William Tyndale, 'Father of the English Bible' ( 1494 - 1536)

People had already tried to translate the Bible into English, but it had been done badly by people who the church had seen as heretics, and so English language Bibles had been banned since 1408.

When William Tyndale tried to get official permission for his own English Bible it got him into trouble, in 1524 he left England for Hamburg, never to return.

William Tyndale's English translation was made directly from the Hebrew and Greek texts that the Bible was first written in. It was accurate, and beautiful to read. Today, many modern English translations still use some of the phrases that Tyndale translated.

Copies of William Tyndale's Bible were soon being printed and smuggled into England and Scotland. He also wrote a book saying that it was wrong for King Henry VIII to divorce his wife, and that got him into even more trouble! He was hunted down and caught in Antwerp, and in 1536 he was killed for his faith.

As Tyndale died, his final words were: "Lord, open the King of England's eyes."

William Tyndale is remembered on 6th October.