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Session Three The History of the King James. The Motivation for the King James. To provide a Bible in the language of the people was not a brand-new concept Conflict between two religious parties The English Reformation is the historical setting
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The Motivation for the King James • To provide a Bible in the language of the people was not a brand-new concept • Conflict between two religious parties • The English Reformation is the historical setting • Both the Anglicans and the Puritans sought to dominate the course of the English Reformation • The Hampton Court Conference (1604 A.D.) called to settle “things amiss” in the church
Outcome of the Hampton Court Conference *McClure, A. “Translators Revived” p. 130 • There was a great need for a “unifying” Bible • “That a translation be made of the whole Bible, as consonant as can be to the original Hebrew and Greek; and this to be set out and printed, without any marginal notes, and only to be used in all churches of England, in time of divine service.”*
Who Were the Translators? From “Preface to the Reader” of the King James Bible • General Characteristics • “there were many chosen that were greater in other men’s eyes than their own, and that sought the truth rather than their own praise”* • Because they were made up of both Puritans and Anglicans, there were major differences in opinion on polity and doctrine • ONE BINDING CONVICTION: they were all dealing with God’s truth, and that the scriptures were the word of God
Who Were the Translators? • Of the 54 chosen, only 47 are positively identified • They were formed into six companies • Two at Westminster • Two at Cambridge • Two at Oxford • Each company was assigned a particular portion of the Bible to translate
Who Were the Translators? • Lancelot Andrews • Studied at Cambridge University, majoring in Eastern Languages and Divinity • As a child he was addicted to study. He had to be made to play. • Learned a new language each year while on vacation • Fully conversant in 15 European languages • Defended the “divine right of kings”
Who Were the Translators? • John Reynolds • Entered Oxford at age 13 • Died while working on the translation • Called the “Living Library” because of his memory • Leading spokesmen of the Puritan party • Suggested the translation at the Hampton Court Conference
Who Were the Translators? • Miles Smith • The man most involved in the translation • Worked in the Oxford Old Testament group • Worked on the 12 man revision committee at Stationer’s Hall • Worked with Bishop Bilson in the final compilation • An expert in Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic • He wrote the “Preface to the Reader”
What Were the Rules and Procedures? Base their translation off the Bishop’s Bible with necessary alterations Spelling of the proper names should be retained as far as possible The old “ecclesiastical” words be kept – “church” instead of “congregation” Words with different meanings – use the meaning to be most preferred by ancient Fathers Divisions of chapters be altered as little as possible Use no notes or comments included in the manuscripts that might influence Marginal references to parallel passages allowed
What Were the Rules and Procedures? • Each translator in each group separately examine the same chapter(s) and put the translation in the best shape he can. Then the whole company come together and compare and agree on what shall stand. • As soon as possible whenever a book (Hebrews) be completed it is to be sent to all other companies for analysis, review, and agreement • If a company does not agree with one company’s work, it is noted and sent back. If an agreement is not reached, the matter was to be finally arranged at a general meeting of the chief persons of all the companies at the end of the work. Therefore each chapter of each book was analyzed by 15 to 17 in a group, then agreed by that number, sent to 5 other groups for analysis and agreement, then by a general agreement by the leaders of each group.
What Were the Rules and Procedures? • For any problem passages which could not be agreed upon let any person in the land give input and judgment • All clergy be notified to send any particular observations to the translators should that clergy have language knowledge pertinent • Directors of each company must be appointed • Five translations be used when they agree in changes in text to the Bishop’s Bible (thus avoiding any suspicious stamp of novelty)
What Did They Use for Translation? • The Old Testament • The Hebrew Masoretic Text • Printed Rabbinic Bible (1517 A.D.) • The New Testament • The Received Greek Text • The third edition of Stephanus (1550 A.D.) based on the work of Erasmus
What Did They Use for Translation? • Previous translations of the original languages were “diligently compared” • As a result, the King James retains • over 80% of the language of Tyndale’s Version (1534) • About 4% of Wycliffe’s Version (1382) • The translators were instructed to retain the words and style provided they were accurate translations of the original tongues
Diligent Comparison of Existing Translations Non-English Translations Wycliffe (1382) Greek Text of Erasmus (1522) Luther – German (1522) Olivetan – French (1535) Diodati – Italian (1607) Coverdale (1535) King James (1611) Tyndale (1534) Bishop’s Bible (1606) Matthew (1537) Great Bible (1539) Geneva (1557)
Why So Successful? • Development of the printing press • Excellence of the English language • Political climate – King James recognized the need for an unbiased version of the Bible • Scope of scholarly input resulting in an accurate translation • The King James Version is God’s word
