The Bible Chained!
DID THE CHURCH CHAIN THE BIBLE AND BURN WILLIAM TYNDALE FOR TRANSLATING IT?
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A lot of ridiculous rumors and long believed fairy tales about the Catholic Church go around, coming from the earliest days of the Protestant breakaway, aka, The Reformation.
They're especially popular among the more vocal enemies and opponents of the Catholic Church, like fundamentalists and Evangelicals. These otherwise well-intended folks are especially fond of repeating their distortions, and nowhere is this as prominent as when it comes to the Bible.
Protestants have nothing but the Bible, as they have no Christian Tradition going back before the 1500's, and little to no accceptance of the Sacred Tradition that predates the Bible's appearance in 405 AD.
Their idea is that the Bible is all there can be for the Christian...., all that there can ever be...., and don't even dare to consider anything else. It is a concept called, sola scriptura, or, "Bible only." This concept was popularized by Martin Luther around 1521, and although it predates him, it is safe to say it has been carried to the extreme in our time.
And, after 500 or so years, we should not be surprised that all manner of extravagant claims are made against the Catholic Church by the various wings of Protestantism where the Bible is concerned.
For the purposes of this discussion, then, let's look at a few of them. You may have heard some - or maybe even repeated some yourself if you are a non-Catholic reader...
> “The Catholic Church burned people for translating the Bible!” 😡
> “They chained the Bible so no one could read it!” 😵
> “And William Tyndale... they killed him for giving people God’s Word!” 💣
Sounds pretty scandalous, right? These are just so over the top...., well, you would think they MUST be true because they are so lurid.
But let’s pause, take a breath... and let us examine the facts historically, theologically, and honestly. Because the truth is far more fascinating, and far more pro-Catholic, than most people realize...especially Protestants and even some Catholics.
✝️ FIRST, WERE BIBLES ACTUALLY CHAINED?
Yes, they were. But as is so often the case, a single bit of fact has been blown all out of proportion into an egregious fiction. After all, people love a wild story more than the truth, don't they?
As the saying goes, "The Truth is still putting on its shoes, while a Lie has already made it around."
Here's the reality.
In the Middle Ages, many Bibles were chained in churches. But that wasn't done to forbid reading..., but to protect them!
At that time, a Bible took months and months, even years, to laboriously copy by hand onto a material called, "vellum," which was very thin, finely processed animal skin. One complete Bible required dozens of animal hides and could cost more than a house! Vellum was also quite fragile to handle, and would not withstand exposure to the elements. So anything made from vellum had to be protected and handled with the utmost of care.
It should be quite obvious, then, that these Bibles were scarce, obviously costly, precious, and highly prized... and there was a market for them among the very wealthy. This means they were often the target of thieves.
Therefore, chaining them to the lectern ensured that everyone would at least have access to them by their presence, if nothing else, and they would not be stolen and squirreled away by the wealthy.
We must also remember, too, that 99% of the population at the time was illiterate, anyway, and could not read those Bibles even if they had one. But having those precious Scriptures there so they could have their words read TO them by the priests and bishops, seeing them in plain view, and knowing they were the foundation upon which all their faith was built was very comforting.
Thus, keeping them safe and sound IN the churches was a top priority.
Think of it like this. If you are old enough to remember public telephone booths, you will recall the phone books that were secured inside the booth by chain or cable - so they didn't disappear. And if you saw those books anchored to the phone booth, or can remember it, would you say, “Hey! The government or the phone company doesn’t want people to talk on the phone!”
Of course not. That would be silly, wouldn't it?
So why say the same silly things about The Church and The Bible?
Because you've been taught to say them, by people who were taught to say them, by earlier people who were taught to say them, etc.
It is nothing more than a heritage of repeated error.
In short, The Church chained the Bible so no one would steal it, and so it was available and in good condition for all to see and for its Word to be read from. In other words, she protected the resource that was The Bible so that everyone could share it.
✝️ WELL - THE CHURCH FORBID TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE, RIGHT?
Absolutely not. Long before any Protestant ever existed, the Catholic Church had already translated The Bible into a significant, almost countless, number of languages, far beyond just Latin and the original Hebrew and Greek.
