Question 1

True or false: Tyndale was executed by burning at the stake for heresy in 1536.

Accepted Answer

True. He was strangled and then burned at the stake in Vilvoorde, Belgium, after being convicted of heresy for translating the Bible into English.

Question 2

True or false: Tyndale's last words before execution were a prayer that God would open the king of England's eyes.

Accepted Answer

True. He reportedly cried out, 'Lord, open the King of England's eyes,' hoping Henry VIII would allow English Bibles—which later happened.

Question 3

True or false: Tyndale's translation of the New Testament was based entirely on the Latin Vulgate.

Accepted Answer

False. He worked directly from Greek and Hebrew manuscripts, using Erasmus's Greek New Testament and Hebrew sources, not the Latin Vulgate.

Question 4

True or false: Tyndale was a close friend and collaborator of King Henry VIII.

Accepted Answer

False. Henry VIII opposed Tyndale's work; Tyndale fled England and was later executed with the king's approval, not as a friend.

Question 5

True or false: Tyndale's translation formed the basis for much of the King James Version of the Bible.

Accepted Answer

True. About 80% of the King James Version's New Testament and much of the Old Testament are directly from Tyndale's work.

Question 6

True or false: Tyndale personally printed thousands of copies of his Bible in England during his lifetime.

Accepted Answer

False. He printed them in Germany and the Netherlands and smuggled them into England; English authorities burned them as contraband.

Question 7

True or false: Tyndale was fluent in only English and Latin when he began translating the Bible.

Accepted Answer

False. He mastered Greek, Hebrew, German, and several other languages; his Hebrew was especially pioneering for English translators.

Question 8

True or false: William Tyndale's translation of the Bible introduced the word 'jealous' into English.

Accepted Answer

True. Tyndale coined many English words and phrases, including 'jealous' (from Latin 'zelus'), which first appeared in his Bible translation.

William Tyndale Trivia Questions