King James I
In January 1604, King James I of England commissioned a new English translation of the Bible. Himself a scholar, he was dissatisfied with the existing English translations.
Between 50 and 60 Hebrew and Greek scholars from Oxford, Cambridge, and Westminster worked on the project, completing the translation in 1611. It is the most influential book ever published in English.
Sir Winston Churchill said of it,
“The scholars who produced this masterpiece are mostly unknown and unremembered. But they forged an enduring link, literary and religious, between the English-speaking people of the world.”
American journalist and English scholar H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) lauded it as “probably the most beautiful piece of writing in all the literature of the world.”
Who was James Stuart (1566-1625), the king who sponsored the new translation? King James VI of Scotland ascended to the throne of England and Ireland as King James I upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch. James was the first to rule over all three realms simultaneously.
Watch this short video to learn more about the man behind the King James Bible.
This 2-minute video describes the initiation of the translation project.
Soli Deo Gloria.
This is the first installment in the Story of the King James Bible series celebrating its 400th Anniversary.
Read the sequels:
2. King James Bible – Impact
3. King James Bible – Influence
4. King James Bible – John Wycliffe
5. King James Bible – Royal Ceremony
6. King James Bible – William Tyndale
7. King James Bible – Bible Wars
8. King James Bible – King & Bible
©William T. Pelletier, Ph.D.
“contending earnestly for the faith” (Jude 1:3)
Friday November 4, 2011 A.D.
Read my November 2011 newspaper column:
Marco Polo’s Dragons.
The sum of Thy word is truth, and every one of Thy righteous ordinances is everlasting. (Psalms 119:160)
