| | The King James translators described it as "Newly Translated out of the Original tongues."<ref>The actual title-page inscription is "The Holy Bible, Conteyning the Old Testament, and the New: Newly Translated out of the Originall tongues: & with the former Translations diligently compared and revised, by his Majesties Special Commandment. Appointed to be read in Churches. "</ref> The King James Version of the [[Old Testament]] was based on the Hebrew [[Masoretic text]], codified in the Middle Ages. The [[New Testament]] was primarily based on Greek texts predating the [[Latin Vulgate]]. It also used the [[Textus Receptus]], a Greek text compiled by Erasmus in the 16th century on the basis of 12th-century Byzantine manuscripts. The translators explicitly acknowledged making use of previous English translations, however, and the [[Catholic Encyclopedia]] describes it as being essentially the Bishops' Bible, corrected by comparison with the Hebrew and Greek texts.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02141a.htm The Authorized Version], Catholic Encyclopedia</ref> F. H. A. Scrivener, however, notes many passages which correspond to the Latin Vulgate rather than the Greek.<ref>F. H. A. Scrivener, ''The New Testament in Greek according to the Text Followed in the Authorized Version''. Cambridge: University Press, 1881; The appendix on pages 655-6 gives a list of the passages corresponding exactly with the Latin version against the Greek.</ref> The King James Version is freely and fully available for searching online.<ref>http://www.bartleby.com/108/</ref> | | The King James translators described it as "Newly Translated out of the Original tongues."<ref>The actual title-page inscription is "The Holy Bible, Conteyning the Old Testament, and the New: Newly Translated out of the Originall tongues: & with the former Translations diligently compared and revised, by his Majesties Special Commandment. Appointed to be read in Churches. "</ref> The King James Version of the [[Old Testament]] was based on the Hebrew [[Masoretic text]], codified in the Middle Ages. The [[New Testament]] was primarily based on Greek texts predating the [[Latin Vulgate]]. It also used the [[Textus Receptus]], a Greek text compiled by Erasmus in the 16th century on the basis of 12th-century Byzantine manuscripts. The translators explicitly acknowledged making use of previous English translations, however, and the [[Catholic Encyclopedia]] describes it as being essentially the Bishops' Bible, corrected by comparison with the Hebrew and Greek texts.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02141a.htm The Authorized Version], Catholic Encyclopedia</ref> F. H. A. Scrivener, however, notes many passages which correspond to the Latin Vulgate rather than the Greek.<ref>F. H. A. Scrivener, ''The New Testament in Greek according to the Text Followed in the Authorized Version''. Cambridge: University Press, 1881; The appendix on pages 655-6 gives a list of the passages corresponding exactly with the Latin version against the Greek.</ref> The King James Version is freely and fully available for searching online.<ref>http://www.bartleby.com/108/</ref> |
| − | A recent attempt to "update" the King James Version was the New King James Version, which most notably modernized pronouns such as "thou" and verb forms such as "art". Keeping "thou"s, however, is helpful, since it clarifies whether the speaker is addressing one or multiple people, a distinction modern English no longer makes. The NKJV has been called a "transition Bible." These newer translations use a Greek text based on manuscripts not known in 1611. This text, called the Critical Text, was compiled by B.F. Westcott and F.J.A. Hort in 1881 and is updated regularly. It is based on two early manuscripts, ''[[Codex Vaticanus]]'' and ''[[Codex Sinaiticus]].'' | + | A recent attempt to "update" the King James Version was the New King James Version, which most notably modernized pronouns such as "thou" and verb forms such as "art". Keeping "thou"s, however, is helpful, since it clarifies whether the speaker is addressing one or multiple people, a distinction modern English no longer makes. The NKJV has been called a "transition Bible." These newer translations use a Greek text based on manuscripts not known in 1611. This text, called the Critical Text, was compiled by B.F. Westcott and F.J.A. Hort in 1881 and is updated regularly. It is based on two early manuscripts, ''[[Codex Vaticanus]]'' and ''[[Codex Sinaiticus]].'' A list of about 20 minor verses in the King James Version which are not in the earliest manuscripts discovered after publication of the KJV is available [[Codex_Vaticanus#Verses_Added_Later|here]]. |
| | Some Christians believe that the original Authorized Version of the King James Bible is the only acceptable English translation of the Bible.<ref>http://www.isitso.org/guide/kjvonly.html</ref> This is referred to by some Christians, especially those who do not hold to this viewpoint, as the "KJV-only movement," while internally, these Christians call themselves "Bible Believers." On the other side of the debate, many Christians avoid the King James Bible because of its archaic language, advances in scholarship's understanding of ancient languages, and discovery of (arguably <ref>[http://rosetta.reltech.org/TC/vol06/Robinson2001.html Maurice A. Robinson, ''New Testament Textual Criticism: The Case for Byzantine Priority'']</ref>) more reliable manuscripts. Note that the King James Bible uses British spellings like "favour" rather than "favor" (Acts 2:47). | | Some Christians believe that the original Authorized Version of the King James Bible is the only acceptable English translation of the Bible.<ref>http://www.isitso.org/guide/kjvonly.html</ref> This is referred to by some Christians, especially those who do not hold to this viewpoint, as the "KJV-only movement," while internally, these Christians call themselves "Bible Believers." On the other side of the debate, many Christians avoid the King James Bible because of its archaic language, advances in scholarship's understanding of ancient languages, and discovery of (arguably <ref>[http://rosetta.reltech.org/TC/vol06/Robinson2001.html Maurice A. Robinson, ''New Testament Textual Criticism: The Case for Byzantine Priority'']</ref>) more reliable manuscripts. Note that the King James Bible uses British spellings like "favour" rather than "favor" (Acts 2:47). |