In 1525, William Tyndale was busy hurrying his English translation of the New Testament through the press of Peter Quentel in Cologne. He had used the Greek text recently compiled by the Dutch Catholic theologian Desiderius Erasmus.
Behind Tyndale were seven years of study at Oxford and Cambridge (the only two universities in England), followed by two years tutoring the young sons of Sir John Walsh at Little Sodbury manor in his home county of Gloucestershire.
The exact location of Tyndale’s birthplace is uncertain (as are the names of his parents), although we know that he had two brothers, Edward and John. In the light of recent evidence for his ordination to the priesthood in 1515, his year of birth could not be later than 1491 – the same year as Henry VIII.
It is evident that Tyndale came from a family quietly open to Reformation truths – sola gratia, sola fide, sola scriptura (grace alone, faith alone, Scripture alone) – as were Sir John and Anne Walsh in the manor of Little Sodbury.
