Secrets Of The Dead: Battle For The Bible

Summary

The documentary "Secrets Of The Dead: Battle For The Bible" explores the tumultuous history of the English Bible's translation and dissemination. The film charts the dangerous journey of early reformers like John Wickliffe, William Tyndale, and Thomas Cranmer, who risked their lives to make the Bible accessible to the masses. Their efforts sparked religious upheaval, initiated Protestant reforms, and inspired a diversification of religious practices. The narrative also highlights the political twists, such as King Henry VIII's separation from the Catholic Church, which indirectly facilitated the English Bible's legalization. This historical exploration underscores the Bible's significant cultural impact, revealing how its translation fueled religious freedom and intellectual transformation over centuries.

Highlights

• John Wickliffe and William Tyndale's translations challenged the church's control over the Bible's interpretation. 🔥
• Wickliffe's followers, the Lollards, secretly propagated his translated Bible, defying church edicts. 🤫
• Tyndale's New Testament became a bestseller and a target for church authorities, leading to his eventual execution. 📖
• King Henry VIII's split from the Catholic Church paved the way for Tyndale's Bible to be legalized posthumously. 🔄
• The King James Bible emerged as a unifying religious text during tumultuous times, profoundly influencing English-speaking Christian practices. 📚

Key Takeaways

• The journey to translate the Bible into English was fraught with danger and intrigue, involving subversion, smuggling, and martyrdom. 📚
• John Wickliffe, William Tyndale, and Thomas Cranmer played crucial roles in making the Bible accessible, challenging the Catholic Church's authority. ✊
• The translation of the Bible into English was seen as heretical and illegal but ultimately reshaped religious practices and beliefs. 📜
• King Henry VIII's personal life had a surprising impact on religious reformation, leading to the establishment of the Church of England. 👑
• The availability of the Bible in English fostered religious diversity and was a catalyst for the formation of various Protestant denominations in America. 🇺🇸

Overview

The documentary takes us on a fascinating historical journey detailing the perilous path of the English Bible's translation. It delves into the stories of John Wickliffe, William Tyndale, and Thomas Cranmer, whose audacious efforts defied the Catholic Church's monopolistic grip on biblical interpretation. Their dedication laid the groundwork for religious reform and the widespread accessibility of the Bible that we see today.

Throughout the narrative, the film highlights key moments that altered the Christian landscape, such as the Lollard movement and Tyndale's clandestine work. We witness the dangerous cat-and-mouse games these reformers played with religious and political authorities to distribute the Bible in England. These daring acts culminate in significant cultural shifts that embraced religious diversity and seeded the Protestant movement.

Intriguingly, it also touches on King Henry VIII's role in religious transformation due to his marital dilemmas, resulting in the Church of England's formation. This unexpected political maneuver created a new religious dynamic and afforded reformers like Cranmer the opportunity to further Protestant beliefs. The release of the King James Bible under James I further solidified the scriptural foundation for religious practice in America and beyond.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Protestantism in the U.S. The chapter 'Introduction to Protestantism in the U.S.' opens with an overview of the current state of Protestantism in the United States. It highlights that there are over 150 million Protestants and nearly 300,000 churches, with worshippers aligning with more than 630 distinct denominations. Despite their diverse ways of worship, all these denominations trace their roots back to one core text, the Bible.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Translating the Bible into English This chapter explores the complex and dangerous history of translating the Bible into English. It reveals a tale filled with subversion, smuggling, imprisonment, and even murder, challenging the control the church hierarchy held over its interpretation. It highlights the courage of certain individuals who dared to question and ultimately reshape the accessibility of biblical texts for the common people.
• 01:00 - 02:00: John Wickliffe's Revolution The chapter 'John Wickliffe’s Revolution' focuses on the efforts of John Wickliffe, Thomas Cranmer, and William Tyndale. It highlights their collective endeavor to challenge the church's authority by translating religious texts, thereby making these texts accessible to the masses. Their struggles were pivotal in transforming religious practices in England.
• 02:00 - 03:00: The Printing Press and Tyndale's Translation The chapter discusses the impact of the printing press and William Tyndale's translation of the Bible. It highlights how these innovations contributed to the founding of America and the development of modern Christianity. The chapter honors the efforts of those who were martyred in the struggle for the Bible and alludes to the influence of religious texts on society, referencing the Lord's Prayer with 'our Father which art in heaven.'
