Bibles of the English Reformation: The King James Bible

   ''For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.'' -John 3: 16, KJV.

    Brought on by Anglican and Puritan translators, The King James Version of the Bible was the most commonly used book by Colonial Americans. Called also The Authorized Version, or AV, The King James Version of the Bible is possible the most important work written in the English language.

                                 

King James in the above picture. 

This is my last post on the Bibles of the English Reformation. Tonight, I will focus on the literary work found in the King James Version, alongside the history that saw it's production.
 The King James Version of the Bible is the most sold book in the history of the world, with estimations of at least one billion in sales. Many presidents have sworn on it, and it has naturally become a part of English Language and Literature. The King James Version of the Bible has no copyright, which also explains it's availability at so massive of sails in the public market. For centuries, The King James Version of the Bible was valued by Protestants, though generally seen more negatively by American Roman Catholics, whom objected to the demand of American schools for their own children to read The King James Version.  Still Bishop Challoner, took from The King James Version of the Bible to produce a revised edition of The Douay Rheims Bible. 
 From time to time, though perhaps less common now than ever, some people may here about The King James Only debate. I of course have no interest in getting into the theological debate here of whether or not The King James Version of the Bible is the alone inspired Word of God. As I commonly do, I like to post about historical facts rather than theological opinions, and to share thoughts on great literary works of the past.

1611 would mark the year of The King James Bible's publication. 

1. The History of the King James Version of the Bible

King James I of England had greatly opposed the The Geneva Bible, which he despised, despite it's great popularity among the reformed English. The king has been reported to have disliked the Geneva Bible, primarily for it's notes, which supported Republicanism. Many Puritans came to agree England needed a Bible that the English and Scottish would both use, and King James would make sure that no notes would be part of his Bible translation, as he wanted a Bible that all Christians could use. 

 In 1604, King James assembled a synod to discuss the work of making a new English Bible. He appointed nearly fifty scholars, that were separated in about a handful of groups, as he commended them to make a conservative translation. This new translation was compiled by many scholars from Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and it took great influence from the previous Bible scholars, William Tyndale, and Myles Coverdale. Taking it's influence greatly from The Latin Vulgate, The Textus Receptus, and The Masoretic Text, The AV brought some of the best manuscripts and scholars of it's day to produce a great literary work. 

2. The Literary achievement of the King James Bible

One of the most significant differences from The King James Version in comparison to other Protestant versions is it's more moderate understanding of subjects like monarchy and good works. The King James Bible retained the use of ''Charity'' rather than ''Love'' in 1 Corinthians 13. This is more significant than many modern readers may expect, for charity implies good works, and marks The King James Version as closer in the middle of Roman Catholic and Protestant translations, despite still being Protestant. In Romans 13, The KJV says those that go against the goverment shall be damned, in contrast to simply being ''punished'' as was taught by The Geneva Bible.  In those senses, The King James Version was the most conservative Protestant Bible. The AV was clearly pro-monarchy. 

Perhaps, most significant is the fact that even today, it is still the basis for essentially all other English Bibles. The AV has become an authority all it's own.  Even though many King James Bibles now include notes in them, and have removed the Apocrypha, this was not the intent of the original translators, that made a most moderate version of the Bible in English. It is understandably then, that The King James Bible, is quite universally accepted among many Christians. 

3. Sources: In the Begining by Alister Mcgrath, The Nortan Anthology of English Literature, English Literature by Benjamin W. Griffith. 

                                                                           4. Final Summary



With all that said, I appreciate the great work of the translators of England's masterpiece. I also look forward to moving on to writing and researching new subjects of literature. I hope you enjoyed this series on the Bibles of the English Reformation. Blessings, Josh.