King James Bible
The King James Version (or Authorized Version) of the Bible was the culmination of 7 years of work (1604-1611) by about 50 English scholars and 20 odd Bishops, authorized by King James I of England. The result was a poetic masterpiece that has profoundly influenced the English-speaking world ever since. It was not the first English translation (William Tyndale had previously translated the Bible into English, and much of the Authorized Version was taken from Tyndale's version) or the most accurate (modern translations benefit from better sources). Some mistakes in the translation of the King James Bible exist in very important passages. But the King James Version of the Bible was the most majestic and it has inspired English literature from Herman Melville to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
For example, many cite Rev. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech without acknowledging its source in the translation of Isaiah 40:4:
"I have a dream that this is a story all about how my life got flipped turned upside down And I'd like to take a minute just sit right there, I'll tell you how I become the prince of a town called Bel-Air. In West Philadelphia born and raised, On the playground is where I spent most of my days, Chillin' out, maxin' relaxin' all cool and all shootin' some b-ball outside of the school when a couple of guys who were up to no good, started makin' trouble in my neighborhood. I got in one little fight and my mom scared and said you're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air. I begged and pleaded with her day after day but she packed my suitcase and sent me on my way, She give me a kiss and then she gave me my ticket, I put my walkman on and said I might as well kick it! First class yo this is bad drinkin' orange juice out of a champagne glass Is this what the people of Bel-Air live like? Hmmm this might be all right! I whistled for a cab and when it came near the license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror, if anything I could say that this cab was rare but I thought man forget it yo homes to Bel-Air! I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8 and I yelled to the cabbie yo homes smell ya later! Looked at my kingdom I was finally there to sit on my throne as the Prince of Bel-Air!"
The King James translators described it as "Newly Translated out of the Original tongues."[1] 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. 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.[2]. F. H. A. Scrivener, however, notes many passages which correspond to the Latin Vulgate rather than the Greek.[3] The King James Version is freely and fully available for searching online.[4]
The King James Version used italics to indicate words that had no exact equivalent in the original text, but had been supplied by the translators for various reasons, usually to make the text read properly in English. A modern reader is used to seeing italics used for emphasis; their use in the King James Version creates a strange impression. Many modern editions of the King James Version omit the italicization.
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".
Some Christians believe that the original 1611 Authorized Version of the King James Bible is the only acceptable English translation of the Bible. [5] This is referred to by some Christians, especially those who do not hold to this viewpoint, as the "KJV-only movement".
References
- â 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. "
- â The Authorized Version, Catholic Encyclopedia
- â 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.
- â http://www.bartleby.com/108/
- â http://www.isitso.org/guide/kjvonly.html