• 03:00 - 04:00: Martin Luther's Reformation The chapter titled 'Martin Luther's Reformation' explores the significance of language and accessibility in religious texts. It highlights the fact that many Christians today recite Biblical prayers and phrases, such as 'hallowed be thy name' or 'thy kingdom come,' without realizing that these were originally written in Hebrew and ancient Greek. Because few people could understand these original languages, translations became necessary. This necessity was a driving force behind Martin Luther's Reformation, as he sought to bring the words of the Bible into a language that the common people could understand. The translation of Biblical passages like 'give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses' exemplifies the broader movement to make religious texts more accessible to ordinary believers.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Tyndale's Struggle and Martyrdom This chapter discusses the illegal creation of an English Bible translation in 1526 by William Tyndale. The authorities at the time believed that if common people could read the Bible, it would undermine the Church's authority. Despite the risks, Tyndale pursued his translation, following in the footsteps of earlier translations from the 1380s.
• 05:00 - 06:00: Henry VIII's Break with Rome The chapter discusses the period when the arrival of a new idea or movement led to a religious revival and political upheaval in Western Europe. At this time, there was only one Christian Church in Western Europe, known today as the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope was at the top of this institution. The Church had a monopoly on people's experience of Christianity, being the sole institution where salvation could be found.
• 06:00 - 07:00: The English Bible's Impact During the 14th century, attending church was mandatory, with no option to abstain. However, significant changes began in the mid-14th century that reshaped the established order. Between 1348 and 1350, the Black Death pandemic devastated Europe, claiming the lives of over one-third of its population and triggering transformative impacts on society.
• 07:00 - 08:00: Tensions Between Catholics and Protestants This chapter delves into the historical tension between Catholics and Protestants, highlighting the pervasive impact of religious conflict in Europe. It describes how entire communities could be decimated due to these religious disputes, framing such destruction as a divine act justified by faith. During this era, Europe was heavily influenced by themes of mortality, with the church acting as a source of hope and salvation. Central to Christian worship, particularly within Catholicism, was the Mass. Unlike today, where the Bible plays a central role in many Christian denominations, the Catholic Mass was the focal point of religious life, conducted by priests who held spiritual authority.
• 08:00 - 09:00: The King James Bible and Puritan Influence During this chapter, the text explores the practices surrounding the sacrament rituals in the context of the King James Bible and Puritan influence. It highlights how these religious ceremonies were conducted with bread and wine believed to transform into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Despite the transformative beliefs, the congregation had minimal active involvement in the ceremonies, as services were performed with priests facing the altar, speaking in Latin—a language not commonly understood by the general populace. The reading of the Bible followed the same pattern, being delivered in Latin, further emphasizing the disconnect between clergy and congregation inherent in the traditions of the time.
• 09:00 - 10:00: The Great Awakening and Religious Freedom The chapter discusses the influence of translations of religious texts from Greek and Hebrew, highlighting how these translations, despite being outdated by over a thousand years, played a role in religious practices. It emphasizes the role of rituals and the authority of priests, whose words were seen as a powerful conduit to heaven. This connection afforded the church significant political influence, and priests held immense power due to their perceived ability to perform miracles through their words. The chapter implies that such dynamics were central to religious and political structures of the time.

Secrets Of The Dead: Battle For The Bible Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 in the u.s. today there are more than 150 million Protestants worshiping and close to 300 thousand churches with more than 630 different denominations they worship in vastly different ways the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ accorded they all trace their roots to one book the Bible and specifically the
• 00:30 - 01:00 english-language Bible which today most of us take for granted translating the Bible into English was no simple task behind the book is a dark and deadly story of subversion smuggling imprisonment and murder for centuries the church hierarchy carefully guarded the text from common interpretation until a few indomitable men questioned
• 01:00 - 01:30 the church's authority and devoted their lives to bringing the book to the masses John Wickliffe Thomas Cranmer and William Tyndale their struggles transformed England
• 01:30 - 02:00 helped create America and paved the way for modern day Christianity these men were the martyrs in the battles for the Bible o our Father which art in heaven
• 02:00 - 02:30 hallowed be thy name to most Christians today these words are literally the words of the Bible that thy kingdom come thy will be fulfilled as well in earth as it is in heaven but in fact the original words were written in Hebrew and ancient Greek and few could understand them give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses this translation was only