In fact, the exact total number of languages into which it was translated is difficult to determine, because numerous partial translations, proof glosses, and varying definitions of a "complete" translation across different regions and time periods exist.
But of those we can be sure of, here is a pretty comprehensive list....
- Greek: The Old Testament was translated into Greek (the Septuagint) in the 3rd to 2nd centuries BCE, and the entire New Testament was originally written in Greek.
- Latin: The Old Latin (Vetus Latina) versions existed from at least the early 4th century, after St. Jerome's Latin Vulgate (405 AD) became the standard authoritative text in the Western Church.
- Syriac: Translations and paraphrases were made into Syriac by around 500 AD.
- Coptic: The Bible was translated into the Sahidic and Bohairic dialects of Coptic in Egypt, some as early as the late 2nd or early 3rd century CE.
- Gothic: The Gothic bishop Ulfilas translated the Greek Bible into the Gothic language in the 4th century.
- Ge'ez (Ethiopic): Translations into Ge'ez date from between the 4th and 6th centuries.
- Armenian and Georgian: The Bible was translated into Armenian and Georgian in the 5th century.
- Old Nubian: A translation into Old Nubian existed in the 6th century.
- Arabic: Saadia Gaon translated the Old Testament into Arabic in the 10th century, and the Gospels were translated into Arabic in the 10th century as well.
- Slavonic: The translation into Old Church Slavonic by Cyril and Methodius dates to the late 9th century.
- German: The first printed vernacular Bible, the Mentelin Bible, appeared in German in 1466. There were 17 other German Bibles printed before Luther's translation.
- French: The first French translation dates from the 13th century.
- Spanish (Castilian) and Catalan: The Biblia alfonsina in Castilian Spanish was produced around 1280, and a Catalan translation was printed in 1478.
- Czech: The first complete Bible was translated into Czech around 1360, with the first printed Czech Bible appearing in 1488.
- Italian: The Malermi Bible, an Italian translation, was printed in 1471.
- English: Old English translations by Catholic monks like St. Bede are known, existing over 700 years before Tyndale adulterated his versions. John Wycliffe also produced the first complete English translation in the late 14th century (hand-written).
- Dutch: Translations existed in Dutch before the Reformation.
And while The Church obviously did not forbid translating the Bible, she did have a key requirement: that translations be accurate and authorized, to ensure they had not been twisted by personal ideology or false doctrine.
Of a great interest is that once the Reformation got going, this latter practice of "editing" and re-translating to suit either printers, and/or thier paying patrons, was pretty common for the first few hundred years. Robert Estienne, the Paririan printer to the king of France, the man who developed the versification of the Bible we go by today, he was just one example of such "self-editing and translating" printers.
Ruben Blades, the actor, probably said it best:
✝️OKAY, OKAY. WE GET IT. BUT HOW ABOUT KILLING TYNDALE?!
William Tyndale wasn’t condemned for translating the Bible. He was condemned for distorting it.
He deliberately changed key words, not to clarify their meaning, but to support Protestant ideas.
Some examples from the pen of Tyndale:
- Ekklesia became “congregation,” instead of “Church.”
- Presbyteros became “elder” instead of “priest.”
Agape became, “love,” instead of “charity.”
And he inserted, “faith alone” into Romans 3:28, even though, “alone” is not in the original Greek text from which all translations derive. Martin Luther had done the same, insisting the word, "alone," be kept in his OWN personal translations of the Bible.
Tyndale also filled his versions' footnotes with attacks against the Church, calling the Pope “the antichrist,” and the Catholic Church, “the whore of Babylon.”
So his work was not, a, "translation"... it was deliberate propaganda hidden within Scripture. Even King Henry VIII’s own Protestant advisors, who ultimately gave us that kings OWN approved version of the Scripture - even THEY condemned Tyndale’s version as corrupt....
- Protestant Bishop Tunstall of London said there were over 2,000 errors in it.
- King Henry, who severed contact with the Catholic Church and started his own state church (because the Pope would not approve of his adultery with an annullment)... it was THAT King Henry ordered Tyndale's version to be destroyed, calling it, “a corruption of Scripture.”
