William Tyndale On the Anti-Christ and the Ekklesia

[tulsa 2011]

William Tyndale (1494–1536) was the first to translate the Hebrew and Greek of the Bible into English, starting in 1525 with the New Testament. Much of the Geneva Bible and the King James Version are derived from the Tyndale Bible verse wordings. But Tyndale consistently translated ekklesia as congregation except for Acts 14: 13 and Acts 19: 37 where he uses chirche, meaning a pagan place of worship. In his essay, The Parable of the Wicked Mammon, William Tyndale rejected the Church's teaching that looked to the future for a one person Antichrist to rise up, and he taught that Antichrist is a present spiritual force that will be with us until the end of the age under different religious disguises from time to time. William Tyndale (1494–1536) was the first to translate the Hebrew and Greek of the Bible into English, starting in 1525 with the New Testament. Much of the Geneva Bible and the King James Version are derived from the Tyndale Bible verse wordings.


See http://www.newmatthewbible.<wbr>org/antichrist.pdf

"Tyndale taught that Antichrist is knowable now
by those who understand
Paul’s teaching aright. He taught that Antichrist is not a particular individual, but
is a spiritual thing opposed to the faith of God’s
word. He taught that the
revelation of Antichrist means not that someone’s face and name will be known,
but that the dark forces of Antichrist are revealed
in deeds and doctrine that
oppose all that God’s word teaches, and all that may be known about Christ, our pure, spotless, and gentle Lamb, who is the Living
Word. In the end the deeds
and doctrine of Antichrist, through growing apostasy, become so obviously
unbiblical and unchristian, that he is thereby revealed for all to see who he is. "

"Tyndale did not restrict the
influence of Antichrist to the
Roman Church or to the
office of pope. For the entire
Church is necessarily at risk. "

"Any reader of these modern versions must think the
Bible teaches that only when
the restrainer is removed, or “disappears from the
scene (NEB)”, can Antichrist rise to power and be identified. And what fear this
causes in some circles, with
people searching out who this evil man is going to
be! But in fact, though it
appears more and more aggressively in modern Bibles , this doctrine of a future
Antichrist is not a modern teaching. It is many centuries old, and long predated Tyndale. It is a doctrine that arose early in the Church, and by the 16th
century it was apparently as pervasive among Roman Catholics as it is now among Protestants..."

"But William Tyndale departed from the common view.
His warnings, which have
been forgotten or suppressed, are that Antichrist is a spiritual thing, and always a
very present danger. Furthermore, we must watch out
for his coming as a
Christian imposter. In Christian Churches he will seek authority, professing faith
and assuming appearances of faith, but in fact teaching so as to undermine the faith. “Mark this,” Tyndale wrote, “above all things”:
Mark this also above all things – that Antichrist is not an outward thing,
that is to say, a man that should suddenly appear with wonders, as our
fathers talked of him. No, verily; for Antichrist is a spiritual thing. And is
as much to say as against Christ; that is, one that
preacheth false doctrine, contrary to Christ."

In Revelation 13: 12 the second beast, often called the false prophet, is said to cause people
to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed. This refers to Revelation 13: 3 where one of
the heads of the first beast received a deadly wound which was healed, which can be seen as the Little Horn of Daniel 7: 8 which comes up as a power of government, though small, among the four beast empires of Daniel 7: 4-7. This Little Horn nation, the head of the beast whose deadly wound was healed, can be seen as the spirit of anti-Christ. Honoring it and what it represents is honoring the spirit of anti-Christ. This honoring of the Little Horn nation and what it represents should be understood as being different from the false prophets who teach another Jesus Christ and another Gospel in a deceptive way, just as Tyndale said that the spiritual thing called anti-Christ would be deceptive. The Little Horn nation represents the rejection of Jesus Christ, not the teaching of a different Christ because another Gospel is attributed to Christ by the false prophets.

On the issue of the translation of ekklesia, the first English translations did not use church, or earlier spellings of church, for ekklesia.

