Thank you for that answer. The quote from the Tyndale website I had used that you went through point by point has been used by so many throughout my life that I just accepted it as fact.
I am always open to learning the truth, because truth matters.
“I am always open to learning the truth, because truth matters.”
It does matter. Tyndale was a very intelligent man, and had many admirable qualities. Even the tribunal members that convicted him of heresy said he was a likable man with many fine qualities. That sort of praise doesn’t mean much when they relax you to the secular arm for execution, however.
Tyndale was most definitely a heretic but his execution should never have happened. The real irony is that Tyndale, if he was acting in good faith, and those who hunted for him and convicted him, if they were acting in good faith, might all be in Heaven together. I hope that is so. God is merciful to all who seek His mercy.
All I know is that the whole question over Bible translation in the Middle Ages is surrounded with modern errors and myths. Some historians are beginning to see this myths. German historians figured it out several decades ago. Only now is it happening in English.
As the historian Andrew Gow points out: “One of the most persistent inaccuracies regarding the European Middle Ages—both among the general public and even among scholars—is the notion that the Roman church forbade or banned the reading of the Bible in the vernacular.” By the way, I’ll post the source for that quote in a second. Please note the next sentence at that link. It mentions “Greatsite.com”. I wrote to them more than a decade ago about the inaccuracies at there webpage. I assumed they simply didn’t know any better. They wrote back basically saying they didn’t care about accuracy. They were pushing an anti-Catholic agenda to help gin up business among devout Protestants. I thought that was disgusting. Anyway, here’s the link to Gow’s article: http://www.jhsonline.org/cocoon/JHS/a115.html