The power and precision of Tyndale's translations make him an important figure for the English language, as well as for English-speaking Christianity. He was the first person to translate and print the Bible in English from the original Greek and Hebrew sources. He left aside the Latin Vulgate version which had been the Bible for Western Europe for centuries, and thus achieved greater accuracy in his English edition. By the time of his early death, he had translated:
The New Testament
The Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
The historical books as far as 2 Chronicles.
The Book of Jonah.
For these books, Tyndale's work was the basis for almost all English versions of the Bible up to this century. It is estimated that 83% of the King James New Testament is Tyndale's work.
In his own time, Tyndale was accused of distorting the translation, and especially of rendering theologically important words after his own fashion. For example, his translation of the Greek ekklesia as "congregation," following Erasmus's Latin congregatio, rather than "church" angered Thomas More, as it suggested a radical view of church government. Power that then belonged to the clergy should, Tyndale suggested, belong to all believers. Today, scholars give Tyndale credit for great honesty and skill in rendering the Greek and Hebrew into English. He knew both languages well, and wrote the English versions with a freshness and expressiveness still alive today.
Tyndale's translation, with modernized spelling, is available in two volumes, edited by David Daniell: Tyndale's New Testament (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1989); and Tyndale's Old Testament (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1992).