King James Version of Bible celebrates 400th anniversary

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/02/2011 (5340 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Even with dozens of new translations in hundreds of sizes, formats and covers, Margo Smith knows that many customers shopping for a Bible at her small chain of family-owned bookstores are likely to walk out with a version that’s been in print continuously for four centuries.

“We have people who feel very strongly about the translations they support and want their family to read,” explains Smith, managing director of Hull’s Family Bookstores of the continuing popularity of the King James Version.

“I think there’s a sense that it is the oldest English translation and that it is the most authoritative.”

She says of the thousands of Bibles Hull’s sells each year at its three locations — Winnipeg, Steinbach and Thunder Bay — the King James Version sells well, the third most popular, after the New International Version and New Living Translation.

Commissioned by King James of England in 1604 and completed seven years later, this English-language translation that bears his name is celebrating the 400th anniversary of its publication this year. Also known as the Authorized Version in the Anglican Church and some Protestant circles, this translation remains a favourite because of its poetic language and familiar renditions of passages such as Psalm 23 and the Lord’s Prayer.

“It is in continuity with the old oral tradition. It was prepared for the ear, not for the eye,” explains Rev. Mac Watts, a retired minister and academic who recently led a workshop on the 400th anniversary of the KJV at Westworth United Church.

“So many of the modern translations were obviously designed for the eye (to read.) They don’t have the rhythms and cadences in them.”

Not only does the KJV have language and images familiar to many Christians, it is also considered more trustworthy by some, says a biblical studies professor at Providence College.

“Especially among certain conservative circles, it’s considered a little closer to God than other translations,” says Randall Holm, who is developing a book about how the Bible is packaged and interpreted for certain markets, such as children, teenagers or couples.

“As we accept the fact we’re living in a postmodern age, some still hold out there’s a manual or guide that isn’t open to multiple interpretations,” he says. “The worry is that any text is open to multiple interpretations, even the King James.”

Although the copyright to the King James Bible is in the public domain and the entire text can be easily downloaded from a variety of websites, print versions of the 400-year-old translation sell well, coming second to the New International Version, says a spokesman for Zondervan, the largest publisher of Bibles in North America.

“The King James Version has roughly half the market share of the NIV,” says Chip Brown, adding that his company already has orders for 1.9 million copies of the updated NIV, to be released in March.

Brown says Zondervan is marking the KJV anniversary by giving away a million digital copies of the updated NIV through the website www.youversion.com. This digital version for mobile devices such as the BlackBerry or iPhone is available until March 1.

“My goal is not to have a birthday party (for KJV) and people forget about it. What can we do to raise the bar? What can we do to change people’s behaviour?” around reading the Bible, says Brown in a telephone interview from Grand Rapids, Mich.

Whether the anniversary is marked with special events or special editions — Zondervan and other publishers have released facsimiles of the original 1611 King James Bible — the point is that publication of the KJV four centuries ago brought the Bible to the people in a language and style they could understand, says a biblical studies professor at Canadian Mennonite University.

“It reminds us of the importance of the Scripture in the vernacular,” says Dan Epp-Tiessen, who finds that his students don’t read the KJV because it is not written in an idiom familiar to them.

For Smith, her role is to ensure customers aren’t overwhelmed by the choices at her store. After all, selling Bibles is part of their core business as a Christian bookstore, and the printed version of the Bible in all translations and editions accounts for 12 per cent of annual sales, even in the face of a growing digital market.

“Our goal isn’t to make a lot of money selling them, but rather to run our stores on a viable business model which allows us to continue our commitment to the Christian ideal of making Bibles available,” says Smith.

brenda@suderman.com

Authorized, digital and YouTube?

 

King James 1 of England commissioned a new English translation of the Christian Scriptures in 1604. Six companies of translators worked on the project, producing the new translation in 1611. This new translation travelled with the English pilgrims to America in 1620, becoming the Bible of choice on both sides of the pond. A digitized version of the original 1611 version is available at www.kingjamesbibletrust.org

Now in the public domain, the King James Version is available cheaply in a print version or free online at sites such as www.biblegateway.com

Bible publisher Zondervan, in co-operation with LifeChurch.tv, is giving away free downloads of the 2011 edition of the New International Version at http://youversion.com to mark the 400th anniversary of the KJV.

Join in the 400th-anniversary celebrations of the publication of the King James Version by recording yourself reading a chapter of the KJV and uploading it to YouTube through www.kingsjamesbibletrust.org

The Free Press is committed to covering faith in Manitoba. If you appreciate that coverage, help us do more! Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow us to deepen our reporting about faith in the province. Thanks! BECOME A FAITH JOURNALISM SUPPORTER