• 02:30 - 03:00 made in England in 1526 even then its creation was an illegal act the English authorities feared that if the common people could read the Bible for themselves it would question the authority of the church and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen a very first English translation appeared in the 1380s
• 03:00 - 03:30 its arrival launched a religious revival and political upheaval at that time there was only one Christian Church in all of Western Europe the institution known today as the Roman Catholic Church at its apex was the Pope the church certainly had a monopoly on the way that people experience Christianity it was the only game in town there was no other Church in which one could find salvation
• 03:30 - 04:00 and going to church was not voluntary you didn't get a choice it was required but in the middle of the 14th century dramatic events began to destroy the old world between 1348 and 1350 a Great Plague spread across Europe the Black Death killed more than 1/3 of the
• 04:00 - 04:30 population whole communities were wiped out - the religious survivors the only rationale for the carnage was a powerful act of God Europe was a world dominated by death and the church with its promise of salvation was the only escape in those days the Catholic Mass not the Bible was at the heart of Christian practice performed by priests the mass
• 04:30 - 05:00 was a sacrament of check with the power to confer eternal life during the ritual bread and wine were believed to transform into the actual body and blood of Jesus but the congregation played little part in the ceremony the city's main the priests faced the altar and away from the people they spoke in Latin a learned language few others understood when they read from the Bible that too was in Latin and
• 05:00 - 05:30 it was an archaic translation from the original Greek and Hebrew that was more than a thousand years old the congregation simply performed the rituals and followed the priests injunctions that was their path to heaven it gave the church enormous political clout the status of a priest would be extremely powerful because they are capable with their words to perform this miracle and that's a tremendously powerful place to be that position at
• 05:30 - 06:00 the altar handling what is a great mystery and having the words that unlock it must be remarkably moving to people who do not understand the actual words being said but in the 13 70s one man challenged the influence of the priests he condemned the wealth and political power of the church he questioned its holy sacrament the mass he attacked the spiritual
• 06:00 - 06:30 authority of its leaders his name was John Wickliffe he was the leading theologian of his age close reading of the original Greek scriptures led Wickliffe to believe that the church he saw had drifted widely from the purity of the Gospels what what cliffs own reading of the Bible convinced him was that the church had gotten it wrong that they were not but that there's their claim of their own power was in some
• 06:30 - 07:00 sense contradicted in Scripture and so that made the Bible the source of authority for Christianity outraged Wickliffe called for a renewed pure Christianity and an english-language Bible to guide it now knowing this why may we not write in English the gospel to the edification of men's souls with his words john Wickliffe started a
• 07:00 - 07:30 revolution he and his followers began translating the Bible into their own language in the slang of their time they were called lollards or mutters perhaps because they were always uttering prayers under their breaths they turn the Latin Bible into their everyday speech a precursor to today's modern English in the beginning God mud of knocked heaven and earth in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth so that
• 07:30 - 08:00 the earth was eatle and the earth was without form and void and the darkness was upon the face of the deep the Spirit of the Lord was born the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters and gods side licks b-mart and licked was mad and God said let there be light and there was light and the evening of
• 08:00 - 08:30 the morning were the first day the printing press had not yet reached England so every Wickliffe Bible was copied by hand a monotonous six-month process at first the translations were quite rough a Wickliffe Bible is not printed so every single one is a unique object the earlier Bibles almost look like primers of Latin English translation word-for-word they come close to a word-for-word translation in sort of thought for
• 08:30 - 09:00 thought reading Wickliffe bible encouraged his followers to think for themselves that was not something the authorities could tolerate it undermine the power of the church and the key Wickliffe died in 1384 but soon after the English government carried out a series of repressive measures to end the Lollard movement in 1407 wickless books
• 09:00 - 09:30 were banned and the English translation of the Bible was declared illegal from then on possession of the English Bible was considered evidence of heresy the punishment for heresy was death by fire in 1415 a church council posthumously condemned Wickliffe himself as a heretic 13 years later a macabre ritual ensued comported muster charity says as a last
• 09:30 - 10:00 act of revenge and a warning to the remaining lollards the church ordered the exhumation of his corpse hike Santos in orders declare a deficit since yet I own them yo and I'm wit cliff is this holy council declares defines and determines the same John Wickliffe to have been a notorious and persistent heretic indeed to have died as a heretic a sorcerer as if that
