The King James Bible

On the evening of the 29th of June a very interesting talk was given at St. Nicholas Church by Rev. Martin King about the history leading up to the compilation and publishing of the King James Bible, which is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year. Rev. Martin King talked us through the problems of creating an English translation of the Bible. He began with the early reign of Henry VIII, in which owning or reading an English translation of the Bible was an offence, and later discussed the work of William Tyndale. Tyndale was the first to translate considerable parts of the Bible into English, for a public, lay readership. While a number of partial and complete translations had been made from the seventh century onward, particularly during the 14th century, Tyndale's was the first English translation to draw directly from Hebrew and Greek texts, and the first to take advantage of the new medium of print, which allowed for its wide distribution. This was taken to be a direct challenge to the Roman Catholic Church and the English church and state. Tyndale also wrote, in 1530, The Practyse of Prelates, opposing Henry VIII's divorce on the grounds that it contravened scriptural law. Tyndale's Bible translation included notes and commentary promoting his views, which were considered heretical, first by the Catholic Church, and later by the Church of England which was established by Henry VIII. Tyndale's translation was banned by the authorities, and Tyndale himself was burned at the stake in 1536, at the instigation of agents of Henry VIII and the Anglican Church. The Tyndale Bible, as it was known, continued to play a key role in spreading Reformation ideas across Europe. However, King James I of England was keen to eliminate Tyndale's notes and commentary which promoted a protestant viewpoint, and called the Pope the anti-Christ. The fifty-four independent scholars who created the King James Version of the bible in 1611 drew significantly on Tyndale's translations.

One estimation suggests the New Testament in the King James Version is 83% Tyndale's, and the Old Testament 76%. Martin showed a Geneva (Breeches) Bible (much of which was also based on Tyndale's translation) which had been passed down his family, and which contained pro-protestant notes in the margins. The Geneva Bible, preceded the King James translation by 51 years. Visitors were invited to bring along old copies of the King James, and 3 old King James bibles were shared. The earliest, which was brought on behalf of Mariam Pearson, dated back to 1615, just 4 years after the original print of the KJV, which was a real treat to see. Rev. Martin King also brought the copy of the Bible from his own church, St. Helens in Wheathampstead, where he is a curate. This bible was printed in 1715, and had somehow acquired the notes associated with the Geneva bible, despite it being a King James. Nicola Price