Hello Beloved,
Last month, our newsletter article focused on the books of the Apocrypha, which we consider non-inspired by the Holy Spirit; and, therefore they are not authoritative, but still have value. As we continue our study of Bibliology, also known as the Doctrine of the Bible, we will look at the history of the English Bible to the time of the King James Version. First, we must begin by reminding ourselves that the Bible was not originally written in English. The three original languages in which the Bible took its inspired form includes Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Predominantly, the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the New Testament was written in Greek. These original writings of the prophets and Apostles had to be translated for others to read them in their common language. Even the Jews in Egypt needed the Old Testament to be translated into Greek two hundred years before Christ, a translation we call the Septuagint (LXX), which also played an influential role in the Apostles’ citation of the Old Testament. The Bible today has been translated in whole or in part for approximately two thousand different languages.
The Bible played an important role among those of British and Irish decent. From the fifth century on, the Latin Bible, known as the Vulgate, was the most commonly used translation. As early as 680 A.D., an unlearned laborer named Caedmon arranged stories of the Bible in verse form for his fellow Anglo-Saxon’s on topics like creation and the works of the Apostles. A man named Aldhelm translated the Psalms into Old English shortly after 700 A.D., while Egbert of Northumbria translated the first three gospels into English. The Venerable Bede translated the gospel of John shortly after, and Alfred the Great translated part of Exodus and Acts in the later half of the ninth century. A Priest named Aldred produced an interlinear, in which he wrote a word for word translation from the Latin into English for the New Testament. A few others had impacts on the progression of the Bible’s translation into English, but it was John Wycliffe, named the “Morning Star of the Reformation,” who was responsible for the first full translation of the Bible into English during the latter half of the fourteenth century. Wycliffe strongly argued for the Bible to be written in the language of the common man, though he also translated the Bible from the Latin Vulgate, not from the original languages of the Hebrew and Greek.
During the fifteenth century, several historical factors advanced the cause of the English Bible, including Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press, which published the Bible in 1455. Further, the Renaissance played an important role. The Renaissance was a movement in Europe during the latter part of the Middle Ages that was characterized by a rise in nationalism, a desire for exploration, and a pursuit for the return to the original sources of ancient texts, like the Bible. It was during this time, specifically the end of the fifteenth century and the beginning of the sixteenth, that Greek and Hebrew grammars and word studies appeared. A very influential Greek New Testament also appeared in 1516, published by a famous Humanist named Desiderius Erasmus.
William Tyndale, who was a student of Erasmus, wanted to translate the Bible for the English people, not just from Latin, but from the original languages of Hebrew and Greek. Though it was considered against the law for him to do so, Tyndale translated much of the Bible into English, an action that cost him his life by being burned at the stake on October 6, 1536. His last words were “Lord, Open the King of England’s eyes.” In all actuality, ninety percent of Tyndale’s words went into what we have come to know as the King James Version.
Fortunately, Tyndale’s prayer was heard, and due to some providential circumstances and influence from men like Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer, the king, Henry VIII, did concede and allow a legal translation of the Bible in to English. However, after translations from Miles Coverdale, Thomas Matthew, Richard Taverner, the Geneva Bible, the Bishop’s Bible, the Rheims-Douai Version, and the Great Bible, there was a common sentiment that an authorized version needed to be available that would be the standard Bible for the English people to use. Here is the history of that event:
In 1604, King James I summoned a meeting of representatives from diverse religious groups to discuss the issue of religious toleration. At this meeting, known as the Hampton Court Conference, Dr. John Reynolds of Oxford discussed the desirability of having an authorized version of the English Bible that would be acceptable to all parties within the church. James agreed with Reynolds and called for a version that could be used for both public and private use. According to James, the scholars involved with the new version were to use the Bishop’s Bible as the basic version as long as it adhered to the original Greek and Hebrew. They were also to consult the other translations—Tyndale, Matthew, Coverdale, Great Bible and the Geneva Bible. Unlike previous versions, there were to be no notes of comment except what was essential in translating the text. In 1607 the translation formally began. Fifty-four men skilled in Greek and Hebrew were selected and divided into six working companies—two at Westminster, two at Oxford and two at Cambridge. Each group was given detailed instructions and was assigned selected books to be translated. The work of each group was to be examined by the other companies. Thus, this translation was to be the work of the revisers as a whole, not the work of one person or group. The work continued for two years and nine months. In 1611, the first copies of the new version were printed. It was dedicated to the king and on its title page were the words, “Appointed to be read in the Churches.” In 1613 a new edition was issued with more than four hundred variations from the original printing. Numerous other changes have taken place in the centuries that have followed. The King James immediately replaced the Bishop’s Bible in the churches but still received stiff competition from the popular Geneva Bible. Within a few decades, though, the KJV established itself as the standard for English-speaking people around the world.[1]
Since the King James Version was originally translated, it has gone through several revisions. The 1762 revision is the version we use today. Next month, we will continue our journey toward the modern translations, answering the question, “Why was there a need for another translation after the King James Version?” Until then, this is Pastor Daniel writing, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
[1] The notes were provided by Michael Vlach of Master’s Seminary.