17:05.72\00:17:08.22 He also believed strongly in the Bible teaching 00:17:08.26\00:17:10.56 of justification by faith. 00:17:10.59\00:17:13.19 He did not believe that people should 00:17:13.23\00:17:15.10 confess their sins to others. 00:17:15.13\00:17:17.93 And like Luther, he also didn't believe the popular teaching 00:17:17.97\00:17:20.80 that when people die they go straight to heaven or hell. 00:17:20.84\00:17:24.71 Like the other protestant reformers, 00:17:24.74\00:17:26.44 it was Tyndale's purpose to direct men and women 00:17:26.47\00:17:29.51 to the Bible as the rule of faith and practice. 00:17:29.54\00:17:32.68 And even though the protestant reformers didn't always agree 00:17:32.71\00:17:35.88 with each other on any number of subjects, 00:17:35.92\00:17:38.25 what they did do was lift up the Bible as supreme, 00:17:38.29\00:17:42.79 helping believers move towards a clearer understanding 00:17:42.82\00:17:46.13 of God's truth. 00:17:46.16\00:17:48.03 William Tyndale's scholarship had a profound influence 00:17:48.06\00:17:51.63 on the translation of the King James version of the Bible, 00:17:51.67\00:17:54.57 as well as the English language itself. 00:17:54.60\00:17:57.57 Translation of the King James began in 1604 00:17:57.61\00:18:00.74 by order of James 1st, king of England, 00:18:00.78\00:18:03.21 and it was completed in 1611. 00:18:03.24\00:18:06.05 It's estimated that 83% of the New Testament 00:18:06.08\00:18:09.92 and 76% of the Old Testament in the King James comes to us 00:18:09.95\00:18:14.99 from William Tyndale, 00:18:15.02\00:18:16.76 Passover, scapegoat, my brother's keeper, 00:18:16.79\00:18:20.43 the salt of the earth. 00:18:20.46\00:18:21.83 It came to pass. 00:18:21.86\00:18:23.47 The signs of the times, 00:18:23.50\00:18:25.27 let there be light, 00:18:25.30\00:18:26.90 a law unto themselves, 00:18:26.94\00:18:29.10 and much more is the result of Tyndale's scholarship. 00:18:29.14\00:18:32.77 Now, ultimately, Tyndale would meet the same fate 00:18:32.81\00:18:37.05 as the Oxford Martyrs, 00:18:37.08\00:18:38.85 Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer who were burned at the stake 00:18:38.88\00:18:42.58 right here by the Roman church, 20 years after Tyndale died. 00:18:42.62\00:18:48.16 But before Tyndale was put to death, 00:18:48.19\00:18:50.73 he prayed a prayer that would change the world, 00:18:50.76\00:18:54.36 that's coming next. 00:18:54.40\00:18:55.70 ¤[Music]¤ 00:18:55.73\00:19:00.64 [Cricketts chirping] 00:19:02.57\00:19:06.57 ¤[Music]¤ 00:19:06.61\00:19:14.72 [Camera equipment rattling] 00:19:14.75\00:19:17.52 [Rustling in bushes] 00:19:17.55\00:19:19.92 [People talking] 00:19:19.95\00:19:21.82 [Wind blowing] 00:19:21.86\00:19:29.30 ¤[Music]¤ 00:19:29.33\00:19:39.37 ¤[Music]¤ 00:19:39.37\00:19:46.98 [Cheering] 00:19:47.02\00:19:55.19 ¤[Music]¤ 00:19:55.22\00:20:09.44 >>John: Today I'd like to ask you to help It Is Written 00:20:14.08\00:20:16.48 open the eyes of the blind. 00:20:16.51\00:20:18.68 India has more blind people than any country on earth. 00:20:18.71\00:20:21.88 But simple cataract surgery can make the difference 00:20:21.92\00:20:24.52 between seeing and not seeing. 00:20:24.55\00:20:26.72 Eyes for India is a project that's providing cataract 00:20:26.76\00:20:29.49 surgery for people in desperate need of the gift of sight. 00:20:29.52\00:20:33.16 Please help today. 00:20:33.19\00:20:34.30 Call 800-253-3000. 