by Julian Mann. Christian Today
In hosting an exhibition to mark 500 years since William Tyndale’s English New Testament was first printed, Blackburn Cathedral is doing what the principal church in a Church of England diocese should be doing.
Blackburn is not the only C of E cathedral to host an exhibition celebrating the work of the pioneer English Bible translator and Christian martyr. St Paul’s Cathedral in London and Chester Cathedral are also hosting anniversary exhibitions.
But conspicuously Canterbury Cathedral where new Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, was installed in March is not. Last year it held an exhibition of “disruptive graffiti” on its walls and pillars to express the religious doubts of members of “marginalised communities”.
Launched at the beginning of September, the Tyndale exhibition in Blackburn Cathedral runs until November. It brims with enthusiasm.
“Welcome to Tyndale500,” the first stand declares. “500 years since Tyndale’s English New Testament was first printed, explore the turbulent world of Tudor England, the extraordinary story of William Tyndale, his translation and use of technology.”
Visitors are encouraged to “learn about Tyndale, the challenge he faced, why it mattered, and how translation of Scripture from original biblical languages into clear, living English had such a global impact, still felt today”.
The stand titled “His legacy lives on” declares: “Tyndale died a criminal. Yet within a few years his forbidden translation had become the foundation of every English Bible, read aloud in every parish church. It has shaped the faith and speech of English speakers ever since.”