William Tyndale produced the very first
English language New Testament to ever
come off a printing press. He was burned
at the stake in 1536 for the
“crime” of printing these
magnificently Illustrated English New
Testaments. This 1536 edition was the
last and most elaborate one done prior to
his death. The woodcut illustrations are
simply breathtaking. The calligraphy-like
Gothic Blackletter Typeface is also a
work of art.
Tyndale’s work paved the way for
all subsequent printings of the Bible in
English, and 90% of his translation was
retained all the way to the 1611 King
James Bible. William Tyndale is
considered to be the most influential
Bible translator in history as well as
the "architect of the English Language."
He was said to have been so fluent in
eight languages that you would have
thought any one of them to be his native
tongue!