Bible King
James: History of the
King James Bible
For many people throughout
the world, the Bible King
James commissioned at the beginning
of the seventeenth century is the truest translation of the Bible. Of the most the many versions of the Bible
in common use, the King James Bible is certainly the most poetic, and one of the easier versions to use for
memorization.
In response to perceived
errors in the Bishops’ Bible, King James I of England convened
the Hampton Court Council in 1604. Their purpose was to address the errors that were found by the Puritans, a faction of
the Church of England. They
were to come up with an authorized version of the Bible to be used by the Church of England for it’s
readings.
Over the next 7 years a group of 47 Bible scholars worked at
translating ancient texts. Fot the New Testament, these scholars worked with Textus Receptus (Received Text), a
series of Greek texts. The Old Testament was translated from Masoretic Hebrew texts. At the time, these were believed to be the
most accurate and reliable texts in existence.
In 1611, the Church of England published the first version of
the council’s translation of the Bible to be used by the Church of England. Although it was never officially
authorized by the Church, after its publication, no more issues of the Bishops’ Bible were
published.
In 1662 the Bible King James commissioned replaced the Bishops’
Bible translations in the Book of Common Prayer. When that happened the newer translation
was considered to have been authorized by an Act of Parliament. Within the Church of England, this
translation is still referred to as the Authorized Bible. In the United States it is called
the King James Bible. Despite the many translations that have followed, it is still the most used Bible in
Christian Churches in the US.
In most parts of the world the King James Bible has passed out
of copyright protection. That means it is free to reproduce, and so it is shared freely both in print and
electronic versions. However, in England it is still under copyright protection, and only a handful of
printers are authorized to reproduce it.
Many people feel that the King James Version is the most
accurate of the Bibles in common use today. Many of the versions of modern Bible that have followed over the nearly 400 years
since it was first printed have merely been paraphrased versions of the King James Bible.
The Bible King James actions brought in to being is still the
most influential book currently in existence. Most people agree that it gives a true and complete translation of the ancient Greek
and Hebrew texts.
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