• 10:00 - 10:30 wasn't enough where Cliff's body was then burned and his ashes scattered cordobas likewise this council anetha Matai zhe's him utterly and condemns his memory and decrees and orders that his body and bones if they can be distinguished from the bodies of the faithful be exhumed and cast far from the cemetery of the church according to the legitimate sanctions of canon law
• 10:30 - 11:00 the authorities hope that vanishing Wickliffe and death would at last cast out his dangerous ideas but it was a futile hope the Lollards continued to follow his teachings and more copies of the Wickliffe bible survived today than any other medieval texts because thoughts don't die they're not there they're less mortal than his body and they they persist in in the inspiration that he gives his followers so what happens to Wickliffe Bibles is actually
• 11:00 - 11:30 kind of interesting because we have lots of them so despite this ban they must have been produced in droves so it both is outlawed and as an outlaw text it's extraordinarily popular the Wickliffe bible circulated secretly among the Lollards for the next hundred years the movement never grew big enough to truly threaten the catholic church's power but church authorities still made sporadic attempts to eliminate it local bishops
• 11:30 - 12:00 would conduct occasional purges and each time they would discover that wickless followers still lingered in one case in 1506 60 people were arrested in one village alone and two were burnt as heretics the deadly game of hide-and-seek continued until the reign of King Henry the eighth in the 1520's when a new
• 12:00 - 12:30 attack was launched against the established Catholic Church not surprisingly the new threat coincided with the Renaissance the expansion of critical thinking in Europe explorers had reached the Americas astronomers were creating new maps of the Stars there was a revolution in art in literature and the printing press had increased the number of books in circulation Bible scholarship too was
• 12:30 - 13:00 reaching new levels of proficiency and the discovery of ancient manuscripts had sharpened the study of Greek and Hebrew the ancient languages in which the Bible was originally written in 15 15 the research culminated in a groundbreaking edition of the New Testament it was a text of the original Greek Gospels with a new Latin translation although not in English it
• 13:00 - 13:30 gave educated Christians the opportunity to examine the original words of the Apostles for themselves the new translation was a far cry from the thousand-year-old text the Catholic Church was using this is a sensationally important printing the New Testament is a Greek thing and anything else is a translation the impact of that was colossal
• 13:30 - 14:00 in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God the same was in the beginning with God all things were made by it and without it was made nothing that was made the fresh edition of the Greek New Testament was an inspiration for a young English scholar named William Tyndale born in 1494 he was a remarkable linguist fluent
• 14:00 - 14:30 in French Greek Hebrew German Italian Latin Spanish and his native English and the light shine it in the darkness but the darkness comprehended it not like Wickliffe before him Tyndale hated the Church's ban on the English Bible he felt it created an unnecessary barrier between believers and the Word of God who is so blind to say they cannot be
• 14:30 - 15:00 showed the light who walk in darkness for they cannot stumble and let us stumble is the danger of eternal damnation though there's no proof it's likely Tyndale grew up in lollard circles and was familiar with their English Bible mala D was very alive and it would have been phenomenal if he hadn't been aware of it as a boy Tyndale would have appreciated the inclusiveness of the
• 15:00 - 15:30 Lollard texts what remarkable about la la' day was that everybody was in the picture the Bible was read to everybody but the new Greek text inspired Tyndale to begin his own modern translation at maudlin College in Oxford he began tutoring other students while he was at modeling Tyndale read scripture privily to certain students and fellows so I think he's reading the
• 15:30 - 16:00 Greek New Testament translated by him to them and I think the vacation happened on the arrival of the Greek New Testament Tyndale was not alone in his efforts throughout Europe the new Greek translation was becoming a lightning rod for religious reform the biggest uprising was in Vidhan burg germany
• 16:00 - 16:30 where a monk named Martin Luther was engaged in his own close study of the New Testament it was on a collision course with the church he believed its power and wealth was a disgraceful exploitation of the faithful Luther's rebellion began what today we call the Reformation it splintered Europe and ignited a series of religious battles that would devastate the continent for the next century and a half I don't think there's
• 16:30 - 17:00 anything inevitable about what happened in the Reformation but it was a struggle about something very profound indeed how you're saved how you get to heaven and what Protestants said was that you and I can do nothing for our own salvation it's all in the hands of God now that's Luther's message the trouble was that the late medieval church had said to people well you actually you can do things to be saved there is a place called purgatory you can stay there for
• 17:00 - 17:30 a while you can have prayers said for you and these will help you get to heaven that was what Luther objected to the idea that you and I can do things Luther insisted that faith and faith alone was the key to salvation he denounced the Catholic priests role as intermediaries between believers and their God his teachings became the foundation of Protestantism Luther wouldn't shut up when the Pope told him to and that moment was what caused the