So yes, copies of the Tyndale Bible were burned - but for heresy and falsehood, not because they had been translated into in English.
✝️ ALRIGHT THEN - WHO EXECUTED WILLIAM TYNDALE?
Here’s the truth about his death that is pretty much kept out of sight:
Tyndale was not killed by the Catholic Church. He was executed on order of King Henry VIII, the Protestant King of England, in 1536.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Now for the rest of the story.
By that time, Henry VIII had already cut ties with the papacy and The Church (1534) and founded the Anglican Church. That is the same church that later produced the King James Version of the Bible. The same church that is the state religion of England, even today, whose head is the earthly king of that country.
First, in his 1530 book, "The Practice of Prelates," Tyndale railed against Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon. He denounced it as unscriptural and attacked King Henry over it. This infuriated the King and so Henry VIII charged William Tyndale with heresy for his biased English translations of the Bible.
The Church was also displeased with Tyndales blatant manipulations of Scripture, as you might imagine. But the king, being, well, a king - he had it in for Tyndale and put out the hit on him. So Tyndale was forced to flee England for Flanders (modern day Belgium).
But, in a classic double-cross, Tyndale was betrayed by his friend, Henry Philips, in Antwerp. It is debated whether Phillips was forced to turn on Tyndale, with most sources suggesting he did it for the money. Phillips, heir to a wealthy family, had squandered his inheritance, so it seems he was willing to be "hired" by authorities to find and arrest Tyndale. In 1535, he lured Tyndale into a trap in Antwerp, and so he was captured.
Ultimately, Tyndale was condemned by civil authorities loyal to King Henry..., not by the Pope, and not by any Catholic bishop. And he was not executed by The Catholic Church.
Rather, he was strangled and burned at the stake by the crown, for "political rebellion," and heresy,... but not by The Church because he had, “translated the Bible.”
Ironically, within a few years of Tyndale's death, Henry VIII authorized the first official (and much edited) English Bible translation, which was itself influenced by Tyndale's own spurious work!
So, while this whole episode would make a great cinema thriller, the claim that “the Catholic Church Killed Tyndale” is not just flatly bogus - it’s gross historical revisionism.
So why is such a glaring error still believed? Well.... I think you know that answer by now.
✝️ WHY DID THE CHURCH GUARD TRANSLATIONS SO CLOSELY?
Because truth matters. The Church knew from the beginning that a mistranslated Bible could scatter, and even destroy faith. And she still takes great pains to ensure that any Bible she approves is faithful to the orignal texts, insofar as is possible.*
That’s why even Protestant scholars admit that Tyndale’s translation aimed,..."to produce an ecclesiastical and social revolution of a most dangerous character.”
(Dr. James Gardiner, Protestant historian).
The Church’s caution in this regard preserves doctrinal purity. Without it, Christianity would have splintered even faster than it already has after the Protestant reformation. And indeed, once unauthorized, unverified versions spread, countless denominations followed, each with it's own interpretation.
* NO original texts of the Bibles works exist. It is all derived from copies, thousands of different ones, all of which have verified. In fact, there have been so many copies over the centuries, all cross-checked and validated that even if we HAD the originals - it wouldnt add much to what we already know.
✝️ BUT, THE CHURCH KEEP THE BIBLE FROM THE PEOPLE!
No it didn't. As we've clearly seen already, she protected it for the people.
Before the printing press, the problem wasn’t about permission, it was a matter of production. Each Bible copy was hand-copied, each page extremely costly. Besides, the vast majority of people couldn’t even read, even if they had a Bible.
So how did they learn Scripture? They were taught the Scripture, just as Jesus intended they learn - through oral tradition. That is, they were read the Scripture by priests and bishops. This was what some today might call, "preaching from the pulpit."
They also had the liturgy of the Mass, itself. The entire Mass, is in fact, a voyage of discovery through the Scriptures. In fact, the Bible is taught through the Mass liturgy on a 3 year cycle. Go to Mass - you learn Scripture. Easy-peasey.
