On This Day In History: The King James Bible Is Published For The First Time In London – On May 2, 1611

MessageToEagle.com – On May 2, 1611, the King James Bible was published for the first time and it was England’s authorized version of the Bible translated from the original Greek and Hebrew languages into English at the request of King James I of England.

At the time, other English versions of Bible existed, but King James did not like the most popular translation, the Geneva Bible. Geneva Bible was an important, historical work, but King James did not like certain marginal notes in the book, which encouraged disobedience to kings.

Therefore, King James willingly agreed when a scholar, Dr. John Reynolds, proposed a new English translation of the Bible at a 1604 conference of church authorities at Hampton Court Palace.

In June, 1604, a group of fifty-four of England’s most prominent linguists and scholars scholars gathered into six panels to translate certain groups of Old Testament and New Testament books along with the Aprocrypha, into English.
Later, the Aprocrypha was dropped from next editions.

Even though King James agreed to the new Bible translation, and the translators dedicated their work “to the most high and mighty prince James,” the King James Version was never officially recognized by the king, nor was it ever authorized as the only text permitted to be read in church.

Of the original 54 men chosen to translate the King James Bible, only 47 finished the more
than seven-year project, which was governed by very strict rules of translation. The translators were scholarly men, who were experts in the biblical languages.
After the translations were done, a committee of 12 – two translators from each of the six panels –
reviewed the translation, according to guidelines that were as established to ensure that the translators’ personal eccentricities and political prejudices were not included in this new version.

The King James Version of the Bible soon replaced other versions and became the leading
text for private use.

The King James Bible is still found in many homes and churches today.

MessageToEagle.com