Game changer: William Tyndale and Translations of the Bible (1526-1820)

The publication of William Tyndale’s translation of the New Testament into English in 1526 was a game changer. His aim was to make the Bible accessible to everyone and no other English writer – not even Shakespeare – has reached so many readers.

Tyndale’s Testament has influenced every English Bible translation that has followed. Phrases we use every day - ‘let there be light’, ‘salt of the earth’, ‘eat, drink and be merry’ - are Tyndale’s. 

We have unlocked the treasures of the Angus Library to bring you this exhibition, which traces the stories of Bible translation from Tyndale’s Testament to the first translations of the Bible into Hindi, Punjabi and Sanskrit in the early 19th century.