When we open the Bible today — whether in print, app form, or as a quotation online — we’re not reading the original words written thousands of years ago. The Bible has passed through the hands of scholars, translators, kings, and institutions, each with their own goals. Some sought to preserve divine truth. Others may have sought power, control, or influence.
So who really rewrote the Bible? And how does William Tyndale, the man who gave his life for the English Bible, fit into this hidden history?
✍️ Who Wrote and Rewrote the Bible?
The Bible wasn’t written by a single person or during one time period. It was compiled over centuries by dozens of authors, most of whom were anonymous or lived generations apart. But it was later edited, filtered, and reshaped by:
- Ancient Jewish priests and scribes
- Early Christian councils
- Roman emperors and popes
- Protestant reformers
- Modern translators and denominational editors
Each stage of this long journey left its fingerprints — and often its biases.
📜 The Bible’s Editing Timeline
📘 The Old Testament (Tanakh)
- Written between ~1200 BCE and 100 BCE.
- Compiled by ancient Hebrew scribes, later edited after the Babylonian exile (~6th century BCE).
- Translated into Greek as the Septuagint in the 3rd–2nd century BCE.
✝️ The New Testament
- Written ~50–100 CE in Greek, mostly by apostles and early Christian leaders.
- By the 4th century CE, the Roman Church selected a set of books as “canon” — excluding others, such as:
- The Gospel of Thomas
- The Gospel of Mary Magdalene
- The Book of Enoch
- The Apocalypse of Peter
These exclusions were often doctrinal or political, suppressing mysticism, Gnostic ideas, or challenges to Church authority.
🏛️ The Catholic Church & Bible Control
From the 4th to 16th centuries, the Catholic Church:
- Restricted Bible translation to Latin (Vulgate by St. Jerome, ~382 CE).
- Banned translations into local languages.
- Ensured only priests could interpret Scripture.
- Ordered the burning of “unauthorized” Bibles, including many in English.
Why? Because when ordinary people could read Scripture, they could question Church doctrine — and the power structure itself.
🗡️ Who Paid the Price? William Tyndale.
📖 Who Was He?
William Tyndale (c. 1494–1536) was a brilliant linguist, scholar, and reformer who believed every person deserved to read the Bible in their own tongue. He became the first to translate major parts of the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into English — not from Latin, like others before him.
“If God spare my life… I will cause a boy that driveth the plow to know more of the Scripture than thou dost.” — Tyndale, to a priest
📘 What Tyndale Translated
|
Section |
Status |
Language Source |
|
📗 Genesis–Deuteronomy (Pentateuch) |
✅ Completed and printed (1530) |
Hebrew |
|
📘 New Testament |
✅ Fully translated (1526); revised in 1534–35 |
Greek |
|
📙 Jonah |
✅ Printed separately (1531) |
Hebrew |
|
Other Old Testament Books |
❓ Possibly translated but lost |
Hebrew |
💡 Roughly 85–90% of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible was built upon Tyndale’s exact phrasing.
🔥 Why Was He Killed?
The Church branded Tyndale a heretic for:
- Translating the Bible into English
- Challenging Church corruption
- Supporting Reformation ideals (faith over tradition)
He was betrayed, arrested, strangled, and burned at the stake in 1536. His final words?
“Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.”
Ironically, just a few years later, King Henry VIII authorized English Bibles in churches.
👑 The King James Twist
In 1611, King James I authorized his famous Bible translation — the King James Version — created by 50+ scholars. While poetic and majestic, it was:
- Based heavily on Tyndale’s work.
- Translated with political and theological influence.
- Deliberately worded to support Church hierarchy and monarchy (e.g., using “church” instead of “assembly”).
🧩 Manipulated or Preserved?
While many preserved the Bible with reverence, there’s no denying:
- Books were banned or lost
- Doctrines were enforced by exclusion
- Language was reshaped to reflect control or culture
Today, many scholars, theologians, and spiritual seekers revisit the excluded books, the original languages, and the early Gnostic wisdom to uncover deeper truths.
📂 Where to Read Tyndale’s Bible Today (Free PDFs)
You can still read William Tyndale’s original translations — here are direct links:
📘
New Testament (1526, 1534–35 editions)
📗
Pentateuch (Genesis–Deuteronomy, 1530)
✨ In Closing
The Bible we hold today was not handed down in its current form — it was fought for, filtered, and in some cases manipulated. But thanks to heroes like William Tyndale, the soul of Scripture was preserved for all to read.
Understanding this history doesn’t make the Bible less sacred — it makes our relationship with it more conscious and empowered.
🔗 Want to explore the banned books, see a timeline of Bible evolution, or compare Tyndale vs. King James wording? Leave a comment — I’ll post more soon.
#Reformation #BibleHistory #Tyndale #TruthSeekers #FaithNotFear
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