• 17:30 - 18:00 split unlike England Germany had no ban on Bible translations so in 1522 Luther published a German version of the New Testament despite its heretical origins the book was a best-seller the first edition of thousands of copies sold out in weeks back in England Tyndale continued his own clandestine work hoping to emulate
• 18:00 - 18:30 Luther's success but Catholic England was a dangerous place for anyone with unorthodox religious views and Tyndale faced harsh resistance as he spread his controversial beliefs at one point he was called before the local bishop for spreading heresy though Tyndale managed to defend himself the incident heralded the strength of the opposition this only increased Tyndale's commitment it God spare me ere many years I will
• 18:30 - 19:00 cause a boy that tried at the POW shall no more scripture than thou dost in Germany Luther's protests were supported by his local ruler Edinburgh became an island of reform in a Catholic seat with services in German and a Bible to match
• 19:00 - 19:30 but in England such official approval was out of the question so Tyndale decided it was time to go elsewhere determined to publish he fled the country in 1524 although there are no records of where he went given Luther's success Germany seemed like a likely destination
• 19:30 - 20:00 with Luther firmly in charge of a vigorous and ruler supported reform movement Tyndale would surely have felt he could continue his work there as well but if fittin Berg was his final destination he kept a very low profile on route even in Germany there were people who would betray him as a heretic
• 20:00 - 20:30 fortunately he may have left one tantalizing clue in the matriculation book of Vidhan burg University every student had to register and swear allegiance to the University rules and statutes under the entry for 1508 is the name of brother martin luther of Mansfeld that name is expected but a careful examination of the book reveals another startling entry for
• 20:30 - 21:00 15/20 for the exact year that Tyndale fled England the ancient manuscript reads Guglielmo or William Dalton X Anglia out of England William Dalton of England but if the two syllables of the last name are swapped it reads William Tyndale could this have been William Tyndale's alias a code name to hide his true identity no one knows for sure but
• 21:00 - 21:30 what is certain is that while abroad Tyndale finished his English translation of the New Testament with the clatter of foreign speech all around him he persevered in his native tongue with his assistant William Roy a former English friar he worked from the original Greek as well as Luther's German translation and the 1515 Latin version his work transformed the Greek text into
• 21:30 - 22:00 the cornerstone of all subsequent English literature his phrases written to be read aloud created our lexicon he went up into a mountain and when he was set his disciples came unto Him and he opened his mouth and taught them saying blessed are the poor in spirit theirs is the kingdom of heaven blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted
• 22:00 - 22:30 blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
• 22:30 - 23:00 the language Tyndale used was revolutionary his style was simple and he emphasized the ordinary everyday speech of England earthy and direct and this has an effect I think this certainly shows in the words that he chooses and his own particular poetic sensibilities or he's a master wordsmith like Shakespeare and it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth a city the powers that be are ordained
• 23:00 - 23:30 when the Centurion which stood before him saw that he so cried and gave up the ghost ye are the salt of the earth then they having no law are a law unto themselves it's remarkably influential his language persists into our world today Tyndale's translation was revolutionary in other ways as well by starting again from the original Greek and Hebrew he transcribed
• 23:30 - 24:00 a version of Christianity very different from that of the Catholic Church like Wickliffe and Luther he believed the church had willfully obscured God's true meaning and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body even that I burned and yet had no love it profiteth me nothing Tyndale carefully chose words that illustrated the christianity he believed in instead of priests he used pres Peter or elder to dilute the church's sacred
• 24:00 - 24:30 power instead of charity which implied you could buy your way into heaven with good deeds he chose love now abideth faith hope and love even these three but the chief of these is love and in Tyndale's translation the mighty hierarchy of the church became a simple congregation and I say also unto thee that thou art Peter and upon this rock I
• 24:30 - 25:00 will build my congregation and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it to change these in any way was heresy because we were changing what the church said the church could do no wrong by August of 1525 Tyndale was ready to publish and reveal his changes to the world he had his New Testament a prologue and some notes on the text he found a printer in Cologne but on the
• 25:00 - 25:30 night they were to begin disaster struck the printer was raided someone had tipped off the church authorities Tyndale the heretic got away but lost part of his text during his escape undaunted he began again and in 1526 his
• 25:30 - 26:00 New Testament was finally printed only a few inches tall even its size was subversive Church bottles are great big things but attend ale new Testament can be a very small book indeed it was of course in its inception seen as a dangerous book that's why it's small so you can sneak it into places but it also means that it's in the hand and that which fits in the hand becomes a part of somebody's