00:20:34.36\00:20:37.90 Or visit ItIsWritten.com. 00:20:37.93\00:20:41.80 Thanks for joining me on It Is Written. 00:20:44.14\00:20:46.81 In Vilvoorde Belgium, 00:20:46.84\00:20:48.94 on the northern side of the capital city of Belgium Brussels 00:20:48.98\00:20:53.18 is a museum dedicated to the 00:20:53.21\00:20:54.78 life and ministry of William Tyndale. 00:20:54.82\00:20:58.25 It's situated here, 00:20:58.29\00:20:59.82 because this location is only yards from the very spot 00:20:59.85\00:21:04.26 where William Tyndale was executed. 00:21:04.29\00:21:07.10 It might not look like much of anything today, 00:21:07.13\00:21:09.06 but if you'd been here 500 years ago, 00:21:09.10\00:21:11.87 you'd have seen a castle standing on this spot 00:21:11.90\00:21:15.00 right behind me. 00:21:15.04\00:21:16.30 The Senne River just over here runs between Antwerp 00:21:16.34\00:21:18.94 and Brussels making Vilvoorde 00:21:18.97\00:21:20.71 a place of real strategic importance. 00:21:20.74\00:21:23.98 That castle was of a line of fortifications 00:21:24.01\00:21:26.35 and William Tyndale who'd been betrayed 00:21:26.38\00:21:28.72 to the holy Roman empire was kept as a prisoner 00:21:28.75\00:21:31.62 for more than a year in the castle right on this spot. 00:21:31.65\00:21:35.89 Eventually he was brought out and executed right here. 00:21:35.92\00:21:40.20 Before he was put to death, Tyndale prayed one last prayer. 00:21:40.23\00:21:45.20 He said, "Lord, open the king of England's eyes." 00:21:45.23\00:21:49.20 His prayer was answered. 00:21:49.24\00:21:51.97 Within four years of his death, 00:21:52.01\00:21:53.91 four English translations of the bible 00:21:53.94\00:21:56.28 had been published, 00:21:56.31\00:21:57.18 all at the behest of king Henry VIII, 00:21:57.21\00:22:00.28 and all of them based on the work of William Tyndale. 00:22:00.32\00:22:06.39 I've come here to this museum to speak to the experts 00:22:06.42\00:22:09.49 on the life of William Tyndale. 00:22:09.52\00:22:12.33 Why was Tyndale held here in Vilvoorde, 00:22:12.36\00:22:15.50 why here of all places? 00:22:15.53\00:22:17.30 >>Speaker 3: Here in Vilvoorde there was a castle, 00:22:17.33\00:22:19.50 and in that castle there was not so many people, 00:22:19.53\00:22:24.07 so there they know if we put him in Vilvoorde, 00:22:24.11\00:22:28.78 he can, he will stay in prison. 00:22:28.81\00:22:32.25 >>John: What do you think conditions were like 00:22:32.28\00:22:34.52 inside the castle prison? 00:22:34.55\00:22:36.15 >>Speaker 3: Uh, as prisons in the 16th, very difficult. 00:22:36.18\00:22:40.19 We know by his last written letter 00:22:40.22\00:22:43.36 that we have in archives that he asked on the authorities 00:22:43.39\00:22:48.70 to have warm clothes, 00:22:48.73\00:22:51.43 to become candles and to become his work, 00:22:51.47\00:22:55.24 his translation work for having the time now in prison 00:22:55.27\00:23:00.68 and he stayed there for the time he had to stay, 00:23:00.71\00:23:04.71 and hoping that he wouldn't escaped, 00:23:04.75\00:23:07.52 they killed him. 00:23:07.55\00:23:08.62 >>John: So why was the church so opposed to Tyndale 00:23:08.65\00:23:12.65 translating the Bible? 00:23:12.69\00:23:14.86 >>Speaker 3: It's, a, a, a way to eliminate all critical 00:23:14.89\00:23:21.23 actions and reactions in church. 00:23:21.26\00:23:23.73 If you have, uh, uh, uh, your people, 00:23:23.77\00:23:29.34 who can criticize your own way to live as church, 00:23:29.37\00:23:34.74 it's very difficult to stay as church. 