Merrie England and Martyrdom!

Dear Juliet

I know you're probably feeling a bit fragile, so let me reassure you this blog isn't that gory. Just a few more figments of England and history...

There's a little village called Little Sodbury (yes, really!) in Gloucestershire, which is one of the forty or so English hamlets which got all their World War One soldiers back. They're called Thankful Villages. Their churchyards are memorable not for what they have but for what they lack, namely war memorials.

I went there a few years ago:












And next to the churchyard with no war memorial, I found this interesting sign:


















So, okay, here comes the gory bit...

William Tyndall or Tyndale was just about the first person to translate the Bible into English; and definitely the first person so to do using the original Greek and Hebrew source materials. The Book of Deer, for example, is written completely in Vulgate Latin except for those annotations in Scottish Gaelic.

It seems to be fact that Tyndale first got his bright idea about translating the Bible while working as a chaplain and tutor at the local manor house ca. 1521-1523. This led to his strangulation and immolation in Vilvoorde, Belgium, in October 1536.

God does indeed weave the threads of men's destinies into many strange tapestries...

I've catalogued an early English translation, a Douai Bible from 1611-1612, I think. It was the direct predecessor to the King James Bible, which was the template for modern English versions and the most predominant text for centuries.

After that, I went to the pub.





























And avoided cholera!


















I'm not sure what the moral of today's post is, but read your Bible in Latin and always get your shots might be most relevant?

Love,

James

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