William Tyndale, God’s Smuggler

Quick Quiz

Who was William Tyndale? What is he known for doing?

Τι θα συμβεί αν η μόνη Αγία Γραφή έπρεπε να διαβάσει ήταν σε μια γλώσσα που δεν ξέρατε; Αν έπρεπε να επικαλεστεί κάποιος για να σας πω τι η Βίβλος και οι δύο εν λόγω και τα μέσα; Τι και αν λατινικά ήταν ο μόνος τρόπος για την Αγία Γραφή διαβάστηκε στην εκκλησία; Και δεν καταλαβαίνω τη Λατινική, (Greek)

מה אם בתנ"ך רק אתה צריך לקרוא היה בשפה שאתה לא יודע? אם אתה נאלץ לסמוך על מישהו? שיגיד לך מה התנ"ך הן אמר ואמצעי? מה אם הלטינית היו הדרך היחידה בתנ"ך היה לקרוא בכנסייה? ואתה לא מבין הלטינית, (Hebrew)

Quid si ita tu biblia legere linguam in nescisti? Si mihi niti quis narrabit biblia et per dicta? Quid si Latine una ratio est biblie in ecclesia legatur? Et non cognoverunt Latine (Latin)

     What if the only Bible you had to read was in a language you did not know?  If you had to rely on someone to tell you what the Bible both said and means?  What if Latin were the only way the Bible was read in church? And you did not understand Latin,

(By the way, the first paragraph is what is written in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. At least that is what Google Translator told me it said.)

     During the 1400’s the Bible was only read by priests and only in Latin, not the common language of the English people.  William Tyndale believed this should be changed.  He believed everyone should have the opportunity to read the scriptures on their own.  William Tyndale gave up his freedom and eventually his life for this belief.  In his brief life, 42 years, William Tyndale was able to translate Scripture from the original Greek and Hebrew into English.  A famous quote of his is, “I defy the Pope and all his laws. If God spare my life, ere many years, I will cause a boy that driveth the plough to know more of the Scripture, than he dost.”.

      William Tyndale, God’s Smuggler is a unit study, written by Kim Kargbo of Soli Deo Gloria Resources.   A unit study is the study of one topic, that covers most or all subjects.  This unit study is designed to be a “starter'” study.  One that is written so that someone who is just beginning unit studies can understand and learn how to use them. It is also deep enough of a study that seasoned unit study users will find it a nice “filler” for between longer units.  This study covers the subjects of, history, science, geography, character study, Bible, art, and language arts.  It is designed grades K-12. This study is available in e-book format for $8.00 from Soli Deo Gloria Resources. 

Our Opinion

     My kids and I had a great time studying William Tyndale, God’s Smuggler.  I had heard of William Tyndale, but could not have told you any details about him.  This study has changed that.  I can now tell you details of his life and the important work of translating the Bible into English. 

     I have done some unit studies in the past with my kids, but I have never used one that included my 7,8, and 13 year old all at once.  It was fun to be together studying the same topic.  My kids said the same thing, they really liked the study.  Learning about the plague fascinated them. Talking about William Tyndale being a martyr brought about interesting discussions of the common practice of being burned at the stake.  We watched a Torchlighters video which was very informative as well as being interesting to watch.  Sarah was particularly intrigued with the Renaissance and the artists of that period.  Ben and Rebekah loved the “printing press” experiment/art lesson we created.  We were also startled to realize that William Tyndale lived during the same time period of Martin Luther and the Reformation.  Being Lutherans, we study Martin Luther each October and this unit study was a perfect accompaniment.

     The only part of this study that I really had trouble with was finding some of the materials.  The videos recommended were easy to obtain, as we received them from NetFlix.  It was the books that were harder to get.  I searched our small town, the “Big City” of Boise and finally had to order them from Amazon.  I also felt that, while we had a great time, it was a little “light” for Sarah (13), although she did not complain at all about that. 

     I would recommend this study, especially for someone who is just starting unit studies.  We found the information to be fascinating. It also gave us a greater appreciation of being able to read God’s Word for ourselves.

Check out what my crew mates are saying about Soli Deo Gloria Resources by visiting our Crew Blog.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received  the William Tyndale, God’s Smuggler e-book for free in exchange for my honest review of their product.