Exodus in English
By most counts there are at least 283 direct Old Testament quotations found in the New Testament. These are direct quotations, such as whole verses or portions of a verse. If we tried to capture allusions to the Old Testament, it’s practically innumerable. Every passage, even if faintly, contains some echo of the Hebrew Scriptures.
The reformer William Tyndale, translator of the English Bible in the 1530s, understood this.
The Bible, All of It
In the 16th century, England lagged behind the rest of Europe in having the Bible in the vernacular. John Wycliffe had translated the Latin Vulgate into English two centuries prior, but it was a far cry from reading a direct translation of Hebrew and Greek in the language you spoke everyday — and even the Wycliffe translation was illegal.
The Latin Vulgate alone had been prescribed under Roman Catholic rule, and in 1408, any translation of any part of the Bible into English was forbidden — unless approved by a bishop. Tyndale’s biographer, David Daniel, cites some evidence to suggest that portions of English Bible text were circulating earlier in the 1500s. These portions would mostly show up as parts of the Gospels quoted in liturgical or devotional writings.
According to Daniel, this thin sampling is enough to lead some historians to believe that it was only a matter of time before more English translations would have emerged. Tyndale’s Catholic opponents had actually argued the same. They eventually conceded to the idea of having the Bible in English, but only if it was in fragments. They would only approve portions in English, and that’s the kicker.
To them, a little English Bible here and there was okay, but not the whole thing, not Genesis to Revelation — and certainly not one that translated agape into “love” (rather than charity) and metanoia into “repentance” (rather than penance). That would be, well, too clear. Too freeing.
On October 6, 1536 — 485 years ago Wednesday — Tyndale was burned at the stake before he finished the Old Testament, but his New Testament survives today, and his conviction still inspires. Daniel summarizes Tyndale’s drive, “There is a very basic need of ordinary Christians to know what the Bible, all the Bible, says, in their own tongue” (95).
Giving Thanks for Exodus 28
Tyndale knew, as the other Reformers did, that the Bible is the best commentary on itself, and that God intends to give it to us complete.
And we have it complete. We each own the complete Bible, translated in English — do we have any idea what kind of treasure this is?
I think about this as I reflect on the Old Testament Book of Exodus and prepare to preach this Sunday. We’ll be looking at Exodus 28, on priestly garments, and while it’s not Romans 8, it’s part of the whole we desperately need, and by God’s grace, have.
Thanks be to God!
