How Did the King James Version Come Down to Us?

The King James Bible (KJV) and the King James Bible (KJB), and the Authorized Version, is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611 by the sponsorship of King James VI and I. The 80 books of the King James Version include 39 books of the Old Testament, an intertestamental section containing 14 books of what Protestants consider the Apocrypha, and 27 books of the New Testament. Noted for its “majesty of style,” the King James Version has been described as one of the most important books in English culture and a driving force in the shaping of the English-speaking world.

December 15, 2022 0

THE TRANSLATORS TO THE READER: Preface to the King James Version, 1611

The 1611 KJV translators said in the 1611 Preface that they revised the 16th century English Bible trying to make advancements on the English Bible and that when new manuscripts were discovered, and a better understanding of the Hebrew and Greek happened, they expected that there would be an improved English Bible.

November 23, 2022 0

The King James Only Movement

The King James Only movement asserts that the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible is superior to all other translations of the Bible.

May 15, 2022 3

The King James ONLY Movement (KJV Onlyists)

The King James Only movement asserts that the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible is superior to all other translations of the Bible. Adherents of the King James Only movement believe that the KJV is the greatest English translation ever produced, needing no further improvements, and they also believe that all other English translations which were produced after the KJV are corrupt. Is this true?

December 24, 2021 4

Preface to the King James Version, 1611

No book means so much to religion as the Bible. In all its forms it has greatly served religion, and in its modern forms its meaning comes out more clearly and more tellingly than ever. It has more to teach the modern world about religion than even its strongest advocates have realized. Few of them have fully explored the wealth and depth of its contribution to modern religious attitudes.

September 10, 2021 0

PREPARING THE WAY: The English Bible before King James

The Christian, on the other hand, but notably the Christian, have persistently sought to make their Bible speak all languages at all times. It is a curious fact that a Book written in one tongue should have come to its largest power in other languages than its own.

February 16, 2020 0

The Authorized Version (1611)

The version which was destined to put the crown on nearly a century of labor, and, after extinguishing by its excellence all rivals, to print an indelible mark on English religion and English literature, came into being almost by accident. It arose out of the Hampton Court Conference, held by James I in 1604, with... Continue Reading →

October 25, 2019 1

PREPARING THE WAY: Ancient Versions and the English Bibles before the 1611 King James Version

THERE are three great Book-religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Other religions have their sacred writings, but they do not hold them in the same regard as do these three. Buddhism and Confucianism count their books rather records of their faith than rules for it, history rather than authoritative sources of belief. The three great Book-religions yield a measure of authority to their sacred books which would be utterly foreign to the thought of other faiths.

October 19, 2019 1

1611 Preface to the King James Version

Below is the original essay prefixed to the King James Version in the edition of 1611, in which the translators defend their version against criticisms they expected to be brought against it.

October 18, 2019 1