• 26:00 - 26:30 everyday life within weeks of its printing the first copies of Tyndale's new testament began making their way into england where they were sold on the black market the illegal book was a hit but the Catholic government's reaction was swift and fierce Tyndale's new testament was
• 26:30 - 27:00 publicly burned the flames would soon spread to the readers as well saith here in the letter to the Romans for I am NOT a screechers distributing and reading the text two groups of passers-by were brutally arrested but the determination bore witness to the potency of Tyndale's words Tyndale's followers were burned at
• 27:00 - 27:30 the stake and the violence of the English government's prosecution kept him in exile but Europe was not much safer the entire continent was sliding into a vicious period of religious conflict between the Catholics and the would-be reformers Tyndale remained hidden during this time but he continued his translations and eventually his books themselves revealed where he was lurking he had gone
• 27:30 - 28:00 secretly to Antwerp Belgium or even his printer worked undercover he presented himself not only as Martinez Keizer or Melton de Keyser or McDonald ever which was his real name but he also called himself Balthazar backend Balthazar you know who Adam unknown evils Adam you don't know who and various other names for an
• 28:00 - 28:30 illegal printer and an English heretic on the run Antwerp was a good place to be just across the North Sea from England it was one of the largest ports in Europe and had a sophisticated English merchant community it was also a fiercely independent city Protestants were safe there as long as they kept under the church's radar best of all the printing industry and
• 28:30 - 29:00 Antwerp was massive the city had five times as many printers as London they printed books in huge numbers and if there was a chance to make money they didn't care too much about the law it was a cat-and-mouse game actually with the Inquisition it was a matter of smuggling it was a matter of hiding the tiny deeds of these illegal books between the large leaves of books that were not forbidden and they were stored
• 29:00 - 29:30 here in the Antwerp warehouses and then shipped to England books smuggled into England by boat could turn a vast profit the Antwerp printers were cashing in huge quantities of Tyndale Bibles streamed into England they crossed the channel as individual pages hidden in legitimate books and were put back
• 29:30 - 30:00 together once ashore they were a hot item seditious contraband in high demand but the more popular his books became the more dangerous life got for Tyndale he remained in exile always at risk of capture and death Antwerp was a progressive city but it was still Catholic and it only took one person to betray him
• 30:00 - 30:30 sometime in the spring of 1535 a young Englishman named Henry Phillips arrived in Antwerp Phillips had good contacts within the expatriate English community was introduced to Tyndale the two became friends on May 21st 1535 Phillips invited Tyndale to dinner he invaded his way into Tyndale's interest he pretended a great interest in the details of translating the Bible he was a horrible
• 30:30 - 31:00 man was Phillips the dinner was a setup like a fourth is night's dinner and you should go with me be my guest after 12 years on the run Tyndale was finally caught to this day no one is sure who paid Phillips to betray him but there is little doubt the plan was
• 31:00 - 31:30 hatched in England I think his chief enemy in England was the new Bishop of London John Stokes Lee and I think Stokes Lee was behind this hideous man Henry Phillips who was the one who actually trapped him Phillips wrote to everybody is saying I need money and Stokely must have heard of this and employed him Tyndale was taken from Antwerp to a castle near Brussels he was left in solitary confinement without even his beloved Bible for more than a year from
• 31:30 - 32:00 that moment what I think is man's greatest command to the English language after Shakespeare never heard English spoken for 500 days it'll be Flemish or Latin 500 days without light without books without anything there was never a question about Tyndale's fate in October of 1536 he faced his final ordeal
• 32:00 - 32:30 with death only moments away he remained committed to his cause to the end he prayed for his country to embrace his life's work Lord open the king of England's eyes
• 32:30 - 33:00 the authorities decided to spare Tyndale the horror of being burned alive by strangling him before the pyre was lit but as the flames rose around him he regained consciousness
• 33:00 - 33:30 William Tyndale died without ever hearing his English Bible read on his native soil he had no way of knowing that only a few months after his death his wishes would come true and his Bible would be legalized in England ironically the shift was a matter of paternity not theology
• 33:30 - 34:00 the man whose eyes Tyndale had hoped to open was the Catholic King Henry the eighth Henry later became most famous for having six wives but at the time he was still on his first his queen however could not provide him with a male heir so he desperately wanted a divorce but the Pope wouldn't grant him one Henry did not have good enough representation
• 34:00 - 34:30 at Rome and therefore the church was not going to grant him his annulment if the church could not grant Henry a legal divorce he had to find a church that could find one or found his own spurned by the Pope Henry made himself the head of the English church all over England lies the fallout from the split the ruins of medieval Catholic
• 34:30 - 35:00 monasteries that were closed by King Henry the remains are an enduring symbol of the turmoil of the times the King's right-hand man in charge of the transformation was the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer but Cranmer had bigger goals than the Kings divorce or even a national church he wanted to endow the church with true Protestant ideals
