Tyndale

The Man Who Gave God an English Voice

De: David Teems

Narrado por: Simon Vance

It was an outlawed book, a text so dangerous “it could only be countered by the most vicious burnings, of books and men and women.” But what book could incite such violence and bloodshed? The year is 1526. It is the age of Henry VIII and his tragic Anne Boleyn, of Martin Luther and Thomas More. The times are treacherous. The Catholic Church controls almost every aspect of English life, including access to the very Word of God. And the church will do anything to keep it that way.

Enter William Tyndale, the gifted, courageous “heretic” who dared translate the Word of God into English. He worked in secret, in exile, in peril, always on the move. Neither England nor the English language would ever be the same again.

With thoughtful clarity and a reverence that comes through in every word, David Teems shares a story of intrigue and atrocity, betrayal and perseverance. This is how the Reformation officially reached English shores—and what it cost the men who brought it there.

Praise for David Teems’ previous work Majestie

“Teems . . . pulls together the story of this enigmatic king [ James] with humor and pathos . . . [A] delightful read in every way.” —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Great book

Great book. We are in a time where the west hasn’t a love for the words of life nor a conscience to adhere to them. This is a reminder of what happens to a heart broken on those words

A quiet Man

It took me awhile to get use to the narrator’s voice, but once I did, I enjoyed the book. The detail is wonderful—just what I was hoping for when selecting a book.

Loved this book.

Excellent portrait of Tyndale. Captures his passion and love of the scriptures. Praise the Lord.

Good Biography, But Too Long

This is a decent biography of William Tyndale and overview of his translation of the Bible and its effect on the English language. Mr. Teems does an admirable job of going over the thin source material of Tyndale’s life, but he goes on too long. Too much of the book is Mr. Teems’ impressions and opinions about Tyndale. I suppose he has to speculate a bit, given how small the historical record is here, but it feels padded out. I think he also overstates the case for Tyndale having more influence on the English language than the King James Version translators, but perhaps not by much.

This said, I recommend the book for those interested in the topic of English translations of the Bible. Best listened to in conjunction with a book about the translation of the King James Version, perhaps “God’s Secretaries” by Adam Nicolson, or Teem’s own “Majestie,” about King James himself.

New words in English language

Surprised by the information that Tyndale coined so many words, no common in the English language