New conference on Lollardy!

Money quote: "Discussions of religious controversy in late-medieval England have increasingly adopted a continental scope. We have begun to see how communication networks, both licit and illicit, connected England with sometimes unexpected parts of Europe; how the Wycliffites influenced, and were influenced by, continental writings; how English religious affairs drew the attention of continental observers; and how debate over Wyclif’s doctrines featured prominently at the 15th- century general councils. Seen from an even broader perspective, late-medieval English religious politics was both integrated with and stood in tense relation to that of continental Europe (as had long been the case). In other words, England was never as insular as some have thought it to be. This conference aims to explore intersections—the points at which Wycliffism and English religious controversy meet with broader social, cultural, historical, literary, and material issues of European significance. One purpose of this gathering is to examine the place of L/lollard studies in terms of wider concerns in Europe, though not all papers are expected to address L/lollardy or Wycliffism directly. This meeting will also provide a forum for re-examining the mission of the Lollard Society, its current emphases and future directions."

Update on TSJ No.42

"Attention all Tyndalians --TSJ42 is in the works! Packed with fascinating papers unraveling the mysteries of Tyndale's early life in England, together with a major announcement regarding the CUAP William Tyndale project! Watch this space for further details." Neil Inglis

Teems on Tyndale...

'Tyndale' author David Teems interviewed in Nashville for The Christian Post...

"In England in 1526, the year Tyndale did the first testament, it was against the law to own an English bible or have any of the bible on your possession. In fact, in the town of Coventry in 1519 a family of six was put to death because the parents taught their children the Lord's Prayer in English. That's how severe the times were."

"One of the things that attracted me to Tyndale was I'm a Shakespeare geek. One of the first things I saw when researching Tyndale was a statement that circulates among scholars "without Tyndale, no Shakespeare." ... Tyndale set a sound in motion. The King James translators used the existing English bible; they took the best lines by meaning and lyrical weight and put those words together. Nearly 94 percent of the King James New Testament is the translation of William Tyndale. Most often word for word. The King James Bible is literally Tyndale's bible. 

Stephen Greenblatt, a Harvard professor said our sense of eloquence and splendor in the English language is largely due to William Tyndale. Scholars today will tell you the English you and I speak is Tyndalian, that Tyndale's bible liberated the English language. We as English speaking believers owe Tyndale a debt.