From Tyndale to King James

I'm a massive fanatic when it comes to William Tyndale, literally, his translation is the one I see when I ready any bible version, albeit often it has been corrupted or slighted over, but usually a translation somewhere will have Tyndale whispering through it.

Recently I became King James only (again), permanently - well, think of me as Tyndale through King James only, perhaps pre 1881 only. Anyway, predominantly King James only, but inevitably I will use Tyndale more than AV, as I not only find him easier to read, I have a feeling the Tyndale translation would be far easier to memorize.

You see folks, when you hear KJVO's talking about the cadences that help the KJV to be so easy to memorize, what they really mean but don't say is that the portions of Tyndale carried over to the KJV have cadences that make it so easy to memorize. But I feel that poor William has the short order, and is largely ignored, and it saddens me, because Tyndale is the one who made the KJV, and the KJV 'translators' would gladly recognize that were they here today. They were ordered to make a new translation based upon the bishops bible, latinized (i.e. made church friendly), and that they did, but they left in 70% of Tyndales NT AND the portions of the OT Tyndale had translated.

Let me basically show you the path Tyndales work followed to the KJV:

*Tyndale 1525 NT completed and published
*Tyndale 1534 NT revised and published
*Tyndale OT worked on until his death in 1535

*Matthews Bible 1537, (containing his OT (what he had finished and 1534 NT) and Coverdale's work on the OT
*Great Bible 1538
*Geneva Bible 1560 , a new translation, but using Tyndale's work
*Bishop's Bible 1568, revision of Great Bible
*1611 King James Bible, revision of Bishop's Bible, using the Geneva Bible.

Basically, every bible translation has been a revision of a previous translation, Except Tyndale! Tyndale was a completely new translation from the Hebrew and Greek, and he has never been bettered! Literal and easy to read. Basically all we have had is revision, even the Geneva which was using Hebrew and Greek, put most of Tyndale's work in, amending it where they saw fit.

Its easy to see why the KJV is revered as the preserved word of God, its a revision of a work which has never been bettered, 'refined' seven times as it were.

But go back to Tyndale's NT,and read it, its so beautiful. Read it in the KJV, I can guarantee that the easiest verses are Tyndale's. I find it so sad when bible programs, and websites don't update the words to modern spellings, they do such a disservice. A great book to buy is David Daniell's edition of the 1534 NT, all updated to modern spellings, paragraphed, its a beautiful read.

anyway..

God bless you.

"Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it." Luke 11:28