New books herald world’s most famous Good Book

(RNS) Anyone who watched the recent royal wedding in Westminster Abbey heard words and phrases found in the King James Version of the Bible: “vouchsafed” and “thee” and “asunder.” It was a fitting setting as the world celebrates the 400th anniversary of the Bible commissioned by King James I, the successor to Queen Elizabeth I. […]

(RNS) Anyone who watched the recent royal wedding in Westminster Abbey heard words and phrases found in the King James Version of the Bible: “vouchsafed” and “thee” and “asunder.”

It was a fitting setting as the world celebrates the 400th anniversary of the Bible commissioned by King James I, the successor to Queen Elizabeth I.

Commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, the Authorized Version, known as the King James Version, or KJV, has become one of the most influential books in the English language. It went through several revisions over the years, most recently (and permanently) in 1769.


Nashville-base Christian publishing giant Thomas Nelson, one the world's leading publisher of KJV Bibles, has produced a number of commemorative Bibles and books for the celebration, as well as a traveling exhibit of important KJV editions. The exhibit can be seen via virtual tour at http://www.kjv400celebration.com.

“We felt it was an honor, but also a certain obligation, to lead the Bible industry in celebrating the 400th anniversary of the KJV,” said Gary Davidson, senior vice president and Bible group manager for Thomas Nelson.

Thomas Nelson has sold more than 1 million copies of the KJV in the last 12 months.

“It is the legacy that started in all,” said Davidson. “It was the first major, adopted translation accepted by the majority of the English-speaking world. And it has endured for 400 years.”

The publisher's commemorative line includes a 1611 KJV Bible complete with original spellings, punctuation and apocryphal books that are no longer included in most Bibles. Several gift editions of the 1769 KJV are available, as well as three additional titles:

–“The Story of the Bible” by Larry Stone: This gift book features art, informative text and removable, life-size reproductions of the world's most important biblical ephemera.


— “The Treasure of God's Word: Celebrating 400 Years of the King James Bible”: The gift volume celebrates many of the great passages from the King James Bible, and offers a brief history of the KJV.

— “Majestie: The King Behind the King James Bible” by David Teems: Teems offers a thorough biography of the man behind the KJV, from his troubled childhood to his ascension to the throne of England, to his death in 1625.

Thomas Nelson isn't the only Christian publisher hoping to ride the KJV wave. Zondervan, based in Grand Rapids, Mich., is pushing “Verily, Verily: The KJV — 400 Years of Influence and Beauty” is by historian and Paraclete Press publisher John Sweeney.

Grand Rapids-based Baker Publishing Group is offering “A Visual History of the King James Bible: The Dramatic Story of the World's Best-Known Translation” is written by Don Brake and co-written by Shelly Beach.

Brake, the dean emeritus of Multnomah Biblical Seminary, has been collecting rare Bibles and manuscripts since 1977. His collection of about 2,000 pieces is housed at the Dunham Bible Museum at Houston Baptist University.

“The King James Version is the foundation of any Bible collection,” he said. “Once you get started collecting, you want a first edition of a King James.”


Brake found a first edition in a sale catalog, but thought it was priced too high for him. He entered a much lower bid — $7,000 — and was surprised to receive a bill several weeks later. He scraped the money together for the purchase back in the mid-1980s, and that first edition KJV is now worth between $100,000 and $150,000.

“The legacy of the KJV is unbelievable,” he said. “All modern translations are measured by it, and, after 400 years, it's still the primary Bible for hundreds of thousands of readers. Its literary beauty and cadence and diction make it marvelous to read.”

Brake provides readers with a thorough history of the KJV, complete with historical vignettes, profiles of the figures involved, more than 85 illustrations, and tales of his collecting.

He has first editions of all folios of the KJV; a version of the KJV that came across the prairie on a covered wagon; and a unique KJV printed in Georgia during the Civil War and confiscated by Union troops from a Southern ship.

“The King James Bible is from the golden age of the English language, the age of Shakespeare and Donne,” Brake said. “It's much more than a religious document; it's a literary document.”

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To some modern users, the KJV is more than just another Bible version. It is a version, and the only version, to be believed.


“We believe every word of the King James Version of the Bible,” said Mike Langdon, one of two preachers at Bible Believers Church in Greenville, Mich. “I believe the words of the King James are the final words. My job is not to amend or update or improve, but to believe.”

(Ann Byle writes for The Grand Rapids Press)

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