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| Senior Anglo-Italian clerk of London in the Church of England Cuthbert Tunstall (1464--1559) Tyndale's nemesis and a man-burner too |
WILLIAM TYNDALE—LONDON--WITH THE ANGLO-ITALIAN BISHOP OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND, CUTHBERT TUNSTALL (THE MAN-BURNER)
Tyndale sought but was denied permission to begin a vernacular translation after the fashion of Erasmus’ recommendations in the "explosive" Preface. "Explosive" as an idea—vernacular Bibles. That idea had been in several print-runs of Erasmus' Greek NT--it was getting widespread traction on the Continent. But, let's face it. England was a backwater and its language was that of an unregarded minority--unlike today. Cuthbert Tunstall had been supportive of Erasmus. But, he didn’t support Erasmus on this point—no “pestiferous” vernaculars for the "swine." No more Lollards and certainly none of those "Lutheran heretics." They--the Latin-illiterate throngs--needed to be ignorant and eat "Christ-cakes" made by the Anglo-Italian sovereigns at the altar. (As Tyndale repeated often, "Rome is afraid of the Bible.") This part of Erasmus’ regime for renewal was not in the Anglo-Italian’s program, however. Tyndale met with the Anglo-Italian in London about spring of 1523. Letters of recommendation were sent from Sir John Walsh of Gloucestershire, but a response indicated that “…there is no room in my lord of London’s palace to translate the new testament [sic]” (141). The letter of denial came from the chap running the horse stables. No room in a bishop’s “palace” to translate the NT? Sounds like “no room in the Bethlehem Inn" for the birth of the Incarnate Word. Who the hell believes that crock of brewing crap in the crockpot of this Anglo-Italian "in his palace?" No room "in a London palace" for the vernacular Word of God is it? What a crock! Remember, Luther’s fame was widespread by this point and his German “September Bible” had rolled off the presses in 1522. Erasmus' fame was everywhere too--including England, the backwater. Tyndale was a master of eight languages: Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, English, French and German. No room in the "palace?" Yet, the Anglo-Italian had room at his palace for horses and carriages. Room for a bunch of horses, but not enough room for a translator of the Greek NT to English? Welcome to Cuthbert Tunstall--later infamous as a burner of human beings. Welcome to the "Anglo-Italian" Church of England in 1523. The Church of England and the ACNA still host Anglo-Italianisms with Tractoes from the synagogue of John Newman.
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