A group of Christian leaders representing different British denominations gathered Oct. 8 to mark 500 years since William Tyndale’s English translation of the New Testament was published in 1526, a landmark moment in the history of Bible translation.
The Bible Society hosted the Tyndale Unity Event at London’s historic St. Dunstan-in-the-West Church, built on the site of an earlier church where Tyndale once lectured.
The gathering brought together senior representatives from Anglican, Catholic, Pentecostal and nonconformist traditions, according to a Bible Society press release.
Paul Williams, chief executive of Bible Society, called the gathering an “inspirational occasion.” He noted that leaders representing the breadth of British Christianity had celebrated one of the great heroes of the Christian faith and “affirmed our unity around the Bible.”
“We've also heard moving and powerful stories about how the Bible can help us live together with very deep differences,” said Williams.
William Tyndale was a 16th-century English scholar and priest who produced the first printed English New Testament translated directly from the original Greek. Despite being executed for heresy in 1536, his pioneering translation became a foundation for the King James Bible and helped shape the modern English language through its distinctive phrases and vocabulary.
“Tyndale’s legacy lives on: the worldwide church today continues to translate the Bible into the language of the ordinary person, and the living text of Scripture continues to bring unity across all kinds of divides,” said Williams.
Williams expressed hope that the celebration would serve as a catalyst for greater engagement with the gospel around the world.
“I hope and pray that today’s celebration will inspire a renewed global movement to engage the Bible more deeply as God’s precious gift to the entire human family,” he added.
“This is a time of greater openness to the Christian faith in the UK than there has been for many years, particularly among younger people. We hope and pray that new generations will discover the Bible and encounter the God who speaks to us through it.”
The celebration featured reflections on the role of the Bible in Christian mission, discipleship and conflict resolution. Guests also attended the premiere of a specially commissioned musical setting of the Lord’s Prayer based on Tyndale’s translation.
An affirmation signed by the leaders at the event highlighted the continuing significance of God’s Word in contemporary society.
The affirmation reads:
As representatives of the Church traditions present in the United Kingdom, we affirm our deep gratitude to God for the gift of the Holy Scriptures.
The Bible reveals to us the Lord Jesus Christ. It is our guide for what we believe and how we behave, it teaches the way of salvation, and we acknowledge its authority.
We give thanks for the patient work of scholarship, and for faithful teachers, translators and witnesses – including William Tyndale – who, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, have loved the Bible and deepened our knowledge of Scripture through many generations.
Whatever our historical and theological differences, we gather together around the Bible as the revealed written word of God. We affirm the Bible as a living text through which, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God speaks to us today.
As Christians, we share the conviction that by engaging with the Scriptures, all people are brought to a deeper understanding of the person and character of Jesus Christ and of God’s purposes for them and for the world.
As citizens, we affirm the value of the Bible as a source of wisdom for the conduct of our life together, and for the understanding of true human flourishing. We pray that the Scriptures may be encountered and pondered widely in the common life of our nations.
We join in prayer for people to read, understand and love the Bible ever more deeply, and we pray that the Bible may be treasured as God’s precious gift to the Church and to the entire human family.
