(Image: The House of Hues)
A rare edition of William Tyndale's New Testament - the book that helped transform English history, language and religion - is set to go on display in Bishop Auckland.
The early 16th-century text will be the centrepiece of a new exhibition at the Faith Museum, titled Light and Fire: 500 Years of Tyndale’s New Testament, which runs from July 15, to December 31.
Marking the 500th anniversary of Tyndale’s pioneering English translation of the New Testament, the exhibition will explore the life and legacy of the man who gave ordinary people access to the Bible in their own language and paid the ultimate price for doing so.
Light and Fire 500 Years of Tyndales New Testament
(Image: The House of Hues)
Dr Lydia Prosser, curator at The Auckland Project, said: "This is a unique opportunity for visitors to see a rare edition of a book that changed the course of history.
"We’re excited to showcase our copy of Tyndale’s New Testament in an exhibition that presents the turbulent context in which it was produced and explores its continued relevance 500 years later."
Tyndale’s translation, made directly from the original Hebrew and Greek texts, defied both Church and Crown in its mission to make the scriptures accessible to all.
Light and Fire 500 Years of Tyndales New Testament
(Image: The House of Hues)
Produced while Tyndale was in hiding abroad, the English New Testament was banned in England, forcing supporters to smuggle copies into the country concealed in sacks of cloth.
One of Tyndale’s fiercest opponents was Cuthbert Tunstall, Bishop of London and later Bishop of Durham, who famously ordered copies to be burned outside St Paul’s Cathedral in 1526.
Despite these efforts to eradicate his work, a handful of Tyndale’s New Testaments survived, including the exceptionally rare 1536 edition that will be displayed at the Faith Museum.
Light and Fire 500 Years of Tyndales New Testament
(Image: The House of Hues)
Clare Baron, Head of Curatorial at The Auckland Project, said: "Reading the Bible in our own language may seem normal today, but 500 years ago the situation was very different.
"In Western Europe, the Bible was only widely available in Latin, unintelligible to many.
"Translations were banned in England.
"But William Tyndale believed that Christians should have direct access the word of God in the Bible, writing that the Church restricted its translation in order ‘to keep the world still in darkness’.
"With the publication of this small book, Tyndale helped to pave the way for the Reformation in England."
Tyndale’s influence reached far beyond religious reform.
His translation introduced many phrases that became part of everyday English, including "the apple of his eye", "let there be light", and "give up the ghost".
The exhibition will also display a selection of rare 16th-century Bibles, illustrating how Tyndale’s once-forbidden work gradually gained acceptance and transformed English Christianity.
The Faith Museum, part of The Auckland Project and designed by Níall McLaughlin, opened in October 2023 and explores the role of faith in shaping British society over the past 6,000 years.
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It houses more than 250 objects from diverse collections, blending historical artefacts with contemporary works to tell the story of belief through the ages.
The museum has received national recognition for its design, including recognition by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the title of Grand Winner at the Royal Fine Art Commission Trust’s 2024 Building Beauty Awards.
More information about the exhibition and related events can be found on The Auckland Project website at https://aucklandproject.org/.