In addition there are also the icons, statues and images that most fundamentalist Christians love to hate - they think we pray and worship such things. In fact, these images focus our minds to ponder and understand what Scripture teaches, and they inspire us to greater worship of Christ and God.
The early Christians also had the hymns, the angelic music of The Church - which are essentially the Scripture set to music.
Of course, everyone is familiar with the beautiful and famous stained glass windows of the old churches and cathedrals. These all tell the story of Christ from Scripture, in illuminated pictures, and thus offered the opportunity to have the Scripture messages explained and the teachings of Christ and his Apostles made clear.
Finally, to even BE a member of the Catholic Church one has to pass through a lengthy period of instruction. You don't just walk in off the street, pony up some money, sign your name and join up. You are instructed and taught to understand all of the lessons from Scripture, the salvation story of Christ, the salvation of mens souls, and how to live our life as followers of Christ. This is no different now, as it was in earlier times. The Church calls this training, "the catechism," or catechisms.
Medieval cathedrals are still often referred to as, “Bibles in stone.” Every window told a Gospel story. Every statue and carving continued that lesson. Every priest or bishop was a teacher of the Word of God. The Church wasn’t hiding the Word... she was preaching it with word, art, song, instruction and sacrament.
✝️ AND TODAY? DOES THE CHURCH REMAIN ANTI-BIBLE?
Huh? Have you missed the rest of this article?
The Catholic Church has never been, "anti-Bible." She has always protected and promoted the Bible as God's divinely-inspired Word. And today, in these crazy and often ungodly times, she promotes the Bible more than ever!
There are hundreds of approved translations available, worldwide, in every language. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops currently lists 12-13 different versions alone, each having been scrutinized and approved for study and teaching purposes.
FUN FACT: The Douay-Rheims Bible (Catholic English version) predates the King James Version by decades.
Pope Pius XII’s 1943 encyclical, "Divino Afflante Spiritu" officially encouraged translations into all modern languages.
And the Second Vatican Council (1962-65, promulgated by Pope Paul VI) strongly exhorts all Christians (not just Catholics) to engage with Scripture, a teaching constantly reiterated by subsequent popes.
- Pope Leo XIII: Issued an encyclical in 1893 and established an indulgence for reading the Bible.
- The Second Vatican Council: Issued Dei Verbum, which strongly urged all the faithful to learn the knowledge of Jesus Christ by frequently reading the divine Scriptures.
- Pope Paul VI: Promulgated Dei Verbum.
- St. John Paul II: Promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which quotes Dei Verbum and continues the call to read the Bible.
- Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis, and now, Leo XVI: All have continued this strong emphasis on personal and family Bible reading. Pope Francis has also distributed pocket Gospels to pilgrims.
Does this sound like The Church is "anti-Bible?" Of course not - that's yet another fabrication from The Church's opponents. The Church didn’t hide the Bible, then - she gave it to the world. Without her, there would be no Bible as we know it today.
And The Church continues her desire to see the world invested in the Scriptures.
✝️ THE FINAL VERDICT
> The Bible was chained to protect it, not to forbid reading.
> The Catholic Church translated the Bible into countless languages, long before Protestants existed.
> William Tyndale was executed by a Protestant king, who was head of a Protestant state church. His Bible was condemned and destroyed because it distorted doctrine, and propagandized his Protestant notions, not because it was in English.
> Tyndale was not killed by the Catholic Church
> The Church preserved, copied, and preached Scripture for 1,500 years before the Reformation ever began.
In the final analysis, the Catholic Church did not burn authentic Bibles, and she never had it in mind to prevent people from seeing them. Rather, she saved it, page by page, century by century, martyr by martyr so that all might share in it.
✝️SO WHAT SHOULD YOU DO NOW?
Read the Bible.
Love the Bible.
But read it with the Church that compiled it, canonized it, protected it, and handed it down through the ages - the Catholic Church.
The Church that didn’t, "hide Scripture" from people, but which lived it... and helped THEM live it.
The Church which still lives it.
The Church that didn’t fear the Word, but gave the Word to the world.
Because the Catholic Church did not burn the Bible...., she saved it.
Edited from Catholics Online Class
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