00:23:34.78\00:23:40.02 They want to keep their own power, 00:23:40.05\00:23:45.62 and don't give the opportunity on all people to understand 00:23:45.65\00:23:52.79 what was the word God's and not the word of the church. 00:23:52.83\00:23:57.67 >>John: Explain for me William Tyndale's 00:23:57.70\00:24:02.34 contribution to the reformation. 00:24:02.37\00:24:05.67 >>Speaker 3: He was the man who, 00:24:05.71\00:24:07.61 uh, who worked on the English speaking people. 00:24:07.64\00:24:12.18 And it's very important because we had a German translator, 00:24:12.21\00:24:16.12 we had a French translator, 00:24:16.15\00:24:17.42 we had still a Swiss translator. 00:24:17.45\00:24:20.12 We had several translators who makes the new world, 00:24:20.16\00:24:24.36 that's very important to know, because we have still, uh, 00:24:24.39\00:24:29.20 in Europe a big difference between the Latin part 00:24:29.23\00:24:33.77 and the non-Latin part. 00:24:33.80\00:24:35.57 So, the English contribution of William Tyndale 00:24:35.60\00:24:38.84 is not only a contribution in let's say 00:24:38.87\00:24:42.81 the English speaking part of Europe, 00:24:42.84\00:24:45.08 but always contribution on the new world, 00:24:45.11\00:24:50.19 because we would travel from this country to the states, 00:24:50.22\00:24:56.19 and making in states also the new world 00:24:56.22\00:24:59.66 with a own translation. 00:24:59.69\00:25:04.60 And it's very important to know that the new American version 00:25:04.63\00:25:11.01 is the most important translation with the biggest 00:25:11.04\00:25:17.58 part of William Tyndale in it. 00:25:17.61\00:25:20.05 ¤[Music]¤ 00:25:20.08\00:25:25.32 >>John: Few people have had so great an impact 00:25:25.35\00:25:27.76 upon the religious faith, 00:25:27.79\00:25:28.96 the cultural heritage, 00:25:28.99\00:25:31.33 even the vocabulary of the English speaking world, 00:25:31.36\00:25:34.83 as William Tyndale. 00:25:34.83\00:25:36.30 Britons voted him 26th 00:25:36.33\00:25:38.87 in the list of the 100 Greatest Britons of all Time. 00:25:38.90\00:25:42.50 And few prayers have been answered as dramatically 00:25:42.54\00:25:45.54 as that prayer Tyndale prayed in the final moments of his life 00:25:45.57\00:25:50.41 when Henry VIII granted permission for the Bible 00:25:50.45\00:25:52.81 to be published in English. 00:25:52.85\00:25:54.65 It unleashed the Bible upon the English speaking world. 00:25:54.68\00:25:59.12 And as a result, the world would never be the same again. 00:25:59.15\00:26:03.69 The core principle of the reformation 00:26:03.73\00:26:06.39 was the role of the word of God in a believer's life. 00:26:06.43\00:26:09.86 Notice, that William Tyndale 00:26:09.90\00:26:12.30 translated the bible into the English 00:26:12.33\00:26:13.87 not long after Johannes Gutenberg 00:26:13.90\00:26:16.30 gave to us the modern printing press, 00:26:16.34\00:26:19.24 which meant the word of God could be distributed to people 00:26:19.27\00:26:22.58 who could read it for themselves, 00:26:22.61\00:26:24.65 understand it for themselves, 00:26:24.68\00:26:26.15 and then follow the leading of the holy spirit in their lives. 00:26:26.18\00:26:31.79 Tyndale's contribution to the reformation was enormous. 00:26:31.82\00:26:36.26 It's one thing to teach or to preach or to write 00:26:36.29\00:26:39.19 as other reformers did. 00:26:39.23\00:26:41.40 It's another thing all together to actually 00:26:41.43\00:26:43.30 give people the Word of God. 00:26:43.33\00:26:46.10 And that's what William Tyndale accomplished. 