Leslie said...
Hello all,
Sorry this has been so long coming! I know the holidays were in full swing last month so I can understand if not many people got around to reading the book! However, if you haven't I'd still recommend reading it sometime.
The first thing i wanted to bring up was did you realized what am impact Tyndale had on the English Bible? Did you realize how much of his language we quote on a seemingly daily basis? Where would we be without the work he performed?
I loved the movie "A Man for All Seasons" about the life of Sir Thomas Moore. This movie focused on the positive aspects of his life and how he essentially died as a martyr. This book paints a different story of Sir Thomas. Why do you think we get a different picture of him in this book and where do you think the reality of his life lies?
In 1523 Tyndale was quoted as saying "If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth a plough shall know more of the scripture than thou dost" What does that say to you?
In all as you read the book, what did you find most interesting, what did you find most moving, what did you find to be most enlightening?
For me, I came to be acquainted with a man who gave an incredible gift to the world. What was astonishing to me is, how did I not know of him (I'd heard his name before, but never really knew of him). The legacy he left is of such great importance that I wonder how is that possible? If makes me think, chances are there other such instances of men and women who changed the world even though the world at large does not know them. I would like to seek out those books and to be inspired by their lives, I have much to learn.
Again, I hope everyone enjoyed the book and those who didn't will get a chance to pick it up sometime.
Happy January!
8:39 AM
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3 comments:
The book sounds like a great one. I didn't want you all to think I didn't want to be a part of this particular book pick, but unfortunately our library in San Diego doesn't have this book and the cheapest price I could find online was $26. Ugh! Very frustrating! I will keep it on my list for when we move elsewhere. Happy New Year to you all!
Thank you, Les, for suggesting this book. I, too, had heard the name of William Tyndale, but had NO IDEA what he accomplished in his life. I was so enlightened by learning of his story.
I was interested in the perspective he gave of Thomas More because I had always heard of him as a hero. I thought it was interesting how much religious whims of the rulers (the King of England, particularly) played into the politics of the day. No wonder the Pilgrims were tired of living in England and wanted to find a place of free worship. I think that we often don't fully appreciate the freedoms of religion, individual thought and speech in this country. Can you imagine being burned at the stake for teaching your children about the Lord's prayer??? Wow! It is amazing the things that have been suffered in order for us to have these blessings.
I was also reminded, in reading this book, what a hold Satan had on many religious leaders of that time. The Catholic Church had so much power, both spiritually and temporally, which was abused by many. I’m so grateful that some brave souls: Tyndale, Luther, Calvin, etc., had the courage to follow the Light of Christ within themselves and do what they thought was right in the sight of God.
I did really enjoy the commentary about the English language and how many phrases we use regularly that were “invented” by Tyndale. What a contribution.
As far as the actual "writing" of this book, I enjoyed the parallels Wilcox made to Joseph Smith and his LDS perspective. I did, however, think he was slightly redundant and could have made this book a little shorter. That does not take away from the GREAT book that is it. It just took me a while to plow through parts of Wilcox's commentary trying to get back to the Tyndale story.
Thanks, Les, for putting this book on my radar screen. For those of you who couldn’t read it this time, I think it is definitely worth picking up at some point. You’ll appreciate the Bible so much more!
Sorry it has taken me so long to respond. I really enjoyed the book and have already recommended it to several people. As Adri said there were parts that he was redundant in writing but the story to me was fascinating.
One thing that occured to me as I read was the process of translation. I have never learned very much of another language (High School Spanish 2). We translated from English to Spanish and never really knew how good we were doing. Also, at that age you are looking for a direct translation from a English to Spanish book. I didn't ever think about (because I didn't really understand Spanish anyway) what actually went into this process. This gives me a whole new respect and perspective of Tyndale and Joseph Smith who had very little education. To come up with so many phrases that we use today and make it all make sense is, to me, such a miracle. What a difficult and tedious process to have written so beautifully what we read with such ease. Just a few words change so much of the meaning. It has also caused me to read the Bible a little more slowly as I think of the translater compared to what the author actually meant. Anyway-thanks for a great book.
JEN
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