So, here we are in May, and here’s some not so trivial trivia from the month of May. On May 2, 1611, the “Authorized version” English translation of the Bible, commonly known as the King James version, was published. Its impact has been immense, and it is still felt today. Many of us studied and memorized Scripture in a variation of the English of 1611 England. I say variation because printing errors, poor translations and wording were updated with almost every printing. Finally, a committee of over 50 English and American scholars was established and began meeting in 1871. The result was the publication in 1881 of the English Revised Version, or Revised Version.
Much of the Scripture that “floats around in your head” is from the King James Bible. Many of the songs we sing are worded in a “King James” way. Linus even quoted from the King James translation to Charlie Brown about the real meaning of Christmas.
The King James was not the first translation of the Bible into English. The first English translations of the Bible were the hand-written manuscripts of John Wycliffe and his followers in the late 1300’s. They did this despite being persecuted by those who did not want “common people” to be able to read the Bible for themselves. Gutenberg’s invention, the printing press made it possible to produce large quantities of books by printing, rather than hand copying. And in short order, the first Bible (New Testament) printed in English, produced by William Tyndale, was made available. It had been translated from Latin rather than the Greek. This was followed by the first complete English Bible, published by Myles Coverdale. This became available in 1535. This was followed by the first English Bible to be translated directly from Greek and Hebrew manuscripts; the Matthew-Tyndale Bible. This was first published in 1537. Shortly after this, the Geneva Bible translation was produced and soon became the most popular of these translations. These were followed by the King James translation in 1611.
There are many people who still use the King James Translation for a variety of reasons. One reason is simply the beautiful way it is worded. Like the English of Shakespear, it just sounds beautiful when it is spoken. It’s also a good translation of Scripture. Another reason is the fact it’s been around a LONG time. Then there are folks who get hung up on it being the “Authorized” version. (Of course, King James of England wasn’t Jesus. It wasn’t “the Word of King James. His “authorization” basically meant the translators had his permission and protection to translate, and that he helped pay for the work.)
The Scholars who translated the King James Bible used every one of the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts that they could get their hands on, but there were very few to look at. (over) Archeology wasn’t really a thing, and there wasn’t a priority placed on finding old copies of the Bible when European nations were constantly fighting wars with their neighbors.
The “Authorized Version” has had a huge effect on the world! Happy 413th birthday!
Reading God’s Word, right alongside of you,
John
