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In a small town not far from where William Tyndale was believed to have been born, an Iranian pastor is making strides in religious translation. His mission involves revising the Old Testament into Persian, echoing Tyndale’s groundbreaking work of translating the Bible into English in the 16th century.
William Tyndale, a pioneer of Bible translation, undertook the monumental task of translating the Bible directly from Greek and Hebrew at a time when the Catholic Church strictly adhered to the Latin Vulgate. This was during an era when unauthorized English versions were forbidden.
Fast forward five centuries, and the struggle persists, albeit in a different context. In Iran, possessing, printing, or distributing Bibles is illegal, forcing many Iranian Christians into exile to freely practice their faith.
Among these exiles is Pooyan Mehrshahi, who is spearheading the Persian translation of the Old Testament for the Trinitarian Bible Society (TBS). Remarkably, he is conducting this work just 18 miles from North Nibley, the village associated with Tyndale’s birth.
Mehrshahi stated, “To be carrying out this work so close to William Tyndale’s birthplace is deeply significant. Tyndale gave everything so that ordinary people could read the Word of God for themselves. We are seeking to uphold that same principle for people in my home country today.”
The pastor’s efforts are highlighted in a new documentary commemorating the 500th anniversary of Tyndale’s New Testament publication in 1526. This film combines modern-day footage with AI-generated recreations of historical scenes.
Beyond celebrating Tyndale’s legacy, the documentary underscores the ongoing need to translate the Bible into various languages, a mission the TBS is actively pursuing with over 100 translation projects, notably in regions where Christianity faces persecution.
TBS Editorial Director Matthew Vogan emphasized, “The Tyndale documentary doesn’t simply tell his story, but it shows why it still matters. His work not only was instrumental in the spreading of the Christian message, but also in the English language. Many phrases we use today are from Tyndale’s original text.”
The film “Tyndale” is available to watch for free at tyndalefilm.com.
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
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