![]() Interestingly, however, the New International Version (created in the 1970s to serve as the default, flawless take on the Testaments) is still not as popular – at least among American Christians – as the 400-year-old version. There are numerous differing Bible translations to choose from today. Q: Do we must have the definitive version now? The publishers faced a heavy fine for the error. The word ‘not’ was omitted from one of the Ten Commandments, meaning that it read as ‘Thou shalt commit adultery’. The most infamous example of the KJV, which failed to meet the standards expected of such an important translation, was the 1631 ‘Wicked Bible’. More than ever, yes, but human error was always there to make the publications fallible. Q: Did that meant the Bible, the ‘Word of God’, was finally available to all? With six ‘committees’ tackling six sections of the two Testaments, work was completed in around six years, and the King’s Printer, Robert Barker, saw the first copies running off the newfangled printing machines in 1611. They were unpaid, but encouraged with ecclesiastical posts by royal patronage. The KJV wasn’t actually commissioned by King James VI of Scotland and I of England, but in January 1604, the monarch responded to many petitions from Puritans and other religious leaders for a newEnglish translation by holding the Hampton Court Conference.Īs a result, 47 Church of England scholars were given the task of researching and devising the text. There were so many issues with the different versions that a new text, painstakingly translated from Greek, Hebrew and, in the case of later books in the New Testament, Latin, was deemed necessary. Q: So did the monarch put a stamp of approval on these existing Bibles? Besides Wycliffe’s translation, popular versions included the scholar William Tyndale’s Bible, and the Geneva Bible, created in exile during the reign of Mary I. It was during the English Reformation in the 16th century that changes took hold, as English translations became not just legal, but widely desired. Yet many of these trailblazers were crushed under the heel of the Catholic Church, whose power as divine go-betweens was threatened by such modernisers. There were already English Bibles when work began on the translation, but it aimed to make up for the variable existing texts with a new and, the clue’s in the name, statesponsored effort.Īttempts to provide the English with a version of the Christian scriptures that they could understand had spanned centuries, with theologian John Wycliffe making the first experiments in the 14th century. With the hubbub surrounding the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Version (KJV) in 2011, it could be understood why people may think it was the first, but the history isn’t that simple. Q: Was the King James Bible the first Bible written in English? A translated Bible meant Christians could read the lessons of God for themselves for the first time. ![]() It played a central part in Christianity’s spread – as faith, not knowledge, was the key. This meant only those trained to understand scripture held the key to salvation, giving them immense power. Many early worshippers, though, couldn’t read the Bible as it was predominantly written in Latin. It took several centuries of debate by theologians and church elders before the New Testament was set in stone in the fourth century. ![]() The Christian Bible is a carefully selected and compiled collection of religious texts dating back, in some cases, thousands of years. Q: What was the significance of the King James Bible? It is important to note however, that just because the possibility for freedom was there, did not mean that it was attainable for all or even most Roman slaves.BBC History Revealed shares a brief explainer to the King James Bible ![]() They were still required to pay respect to their former owner, and work for them for a set time each year, but they could become legal citizens and rise quite high in Roman Society. Slaves could purchase or be granted their freedom and become freedmen. Roman slavery did not have to be permanent, however. As slaves of Christ, purchased, dead to themselves and living only for God. This concept of a slave dying to their old lives and living a new life for their master is interesting given the apostle Paul’s discussion of how Christians were to see themselves. Your marriage was nullified, family relationships severed, your business and partnerships ended, legal protection of your personhood was removed, anything that you did in your old life was removed and you now served your master with all of yourself. Interestingly, going into Roman slavery was compared with death, because when you became a slave all your previous relationships and social ties were cut.
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