David Daniell (Literary scholar)
Encyclopedia
David Daniell 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."
. 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. 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.
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
.
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.
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
.
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.
he supports some theses. These statements are often quoted by other authors.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
literary scholar and editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of specialist books, mainly about William Tyndale
William Tyndale
William Tyndale was an English scholar and translator who became a leading figure in Protestant reformism towards the end of his life. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther...
and his translations of the Bible
Tyndale Bible
The Tyndale Bible generally refers to the body of biblical translations by William Tyndale. Tyndale’s Bible is credited with being the first English translation to work directly from Hebrew and Greek texts. Furthermore it was the first English biblical translation that was mass produced as a result...
. He was formerly Professor of English at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of 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 DarlingtonDarlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
. Later, he studied in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
(St Catherine's College
St Catherine's College, Oxford
St Catherine's College, often called Catz, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its motto is Nova et Vetera...
) and graduated as Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1952; and Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in 1954, having studied English Language and Literature
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
. In 1954 he gained a B.A. degree
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
. He read English and later Theology at Oxford. He studied 1954-1955 at the University of Tübingen and there he received his postgraduate degree. In 1972 he received his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, for his Shakespeare studies. In the year 1979, Daniell accompanied the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
on a six-week tour of European cities.
In 1980 and 1982 David Daniell published two volumes of The Best Short Stories of John Buchan and in 1989 William Tyndale
William Tyndale
William Tyndale was an English scholar and translator who became a leading figure in Protestant reformism towards the end of his life. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther...
's New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
and 1992 William Tyndale
William Tyndale
William Tyndale was an English scholar and translator who became a leading figure in Protestant reformism towards the end of his life. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther...
's Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
.
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
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
. David Daniell was the first chairman and his successor was Mary Clow. Today, the Tyndale Society has about hundred members worldwide.
1998 he published a Shakespeare edition of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar (play)
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
.
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
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
. He is an Honorary Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Oxford College, Hertford and of the Oxford College St Catherine's
St Catherine's College, Oxford
St Catherine's College, often called Catz, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its motto is Nova et Vetera...
. He is an honorary member of the Senior Common Room at Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
.
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.
His known theses
In his writings about William TyndaleWilliam Tyndale
William Tyndale was an English scholar and translator who became a leading figure in Protestant reformism towards the end of his life. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther...
he supports some theses. These statements are often quoted by other authors.
- Tyndale was independent of Luther's translation of the bibleLuther BibleThe Luther Bible is a German Bible translation by Martin Luther, first printed with both testaments in 1534. This translation became a force in shaping the Modern High German language. The project absorbed Luther's later years. The new translation was very widely disseminated thanks to the printing...
. - But, Tyndale used what he found good in LutherLuther BibleThe Luther Bible is a German Bible translation by Martin Luther, first printed with both testaments in 1534. This translation became a force in shaping the Modern High German language. The project absorbed Luther's later years. The new translation was very widely disseminated thanks to the printing...
. - In the Matthew BibleMatthew BibleThe Matthew Bible, also known as Matthew's Version, was first published in 1537 by John Rogers, under the pseudonym "Thomas Matthew". It combined the New Testament of William Tyndale, and as much of the Old Testament as he had been able to translate before being captured and put to death...
was printed, from the Book of JoshuaBook of JoshuaThe Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament. Its 24 chapters tell of the entry of the Israelites into Canaan, their conquest and division of the land under the leadership of Joshua, and of serving God in the land....
to The Chronicles of the Kings of Juda. The Second BookBooks of ChroniclesThe Books of Chronicles are part of the Hebrew Bible. In the Masoretic Text, it appears as the first or last book of the Ketuvim . Chronicles largely parallels the Davidic narratives in the Books of Samuel and the Books of Kings...
, Tyndale's translation. 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" and Sir Frederic G. KenyonFrederic G. KenyonSir Frederic George Kenyon GBE KCB TD FBA FSA was a British paleographer and biblical and classical scholar. He occupied from 1889 to 1931 a series of posts at the British Museum...
(in 1909) was of a similar opinion to David Daniell. - 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 SkousenRoyal SkousenRoyal Jon Skousen is a professor of linguistics and English at Brigham Young University , where he is editor of the Book of Mormon Critical Text Project...
.
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 ManThe Obedience of a Christian ManThe Obedience of a Christen man, and how Christen rulers ought to govern, wherein also thou shalt find eyes to perceive the crafty convience of all iugglers. is a 1528 book by the English Protestant author William Tyndale. Its title is now commonly modernised in its spelling and abbreviated to The...
; 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 TyndaleWilliam TyndaleWilliam Tyndale was an English scholar and translator who became a leading figure in Protestant reformism towards the end of his life. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther...
- Tyndale BibleTyndale BibleThe Tyndale Bible generally refers to the body of biblical translations by William Tyndale. Tyndale’s Bible is credited with being the first English translation to work directly from Hebrew and Greek texts. Furthermore it was the first English biblical translation that was mass produced as a result...
- English translations of the BibleEnglish translations of the BibleThe efforts of translating the Bible from its original languages into over 2,000 others have spanned more than two millennia. Partial translations of the Bible into languages of the English people can be traced back to the end of the 7th century, including translations into Old English and Middle...
- Luther BibleLuther BibleThe Luther Bible is a German Bible translation by Martin Luther, first printed with both testaments in 1534. This translation became a force in shaping the Modern High German language. The project absorbed Luther's later years. The new translation was very widely disseminated thanks to the printing...
- Matthew BibleMatthew BibleThe Matthew Bible, also known as Matthew's Version, was first published in 1537 by John Rogers, under the pseudonym "Thomas Matthew". It combined the New Testament of William Tyndale, and as much of the Old Testament as he had been able to translate before being captured and put to death...
- King James Bible
- William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
- John Buchan, 1st Baron TweedsmuirJohn Buchan, 1st Baron TweedsmuirJohn Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir was a Scottish novelist, historian and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation....