Today in BookTuesday, we consider Tyndale: The Man Who Gave God an English Voice. It's written by David Teems and published by Thomas Nelson Publishers. Cover and Amazon link are found below:
 | Tyndale: The Man Who Gave God an English Voice |
Tyndale is a man that deserves more credit than he has received in many parts of the English-speaking church. He was the first to set in motion a translation from the original languages of the Bible into English. His work underscores the King James Version of the Bible, the latter being somewhere between 70 and 85% similar to Tyndale's own translation.
Except Tyndale did not undertake this work in a time favorable to translating the Bible into English. Instead, he was convicted of heresy and handed over to the King of England for execution. In all, he gave his life to place the Bible into England in the language of the people.
That much should be known by English-speaking Christians. If not, now you know it. It's also available in many books. So, what value can be gained from reading David Teems' longer work?
First of all, the book helps the reader to see some of Tyndale's motivations. What drives a man to break with tradition, church, and king to do something no one else had done? Teems attempts to provide some of that information.
Second, details are obviously short in biographical dictionaries and historical summaries. Teems gives more detail on the whens and wheres of Tyndale's life.
Finally, the book delves into the background: what was happening in the broader scope of Europe and England: Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Spain, the Borgia Popes and other portions of history.
In all, I found this one enlightening. Admittedly, I expect Teems to have gotten his facts straight. As the author of another book(Majestie about King James I) in the period, he should know the period.
Teems' writing style, though, is a little different than most biographies I've read. He tries to blend in humor and offhand commentary throughout his writing. The style has varied degrees of success in this book. It is somewhat distracting, but workable.
Not a bad read. Probably not life-altering, but a sip from the world of historical biography if you're interested.
Note: Book provided by publisher in exchange for the review.
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