church review

the KInG JaMes VersIon has left a
lastInG bIblICal and lIterary leGaCy
Patrick Comerford
Throughout the Church, parishes,
dioceses, bookshops, schools, colleges and
other organisations are marking the
400th anniversary of the publication of
the King James Version of the Bible in
1611 with public readings, scholarly
conferences, historical exhibitions, new
books, commemorative services and a
BBC television series.
This was not the first translation of the Bible
into English, nor has it remained the world’s
best-selling or most familiar Bible. Yet, it has
deeply influenced the way we speak and has left
a lasting literary legacy.
The literary development and maturing of
the English language by the beginning of the
17th century, the discovery of new Biblical
manuscripts and Biblical Hebrew and Greek,
and the combined effect of the Renaissance, the
Reformation and the development of printing,
all at a time when Britain was entering a period
of political and social stability and coherence,
brought into being a well-loved version of the
Bible that remains an enduring standard in
many ways to this day. Although several
revisions were made to update and correct
errors in its translation and its printing, it was
deliberately memorable in its prose and poetry.
But how did we get this version of the Bible?
And what is its lasting and enduring legacy?
earlier translations
In the early part of the reign of Henry VIII,
William Tyndale began translating the Bible into
English, using the work of Erasmus as his
foundation. In 1525-1526, he published his New
Testament and began work on the Old
Testament, completing the first five books of
the Bible the following year. Most of his work
was completed abroad, but the authorities
caught up to Tyndale in 1536 and he was
burned at the stake. His dying words were:
“Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.”
The English Reformation saw the
introduction of the English language for church
services and the Bible was soon introduced in
a number of English language translations, each
building on its predecessor as well as other
works of translation.
The Coverdale Bible, translated by Myles
Coverdale, a Cambridge monk, in 1535, drew
on Luther’s German translation, the Latin Bible
and Tyndale’s work. The Matthew Bible,
published by John Rogers using the pseudonym
Thomas Matthew, followed in 1537. The Great
Bible, printed in Paris in 1539, under the
patronage of Thomas Cranmer, was essentially a
revision of the Matthew Bible, and was revised
again and again in the following years.
By the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, more
English translations had followed, including the
Geneva Bible in 1557 and 1560. It was a
scholarly work, using original texts, smaller
fonts and the familiar verse format of today’s
Bibles, with particular words highlighted to
indicate they had been added to emphasise the
original. Although this version exhibited many
strong biases, It quickly gained popularity,
despite its many strong biases, and was
popularly known as the “Breeches’ Bible” for its
description of the naked Adam and Eve making
themselves breeches (Genesis 3: 7).
left: the title page of the first edition of the King James Version of the
bible. Centre: King James I and the authorised Version of the bible on a
stamp released in 1999. right: King James I acceded to the throne in 1603,
and called the hampton Court conference within a year.
left: a page from the King James Version shows the original typeface and layout
of 1611. Centre: the King James Version of the bible is still protected by Crown
Copyright. right: archbishop thomas Cranmer ... the Great bible, printed in
Paris in 1539 under his patronage, was revised in the years that followed.
The Bishops’ Bible, a revision of the Great
Bible supervised by Archbishop Matthew Parker,
was published in 1568 and revised in 1578, and
remained in use throughout England until the
King James Version was published in 1611.
a king’s dream
When King James I of Scotland ascended the
throne of England in 1603, following the death
of Elizabeth I, he found a country that was
suspicious of its new king, who spoke with a
heavy Scottish accent and who was seen as a
foreigner. Yet one famous comment described
him as “the wisest fool in Christendom.”
Although the Bishops’ Bible was being read in
churches, it was inelegant, and the Geneva
Bible, which was bolder and more accessible,
was the choice of both the Puritans and the
people. For royalists, and especially for James I,
right: Key figures in the story of the
anglican reformation and the
translation of the bible depicted in a
window in trinity College,
Cambridge, from left (top row): hugh
latimer, edward VI, nicholas ridley,
elizabeth I; (second row): John
Wycliffe, erasmus, William tyndale
and thomas Cranmer (Photograph:
Patrick Comerford).
4 ChurCh review