Henry VIII, a loyal son of the Catholic Church, incensed by Luther’s dissidence published a book against Luther and his teachings. The book which was ghost written was read publicly in Cambridge. For his trouble, Henry was offered the title Fedei Defensor by the Pope. Luther’s New Learning was just starting to infiltrate England at this time. His books were smuggled through the eastern ports and then carried throughout the kingdom by colporteurs. 

In May of that same year church officials searched dorm rooms at Cambridge and confiscated dozens of Luther’s books which were then burned before the steps of St. Mary’s Church in Cambridge at the market square. 

Around this time Thomas Bilney a monk, lawyer, and Fellow of Trinity Hall Cambridge was experiencing a similar spiritual crisis as Martin Luther. Bilney longed for the assurance of salvation and to this end, he engaged in numerous acts of penance. Regardless of how hard he worked, peace seemed out of his reach. Finally, his friends recommended he read Erasmus’ translation of the New Testament. Bilney agreed, deciding to read the volume mainly because he wanted first-hand knowledge of Erasmus’ use of Latin. The encounter changed Bilney’s life. When he read 1 Timothy 1:15 he gained the assurance he had been longing for. The verse reads “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptations that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief”. Bilney later wrote that when he read this verse his “bruised bones leaped for joy” 

Bilney’s conversion became the impetus that launched the Reformation in England at a grassroots level. Shortly after discovering the beauty of righteousness by faith, Bilney began to share his findings with other scholars at Cambridge, one of the most prominent being Hugh Latimer, who became instrumental in promulgating the Reformation in England during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI. Under Bilney’s leadership, the ever-widening pool of scholars met at the Whitehorse Inn in Cambridge to discuss the Bible and Luther’s writings. This was the beginning of the English Reformation. 

While Tyndale was at Cambridge, he is believed to have been associated with Bilney and his circle at the Whitehorse Inn. These associations most likely provided the impetus for him to continue to preach the gospel wherever he went.