See: http://www.beinaberean.org/<wbr>writings/church.html

"John Wyclife, of Yorkshire, England, translated the first Bible into English in 1382, not from the original languages, but from the Latin. Therein, John translated the Latin word ecclesiam into chirche (in old English spelling):

And Y seie to thee, that thou art Petre, and on this stoon Y schal bilde my chirche, and the yatis of helle schulen not haue miyt ayens it. (Wyclife, 1382)"

In the Wyclife 1382 English Bible, translated from Latin, circe became chirche, pronounced "Kirkee."

The English translations that followed were:

Tyndale's Bible (1526) - used "congregation" consistently for ekklesia except for Acts 14: 13 and Acts 19: 37 where he used chirche, meaning a pagan place of worship.

And I saye also vnto the that thou arte Peter: and apon this rocke I wyll bylde my congregacion. And the gates of hell shall not prevayle ageynst it. (Tyndale, 1526, for Matthew 16: 18)

The King James Version for Matthew 16: 18 says "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

For Acts 14: 13 Tyndale (in modern English spelling) has: "Then Jupiters Priest which dwelt before their city brought ox and garlands into the churche porch and would have done sacrifice with the people."

Tyndale's spelling of "churche" is not corrected here to put it into Modern English spelling. "Churche" is apparently a variation on the spelling "chirche," from circe, the enchantress of Greek myth.

Here is Acts 19: 37 in the Tyndale Bible:
"For ye have brought hither these me which are nether robbers of churches nor yet despisers of your goddess."

Lets go back to the translation of ekklesia in Matthew 16: 18.

And I saye also vnto the that thou arte Peter: and apon this rocke I wyll bylde my congregacion. And the gates of hell shall not prevayle ageynst it. (Tyndale, 1526)

The King James Version for Matthew 16: 18 says "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

For Acts 14: 13 Tyndale (in modern English spelling) has: "Then Jupiters Priest which dwelt before their city brought ox and garlands into the churche porch and would have done sacrifice with the people."

Tyndale's spelling of "churche" is not corrected here to put it into Modern English spelling. "Churche" is apparently a variation on the spelling "chirche," from circe, the enchantress of Greek myth.

Here is Acts 19: 37 in the Tyndale Bible:
"For ye have brought hither these me which are nether robbers of churches nor yet despisers of your goddess."

Coverdale Bible (1535) for Matthew 16: 18 - used "congregation" "And I saie to ye: Thou art Peter, & vpo this rocke wil I builde my cogregacion: and ye gates of hell shal not preuayle agaynst it."

The Great Bible for Matthew 16: 18 (1540) - used "congregation" "And I saye also vnto the þt thou art Peter: & vpon this rocke I wil bylde my congregacion. And þe gates of hell shal not preuayle agaynst it."

Matthew Bible for Matthew 16: 18 (1549) - used "congregation" "And I saye also vnto the that thou arte Peeter: and vpon thys rocke I wil buylde my congregacion. And the gates of hell shall not preuayle against it."

The Bishops Bible for Matthew 16: 18 (1568) has "congregation" "And I say also vnto thee, that thou art Peter, and vpon this rocke I wyll buylde my congregation: And the gates of hell shall not preuayle agaynst it."

But the Geneva Bible (1587) for Matthew 16: 18 - uses "church" "And I say also vnto thee, that thou art Peter, and vpon this rocke I will builde my Church: and ye gates of hel shal not ouercome it."

At about the time of the Reformation,the word church for ekklesia was used by Theodore Beza in 1556, a Protestant, who followed John Calvin at Geneva, Switzerland. As a Calvinist, Beza followed the Catholic idea of the universal capital C church and supported this concept by using the word church instead of congregation. William Whittingham's Testament of 1557 followed Beza's usage of church. The first edition of the Geneva Bible as a revision of the Tyndale New Testament, translated ekklesia as church. The Geneva Bible followed Beza in translating ekklesia consistently as church instead of as congregation as Tyndale had done. The consistent translation of ekklesia as Church in the English Bibles apparently dates back to a Calvinist, Theodore Beza.

In 1557 the Geneva New Testament, produced by William Whittingham, translated "ekklesia" as "church." It is important to note the Protestant source of this translation.

Remember that the Bishop's Bible (1568) - used "congregation"

Note that the 1382 Wyclife Bible, which translated the Latin Bible, apparently Jerome's Fouth Century Vulgate, into the English of that time used chirche, prounced Kirkee, from circe, for the Latin ecclesia, which was from the Greek ekklesia.

Webster's Third New International Dictionary say the word “church” is in part from a Greek word related to Circe, the enchantress, pronounced Kirkee:

Church: Middle English chirche, from Old English cirice. From: Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, and Seven Language Dictionary.

"The proper name of the Greek enchantress Circe, whose attractive body transformed men into pigs, is mysteriously linked to the Old English word “church” – including the identical pronunciation:

“Circe - sorceress deity who transformed men into beasts, from Greek Kirke” (Webster’s, op. cit.).

In Greek mythology, Circe was a female enchantress, who lured men to her island place. She was known for her sensuality, her mastery of magic and potions, and in one legend she turned men into swine. The Sirens were also enchanted women who lured sailors to their deaths from the rocks on the island when they heard the intoxicating songs of the Sirens.

The ancient Greeks in their literature talked about men being aware of the danger of the hypnotic power of Circe and of the Sirens of the Sea. But sometimes the Greek sailors thought they were immune to the danger. This unwillingness to recognize the danger of being brought under a spell from something alluring is like the Strong Delusion that Paul warns about:

“…God shall send them Strong Delusion, that they should believe a lie… (II Thessalonians 2:11).

 

[Last Things]

"Antichrist is not a modern teaching. It is many centuries old, and long predated Tyndale. It is a doctrine that arose early in the Church, and by the 16th century it was apparently as pervasive among Roman Catholics as it is now among Protestants..." "

This was never a doctrine of the Catholic Church. I believe it was generally regarded that there were anti-Christs which were people or principles of evil, which the anti-Christ of revelation refers to something specific which may have been in the past.

 

[tulsa 2011]

Tyndale translates some key words in the Genesis 6 account differently than does the King James Version.

1 "And it came to pass when men began to multiply upon the earth and had begot them daughters
2 the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair and took unto them wives which they best liked among them all.
3 And the LORD said: My spirit shall not allways strive with man for they are flesh. Nevertheless I will give them yet space an hundred and twenty years
4 There were tyrants in the world in those days. For after that the children of God had gone in unto the daughters of men and had begotten them children the same children were the mightiest of the world and men of renown.
5 And when the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was increased upon the earth and that all the imagination and thoughts of his heart was only evil continually
6 he repented that he had made man upon the earth and sorrowed in his hert.
7 And said: I will destroy mankind which I have made from of the face of the earth: both man, beast, worm and fowl of the air for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8 But yet Noe found grace in the sight of the LORD.
9 These are the generations of Noe. Noe was a righteous man and uncorrupted in his time and walked with God." Genesis 6: 1-9

Genesis 6: 1-9 in the King James: 1. "And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2. That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
4. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
5. And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
9. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."

Note in verse four Tyndale has tyrants while the King James has giants. In verse 9 Tyndale has "Noe was a righteous man and uncorrupted in his time." The King James has "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations."

For Genesis 6: 4 the Geneva Bible has "There were giants in the earth in those days: yea, and after that the sons of God came unto the daughters of men, and they had borne them children, these were mighty men, which in old time were men of renown."

For Genesis 6: 9 the Geneva Bible says "These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just and upright man in his time: and Noah walked with God."

The NIV for Genesis 6: 4 says "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown."

For verse 9 the NIV has "This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God."

