Transcript King James Bible

King
James
Bible
1604 - 1611
Religious context:
In 1517, a German monk named Martin Luther published “95 Theses”
criticizing the Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformation
began.
In 1534, Henry VIII created the Church of England because the pope
would not allow him to get divorced. British subjects were forced to
join the Church of England, whose members are referred as
Anglicans. Thus, during the reign of Henry VIII a Catholic minority
forms that refuses to give up their traditional faith.
During the reign of Edward VI, a group of radical Protestants referred to
as “Puritans” sought to purify the Church of England. In other
words, they wanted to make the Church of England, which was
basically Catholic in doctrine and tradition, much more Protestant.
During the reign of Mary, Roman Catholicism was made the state
religion and Protestants were persecuted. Thus, the name “Bloody
Mary.”
During the reign of Elizabeth I, the Church of England was
reestablished to as a compromise between Catholicism and
Puritanism. Catholics considered Elizabeth an illegitimate ruler and
plotted to assassinate her.
During the reign of James I, both Catholics and Puritans were angered
that he supported the continuation of the Church of England.
Catholic extremists attempted to assassinate the Members of
Parliament and James I in the Gunpowder Plot. Puritans asked that
James commission a new English translation of the Protestant Bible.
In 1604, James I commissioned a new English translation of the
Protestant Bible.
During the reign of Charles I, the English Civil War erupted. Ultimately,
the Puritans took over the English government and things got pretty
crazy (just imagine if Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry became
joint-dictators of the United States). The English people decided that
too much religion results in too much oppression and they restored
the monarchy with Chares II. Thus, the Restoration period began…
The Christian Bible consists of the Old Testament and New Testament.
Books > Chapters > Verses
Example: Matthew 19.23-24
book
chapter verse
The Old Testament writings are between 2,400 - 3,400 years old.
Judaism refers to the Old Testament as the Tanakh, which is
comprised of three parts: the law, the prophets, and the writings.
Hebrew Canon: 24 books
Christian Canon: 39 books
The New Testament writings record the teachings and events that are
the foundation of Christianity. The New Testament contains 27
books; and the first four are referred to as the Gospels: Matthew,
Mark, Luke, and John.
The New Testament Canon was finalized and declared official Scripture
in the late 4th century at the Councils of Carthage (393 A.D.) and
Hippo (397 A.D.)
Original New Testament manuscripts come in three text types:
Alexandrian (North African)
Byzantine (Turkey, Greece, Middle East)
Western (Rome)
The Alexandrian text type has the oldest manuscripts. A majority of
English translations are based on the Alexandrian text type.
Erasmus, a Christian humanist, used the Byzantine text type to
compile the first published Greek New Testament in 1514.
The group of 54 scholars and clergymen appointed by James I in 1604
to produce a new English translation based their work on Erasmus’
text and original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts.
King James Bible: Production and Legacy
The group of scholars and clergymen worked from 1604 – 1611.
Their overall goal was accuracy and beauty.
They produced elegant, simple, and straightforward language that was
NOT intended only for the educated elite.
The King James Bible became and remained the most influential
English version of the Protestant Bible for over 300 years.
Poets who were inspired by the King James Bible include:
John Milton, William Wordsworth, Walt Whitman, T.S. Eliot
The King James Bible demonstrated the poetic use of the English
language and remains an influential translation today on the 400th
anniversary of its completion.
Literary Forms
Maxim: Brief and memorable statements of general
truth that imparts guidance or advice.
Book of Ecclesiastes (Old Testament)
King Solomon
Psalm: Sacred song or lyric poem.
Book of Psalms (Old Testament)
King David
Parable: Short story that is meant to teach a lesson
or illustrate a moral truth.