• 35:00 - 35:30 just like Wickliffe luthor and Tyndale before him Cranmer plays reading the scriptures in one's own tongue at the heart of his Reformation and he went further than just legalizing the English text he authorised the first official English Bible it was called the Matthew Bible supposedly the work of a man named Thomas Matthew but the name was a fake the Bible was printed in Antwerp and
• 35:30 - 36:00 ornate initials inside reveal who had really done the work wt4 William Tyndale two years later came Cranmer's great Bible most of the text was still Tyndale's but this was the first truly national Bible by Royal Command it was placed in every English Church
• 36:00 - 36:30 every parish in the land was forced to buy one and Archbishop Cranmer publicly encouraged everyone to read it is convenient and good for the Scriptures to be read of all sorts and kinds of people and in the vulgar tongue all so therein find all they ought to
• 36:30 - 37:00 believe him what they ought to do and what they ought not to do hearing the words of God in English was a powerful revelation for the congregations Trading Latin for English instantly shifted power away from the clergy many of whom still clung to their Catholic convictions despite Cranmer's edicts sandwish feared bill additional reading the Bible could be a political act particularly in the early days very often this was turned into an act of defiance against the old Church a mass
• 37:00 - 37:30 would be going on at the other end of the church up at the high altar and people would stamp shouting out the words of the Bible she opened her mouth and taught them saying blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven deliver what really is going on in that is that essential reformation declaration that you and I individuals stand in front of God we don't need clergy don't need priests that's in itself a hugely political
• 37:30 - 38:00 statement blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven the changes were dramatic and Henry was soon having second thoughts for the rest of his life he would struggle to find balance for his new church if not recognizing the authority of the Pope is being a Protestant then Henry was a very good Protestant if it is actually a
• 38:00 - 38:30 central belief that you are saved by faith instead of your good works Henry is not a Protestant he is very conservative the decades after Henri split from Rome were turbulent ones in England as Catholics and Protestants struggled for power Henry died in 1547 and was succeeded by his son Edward Edward was Cranmer's godson so the religious pendulum swung towards the Protestants
• 38:30 - 39:00 but King Edward died after only five years in power he was succeeded by his sister Mary a fierce Catholic Mary reversed Edward's policies and reintroduced the old Catholic ways she ordered the burning of more than 300 Protestants earning herself the nickname
• 39:00 - 39:30 Bloody Mary and she orchestrated the arrest of Thomas Cranmer on grounds of treason and heresy Cranmer was forced to recant his Protestant beliefs and acknowledge the validity of the Catholic Church the Catholics wanted to make an example of him for all Protestants to see this is the biggest catch that the old church had from any Protestant leader and now they had him in their
• 39:30 - 40:00 grasp they had a speech prepared for him at which he'd written out himself which was in print and that was the speech which he would give from the pulpit in the University Church in Oxford but at the last minute Cranmer cheated his captors by changing the final paragraph and for as much as my hand hath offended in writing things contrary to my heart
• 40:00 - 40:30 therefore so my hand be first punished for when I come to the fire it shall be first ah I refuse him as Christ Sandman to Christ with all false doctrine
• 40:30 - 41:00 in life Cranmer fought tirelessly for his Protestant beliefs he went to his death with his convictions held firm in his head high force on my hand because punished shall be
• 41:00 - 41:30 Cranmer's death was a blow to the Protestants but two years later Queen Mary succumbed to ill health and was succeeded by her sister Elizabeth
• 41:30 - 42:00 Elizabeth was Protestant so again the pendulum shifted but this time she tried to stop it in the middle her church was Protestant in doctrine and use of English text but like today's Church of England in the Episcopal Church in the u.s. it retained many of the forms of the medieval Catholic Church including the rituals regalia and bishops Elizabeth was attempting a compromise but the Catholic overtones were not well received by the Protestant faithful
• 42:00 - 42:30 distinguishes the Church of England is that it remains an Episcopal Church with bishops and Archbishop's but they are no longer led by the Pope instead the head of state is actually the supreme head of the Church on earth but for people who wanted to see the English church more reformed we eventually call them Puritans they see that Episcopal structure as the root of its corruption
• 42:30 - 43:00 the Puritans demanded the simplicity of the early church they read about in their Bible no bowing no candles and definitely no bishops the text they favored was one of three English Bibles circulating at that time it was called the Geneva Bible and it came complete with rigorous commentary in the margins the Geneva Bibles often called the Puritan Bible because it is a favored version for what we might call
• 43:00 - 43:30 the hotter kinds of Protestants people who are hot for reform who want more reform than the church often seems to allow them the Geneva was a one-sided text its commentary attacked the authority of the English church and called for further reform to counter it some exiled Catholics produce their own english-language volume called the do a Bible but in keeping with Catholic doctrine it was meant to be read by the priests alone not the congregation both