00:26:46.13\00:26:48.87 Though he's been gone 500 years, 00:26:48.90\00:26:51.47 his influence and his impact lives on in the lives of people 00:26:51.51\00:26:55.01 who continue to be transformed by the power of the Holy Bible. 00:26:55.04\00:27:00.18 ¤[Music]¤ 00:27:00.22\00:27:05.75 >>John: I'm John Bradshaw from It Is Written, 00:27:07.32\00:27:09.56 inviting you to join me for 500, 00:27:09.59\00:27:13.23 nine programs produced by it Is Written 00:27:13.26\00:27:15.46 taking you deep into the Reformation. 00:27:15.50\00:27:18.63 This is the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation 00:27:18.67\00:27:22.80 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door 00:27:22.84\00:27:25.71 of the Castle church in Wittenburg, Germany. 00:27:25.74\00:27:28.18 We'll take you to Wittenburg, and to Belgium, 00:27:28.21\00:27:30.38 to England, 00:27:30.41\00:27:31.21 to Ireland, 00:27:31.25\00:27:32.75 to Rome, 00:27:32.78\00:27:33.62 to the Vatican City, 00:27:33.65\00:27:34.85 and introduce you to the people who created the Reformation, 00:27:34.88\00:27:37.85 who pushed the Reformation forward. 00:27:37.89\00:27:39.79 We'll take you to sites all throughout Europe 00:27:39.82\00:27:41.76 where the reformers lived and, in some cases, died. 00:27:41.79\00:27:44.59 We'll bring you back to the United States 00:27:44.63\00:27:46.26 and take you to a little farm in upstate New York, 00:27:46.29\00:27:49.23 and show you how God spread the Reformation here. 00:27:49.26\00:27:52.17 Don't miss 500. 00:27:52.20\00:27:54.27 You can own the 500 series on DVD. 00:27:54.30\00:27:57.27 Call us on 888-664-5573, 00:27:57.31\00:28:02.11 or visit us online at itiswritten.shop. 00:28:02.14\00:28:06.61 >>John: Let's pray together. 00:28:11.25\00:28:12.99 Our father in heaven, 00:28:13.02\00:28:14.26 we come to you in the name of Jesus and today we are thankful. 00:28:14.29\00:28:17.36 Thankful for those men and women who paid so much 00:28:17.39\00:28:20.86 that we today could hold the Bible in our hands. 00:28:20.90\00:28:24.03 We thank You for the example of William Tyndale, 00:28:24.07\00:28:26.97 a Protestant whose protest delivered to us Your word, 00:28:27.00\00:28:32.57 brought light to this world, and through that light, 00:28:32.61\00:28:35.94 salvation to thousands and millions. 00:28:35.98\00:28:40.68 Lord, don't let us waste what 00:28:40.72\00:28:42.78 these great heroes of history have done. 00:28:42.82\00:28:46.49 Give us grace to hide Your word in our heart, 00:28:46.52\00:28:49.12 to live on Your word and through Your word and in Your word. 00:28:49.16\00:28:53.53 I pray the power of Your word would produce in us 00:28:53.56\00:28:55.70 that what You want to see. 00:28:55.73\00:28:57.43 The character of Jesus and lives lived for Your glory. 00:28:57.47\00:29:02.87 And so keep us and bless us we pray. 00:29:02.90\00:29:05.31 We thank You in Jesus' name, 00:29:05.34\00:29:07.58 Amen. 00:29:07.61\00:29:09.21 Thanks so much for joining me, 00:29:09.24\00:29:10.31 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 00:29:10.35\00:29:12.31 Until then, remember, 00:29:12.35\00:29:14.38 it is written: 00:29:14.42\00:29:15.78 Man shall not live by bread alone, 00:29:15.82\00:29:18.59 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 00:29:18.62\00:29:23.36 ¤[Theme Music]¤ 00:29:23.39\00:29:38.37