Ancient Words: Heroes of Renown, King James
The commissioning of the King James Bible took place in 1604 at the Hampton Court Conference outside of London. The first edition appeared in 1611. The King James version remains one of the greatest landmarks in the English tongue. It has decidedly affected our language and thought categories, and although produced in England for English churches, it played a unique role in the historical development of America. Even today, many consider the King James Bible the ultimate translation in English and will allow none other for use in church or personal devotions. However, the story behind the creation of this Bible translation is little known and reveals an amazing interplay of faith and politics, church and state. To understand what happened, we need to go back to the world of the early 17th century.
The Puritans were eager to continue the work of the Reformation, and the death of Elizabeth seemed their opportune moment. Scotland’s James VI succeeded her, thus becoming James I of England. James wanted unity and stability in the church and state but was well aware that the diversity of his constituents had to be considered: Parliament, Bishops, Puritans, Nonconformists and Separatists.
He decreed that special pains be “taken for a uniform translation, which should be done by the best learned men in both Universities, then reviewed by the Bishops, presented to the Privy Council, lastly ratified by the Royal authority….”
Think how difficult the translation mandate was. It called for a product commissioned to reinforce a clear-cut royal political agenda, to be done by elite scholarly committees, reviewed by a self-serving bureaucracy, with ultimate approval reserved to an absolutist monarch. The final product was intended primarily for public and popular consumption.
How optimistic King James was that a team of about 50 could handle the technical and linguistic challenges while at the same time producing a work with a cadence, rhythm, imagery, and structure that would resonate so deeply with the popular consciousness that it shaped a civilization and culture in a unique way? Now, history shows that they were successful in creating a translation that not only met the needs of their generation but also succeeded in influencing the lives of generations to come:
The King James Version of the Bible is the best-selling Bible version of all time. This KJV Bible was completed in 1611 following seven years of translation work by 54 Hebrew and Greek scholars. The King James Bible was significant in the unique, collaborative process of bringing peace to warring theological factions. Almost every American president has been sworn into office with his hand on a King James Bible. More than 250 phases we hear everyday originate from the King James Bible. The KJV Bible contains more than 788,000 total words, of which more than 12,000 are unique. Because of the expense of Bibles at the time, most 17th century Christians did not own a copy of the Bible. To provide access to Scripture—but prevent it from being stolen—many churches chained the Bible to a pulpit. Once the King James Bible caught on, it was virtually the only Bible used in the English-speaking world for the next three centuries. In 1605, Guy Fawkes threatened the completion of the King James Bible when he led a plot to blow up King James, all of Parliament and the progress made on the King James Bible using 36 barrels of gunpowder hidden in the basement of Parliament. Fawkes was discovered and arrested before his plan could be carried out. (Info from Christian.com and Bible.org)—Thank you King James, Hero of Renown!
(Scott and Jane Johnson minister with ast Faulkner Church of Christ and BRG Bible. Bible questions can be sent to [email protected].)
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LED BY A CHILD
So last week I was on Disaster Services and this week, Ms. Janice and I are at Camp Heart O’ Hills with a few hundred children, 14 of which are from our community.
This week at camp children between the ages of 7-12 are enjoying activities such as swimming, zip line/ropes course, fishing, sports, dance and music classes, arts/crafts and drama.
As they participate in character building classes they are also learning how to cooperate and share. Through interaction with children from all over Oklahoma and Arkansas they are also learning conflict resolution and other social skills.
Bible Class is taught everyday with scripture memorization, object lessons and practical application. In my class of 8-9 year olds I am utterly amazed at how much of the Bible that these children actually know and have retained this early in their lives.
Being with these children this week as a mentor and Bible teacher I have a learned a lot from them that makes me so very optimistic about our future. I have learned that these children see no color or class distinction. They all play together, learn together and accept each other for who they are. They have also displayed teamwork through encouragement and constant support of each other.
Oh how I wish that our work places, churches and society could understand this camp mentality. Being with these children this past week has once again restored my faith in the future of humanity. I am always amazed at how much God uses children to lead and minister.
Thank you LORD for our children and help us as adults to remain reachable as we strive to teach them.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
(Captain Jason Perdieu is corps officer of the Salvation Army of El Dorado.)
