David Daniell (author)

David Daniell (born 17 February 1929) is an English literary scholar and editor of specialist books, mainly about William Tyndale and his translations of the Bible. He was formerly Professor of English at University College London and has published a number of studies of the plays of Shakespeare. He also founded the Tyndale Society. He coined the widely repeated phrase explaining the importance of the sixteenth century English Bible translator to the greatest playwright in the English language: "No Tyndale, No Shakespeare."

Life

He was the son of the Revd Eric Daniell and his wife Betty and was educated at the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Darlington. Later, he studied in Oxford (St Catherine's College) and graduated as Bachelor of Arts in 1952; and Master of Arts in 1954, having studied English Language and Literature. In 1954 he gained a B.A. degree in Theology. He read English and later Theology at Oxford.^[1] He studied 1954-1955 at the University of Tübingen and there he received his postgraduate degree. In 1972 he received his Ph.D. from the University of London, for his Shakespeare studies. In the year 1979, Daniell accompanied the Royal Shakespeare Company on a six-week tour of European cities.^[1][2]

In 1980 and 1982 David Daniell published two volumes of The Best Short Stories of John Buchan and in 1989 William Tyndale's New Testament and 1992 William Tyndale's Old Testament.^[2]

In 1994 he published his biography of William Tyndale and one year later (January 1995) the Tyndale Society was founded at a meeting in the British Library. David Daniell was the first chairman and his successor was Mary Clow. Today, the Tyndale Society has about hundred members worldwide.^[2]

1998 he published a Shakespeare edition of Julius Caesar. His book about the history of the English Bible (The Bible in English: History and Influence) appeared in 2003.

In 1992, David Daniell was appointed to a Professor of English at University College London. Since 1994 he got emeritus status. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Oxford College, Hertford and of the Oxford College St Catherine's. He is an honorary member of the Senior Common Room at Magdalen College, Oxford.^[2]

He has had over 50 radio and TV broadcasts about his work. He married Dorothy Mary Wells in 1956 and they have two sons; his son Christopher has two sons too.^[2][3]

His known theses

In his writings about William Tyndale he supports some theses. These statements are often quoted by other authors.

• Tyndale was independent of Luther's translation of the bible.^[4]
• But, Tyndale used what he found good in Luther.^[5]
• In the Matthew Bible was printed, from the Book of Joshua to The Chronicles of the Kings of Juda. The Second Book, Tyndale's translation.^[6] But this thesis is not new, e.g. A. S. Herbert, the Bible cataloguer, says of the Matthew Bible: "this version, which welds together the best work of Tyndale and Coverdale, is generally considered to be the real primary version of our English Bible" ^[7] and Sir Frederic G. Kenyon (in 1909) was of a similar opinion to David Daniell.^[8]
• About 80 per cent (exact 83 per cent) of the New Testament and 76 per cent of the Old Testament (in the King James Bible) is Tyndale's translation. He takes over this thesis from John Nielson and Royal Skousen.^{[9][10][11][12][13]}

Works and edited books (selection)

• Buchan, John; Daniell, David (ed.): The Best Short Stories of John Buchan; edited with introduction and notes. (Volume 1.) London: Michael Joseph, 1980
• Buchan, John; Daniell, David (ed.): The Best Short Stories of John Buchan; edited with introduction and notes. Volume II. London: Michael Joseph, 1982
• Tyndale, William; Daniell, David (ed.): Tyndale's New Testament: Translated from the Greek by William Tyndale in 1534. in a modern-spelling edition; with an introduction by David Daniell. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1989
• Tyndale, William; Daniell, David (ed.): Tyndale's Old Testament: being the Pentateuch of 1530, Joshua to 2. Chronicles of 1537 and Jonah, translated by William Tyndale, in a modern-spelling edition; with an introduction by David Daniell. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1992
• Daniell, David: William Tyndale: a biography. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 1994
• Shakespeare, William; Daniell, David (ed.): Julius Caesar. (The Arden Shakespeare.) Walton-on-Thames: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1998
• Tyndale, William; Daniell, David (ed.): The Obedience of a Christian Man; edited and with an introduction and notes. London: Penguin Classics, 2000
• Tyndale, William; Daniell, David (ed.): (William Tyndale.) Selected Writings; edited and with an introduction and notes. Manchester: Carcanet Press, 2003
• Daniell, David: The Bible in English: History and Influence. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press, 2003

See also

• William Tyndale
• Tyndale Bible
• English translations of the Bible
• Luther Bible
• Matthew Bible
• King James Bible
• William Shakespeare
• John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Tyndale, William (tr.); Daniell, David (ed.)(1992) Tyndale's Old Testament: being the Pentateuch of 1530; Joshua to 2. Chronicles of 1537 and Jonah; translated by William Tyndale in a modern-spelling edition; with an introduction by David Daniell. New Haven & and London: Yale University Press, cover
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} The Website of David Daniell
3. ^ Daniell, David (2003) The Bible in English. History and Influence. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press; p. xii
4. ^ Daniell, David (1994) William Tyndale: a Biography. New Haven & London: Yale University Press; p. 112-113
5. ^ Daniell, David (1994); p. 114, line 33
6. ^ Compare: Tyndale, William (tr.); Daniell, David (ed.) (1992) Tyndale's Old Testament: being the Pentateuch of 1530, Joshua to 2. Chronicles of 1537 and Jonah, translated by William Tyndale, in a modern-spelling edition with an introduction by David Daniell. New Haven & London: Yale University Press; p. xxiv ff.
7. ^ Herbert, A. S. (1968) Historical Catalogue of Printed Bibles 1525-1961. London: British and Foreign Bible Society; New York: American Bible Society ISBN 0-564-00130-9; p. 18.
8. ^ Online version of Sir Frederic G. Kenyon’s article in Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible, 1909.
9. ^ The Powerhouse of Creative Thought - David Daniell's study of the Bible in English..., page 2
10. ^ Tyndale, William; Daniell, David (ed.) (2000) The Obedience of a Christian Man; edited and with an introduction and notes. London: Penguin Classics; p. xix (see also: footnote 8)
11. ^ Daniell, David (2003) The Bible in English. History and Influence. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press; p.136 (see also: footnote 13) and p. 448
12. ^ Nielson, John & Skousen, Royal (1998) How Much of the King James Bible is William Tyndale's; pp. 49-74 in: REFORMATION - Volume Three.
13. ^ Nielson, John & Skousen, Royal (1998) How Much of the King James Bible is William Tyndale's - abstract, in: REFORMATION - Volume Three.

External links

• David Daniell
• Tyndale Society
• The Powerhouse of Creative Thought - David Daniell's study of the Bible in English

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Name	Daniell, David
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Date of birth	17 February 1929
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