The NIV does not translate the Hebrew word nephil, Strong's number 5303, "a feller, i.e.,bully or tyrant, giant." And - as is often true for the NIV, it does not translate the Hebrew or Greek in a word for word way, as much as the earlier English translations do.

It is interesting that in Genesis 6: 3 God promised to give man a hundred and twenty years to live. Yet this life span was reduced later. Psalm 90: 7-10 says "For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.
8. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
9. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
10. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away."

The punishment for the iniquities of the Israelites in Psalm 90: 7-10 as a reduction of the lifespan may not apply to all of mankind and to all Israelites of all generations. In Genesis 47: 9 "Jacob said to Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are 130 years; few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and they have not attained to those of the life of my fathers in their pilgrimage."

Deuteronomy 34: 7: "And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated."

God has allowed man to mess up his environment, his food supply, his water, his air to be full of toxins and man's social life so stressful that his lifespan has been reduced to 75 or 80, or less, from the 120 years promised in Genesis 6: 3

 

[Ruth Magnusson Davis]

"Antichrist is not a modern teaching. It is many centuries old, and long predated Tyndale. It is a doctrine that arose early in the Church, and by the 16th century it was apparently as pervasive among Roman Catholics as it is now among Protestants..." "

This was never a doctrine of the Catholic Church. I believe it was generally regarded that there were anti-Christs which were people or principles of evil, which the anti-Christ of revelation refers to something specific which may have been in the past.

I am the person who was quoted above by "Last things" concerning Antichrist and the teachings of William Tyndale. But "Last things" has misunderstood and misquoted me. Of course Antichrist is not a modern teaching. The New Testament expressly teaches about Antichrist.

- What I said in my article, partly quoted further above by "Tulsa," was that the popular modern teaching about a man who would rise up in the future as Antichrist, but who is now "withheld," is not a new teaching. I was surprised to learn from William Tyndale that some Church fathers held to this belief. Tyndale discussed the popular belief of his contemporaries (that is, in the early 16th century) that there would be a future Antichrist. He said it was an error taught by our Church fathers, and caused people to miss Antichrist now because they were looking for him in the future.

-Tyndale would not have written these things unless there was then a prevailing belief in a future individual who would be an Antichrist. People can read Tyndale on this topic in "The Parable of the Wicked Mammon." See page 5. Benediction Classics has put out a version of this book.

-This belief must have been popular among Roman Catholics, because Tyndale was writing for his contemporaries, who were Roman Catholic.

- If you go to this Roman catholic website, you will see some quotations that illustrate what Tyndale said about the teachings of the Church fathers: The Antichrist | Catholic Answers . This is a Roman Catholic approved website.

- Tyndale warned that Antichrist would arise in new denominations after he had been exposed in the Roman Catholic Church. Tyndale was not specifically anti Roman Catholic, but he was anti-abuse in the Church. There were then terrible abuses and terrible apostasy in the Roman Church, which he wrote against strongly. Nowadays, however, there may be more Christ centered teaching in RC Churches than in some Protestant ones I have been to. There are vernacular scripture readings in RC churches now, when there are none or very few in some independent "Protestant" services I have been to. I am not Roman Catholic, but I went to an excellent Easter vigil at a Roman Catholic church this year, with lovely ancient prayers in English. Let us avoid hate and blind antagonism, and judge soberly.

- So it is now as it was then... if we look for Antichrist in the future, or in the other guy's church, we will miss him now, and we may miss him in our own church. This is not to say that Antichrist will not have a stronger presence at some future time than he does now. It is only to repeat what Tyndale said: Antichrist is a spiritual thing, opposed to Christ, and we must be alert for him now. For he is here.

I write more on this in my article which is linked from this page: New Matthew Bible Project - Restoring the 1549 Matthew Bible
I hope this clarifies the misunderstanding.,
Ruth Magnusson Davis

 

[Br. Bear]

Greetings

@Ruth Magnusson Davis
thank you for your input.

1John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Luke 11:23 He that is not with Me is against Me: and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth.

Bless you ....> <>