St Paul’s Cathedral will commemorate the 500th anniversary of William Tyndale’s New Testament translation with a new exhibition opening this summer alongside a diverse program of engaging events throughout the year.
The exhibition, A Dangerous Calling: 500 Years of William Tyndale’s New Testament, will be open to the public from the 5th June until 27th February 2027 telling the extraordinary story of one of the smallest yet most revolutionary books in English history 500-years on from its publication. A press preview for the exhibition will take place on the 4th June.
The exhibition provides a rare opportunity for visitors to see a first edition of Tyndale’s translation up close in the Library, and will be accompanied by a year of events, tours, and interactive experiences, such as an art competition for schools, to engage visitors in the history of the translation and its enduring impact on the English language. A newly digitised version of the Tyndale New Testament will provide visitors the opportunity to more closely explore the pages of the translation for themselves on the Cathedral floor.
In 1526, Tyndale’s first New Testament was printed in Europe and smuggled into England in bales of cloth at a time when translating the Bible into English without Church approval was a crime. Many copies of the banned Bible were tragically burned under instruction from the authorities; however, some survive to this day with the library of St Paul’s holding one of the three enduring copies of Tyndale’s first edition.
At the exhibition visitors can see how this once forbidden text transformed England by giving all people ‘from princes to ploughboys’ the chance to experience first-hand the word of God.
Commenting on the exhibition, the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, the Very Revd Andrew Tremlett, said:
“William Tyndale’s New Testament is an iconic work and the 500th anniversary of its publication provides a moment to reflect on the suffering he endured to ensure men and women throughout England could read the word of God in their own language. It is a privilege to hold a copy within the library of St Paul’s, and we are very excited to share this first edition, measuring just inches, with visitors at our new exhibition opening this summer. The Cathedral is honoured to mark this historical occasion in Christian history, and we are proud to stand as a symbol of faith, hope, and love in the heart of London.”