• 43:30 - 44:00 the Geneva and the Douay challenged the official bishops Bible which was required daily reading in every English Church with so many different versions of the Bible so readily available the words of God in English percolated deep into the hearts of the population when I was a child I spake as a child I understood as a child I imagined as a
• 44:00 - 44:30 child but as soon as I was a man I put away childish Ness by the time Elizabeth died in 1603 the English words had engendered a new freedom of thought but also strengthened religious divisions great thing about the Bible is that you read it yourself it is there for you to read and people did now what that means is that you can make up your own mind on things and one of the peculiar precious features of 17th century England well
• 44:30 - 45:00 the people did make up their own minds they made up their minds and stood by their convictions King James of Scotland succeeded Elizabeth to the throne and quickly had his hands full with religious dissent to try and unite the warring factions James called a conference at his palace outside London the Puritans were thrilled they thought James would eliminate the detested bishops just as his relatives had
• 45:00 - 45:30 already done in Scotland but the conference lasted three days and not surprisingly the English bishops took every opportunity to portray the Puritans as dangerous radicals their tactics were successful I began to look as if no compromise would be reached but then one of the Puritan Divine's suggested a new more moderate
• 45:30 - 46:00 English translation of the Bible both sides pounced on the idea a new Bible could be just the Olive Branch England needed so King James commissioned a new Bible whose stated aim was to satisfy all parties to provide the basis for a truly national church in which everyone could participate in the same Christian rituals of course the plan didn't satisfy
• 46:00 - 46:30 everyone the bishops and formal ceremonies remained an abomination to the more separatist Puritans they liked the new Bible but refused to worship in the Church of England so like Tyndale before them they set out to find religious freedom on their own terms these Puritans and the Massachusetts Bay Colony they founded in 1630 were grounded in the Protestant belief that the Bible should be interpreted by the
• 46:30 - 47:00 people not the priests the Puritan democratization of Christianity was a groundbreaking experiment in both politics and religion similar communities sprang up throughout New England and the King James Bible which was the heart of their faith became a vital part of American religious life for most people the 17th century language of the King James Bible is the voice of God it is what the Bible is
• 47:00 - 47:30 supposed to sound like blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled less'n are the merciful for they shall receive mercy the language that King James Bible is rich and beautiful and aesthetically stimulating and for many
• 47:30 - 48:00 people in a Protestant tradition which does not emphasize visual art this language becomes I think the soul aesthetic pleasure for people who are denied it not only because of religious reasons but because they're living lives of hard work on farms or in in rural areas places where other forms of culture are not available
• 48:00 - 48:30 but the New England experiment was dependent on a sustained sense of enthusiasm for the church and the Bible and by the 1730's the religious conviction of the original Puritan settlers had cooled until that is a new revival took Protestant fervor to powerful new heights for God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life in
• 48:30 - 49:00 Northampton Massachusetts a minister named Jonathan Edwards noticed an upsurge of excitement when he emphasized immediate personal connection during his sermons Edwards called it the Great Awakening and it's evangelical effects are still felt in churches today I think the kind of fervor that's more like Edwards brought to the preaching of this word in some sense inspired people to pursue salvation in ways that could not
• 49:00 - 49:30 be contained within one particular kind of denominational structure so what you have is this kind of untamed emotion I suppose with the Bible articulating it as using the Bible as a script the revival boosted the already growing number of churches and denominations in
• 49:30 - 50:00 America Presbyterians Baptists you have the power to Cabana Baptists and Methodists Lutheran's Congregationalist Episcopalians Christian Scientists Anglicans latter-day saints Jehovah's Witnesses Unitarians
• 50:00 - 50:30 Thomas Jefferson in his statute for religious freedom in Virginia said no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship place or ministry nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief these ideals were incorporated into the new nation's Bill of Rights Congress shall make no law respecting an
• 50:30 - 51:00 establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof as important today as it was then the freedom secured by this edict is the culmination of centuries of religious conflict conflict generated by the simple desire of believers to read and interpret the Bible for themselves they began on English soil more than 600 years ago and like Jefferson the early reformers placed their trust in the
• 51:00 - 51:30 people many paid for their convictions with their lives but in so doing they and the english-language Bibles they created formed a lasting legacy of new language and progressive thought a freedom of choice freedom of conscience and freedom of speech you