This year marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible, otherwise known as the "Authorized Version." Whether it was truly "authorized" or not, there is little doubt about its impact upon the English language, literature, and theology. Recently published books such as Begat: The King James Bible and the English Language and Pen of Iron: American Prose and the King James Bible attest to its ongoing influence, and texts such as In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture, God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible, Bible: The Story of the King James Version 1611-2011, and A Visual History of the King James Bible provide very readable histories of this influential translation.
Beyond its literary and theological impact, however, the King James Bible has also had a tremendous influence upon evangelism. Historically, Anglican evangelization was promoted partially through both the Book of Common Prayer and the Authorized Version of the Bible. Millions heard the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ through the propagation of these texts. Millions of other people, Anglican or otherwise, memorized the King James Bible for instruction, edification, and for evangelistic purposes.
Having said this, the King James Version does not stand entirely on its own merit. It was translated and stood squarely upon the shoulders of William Tyndale, who himself was influenced by other texts and translators. A vast majority of the King James Bible is, quite simply, the work of Tyndale (as T. S. Eliot is purported to have said, "Good writers borrow, great writers steal").
Within the church and even before, (1) the issue of translation has always been central to evangelism. We read of this as early as Acts 2 when thousands heard the Word of God in their own tongue, and took this message of Christ back to their own countries and communities. This legacy continues even today, and will likely continue until our Lord returns.
As such, it is important for us to consider how we "translate" the written Word of God into the "tongue" of family, friends, fellowship, community, and country. We are all translators of God's Word. We are even, as St. Paul tells us, "living epistles." Our lips speak the truth, and our lives should as best we can bear out something about the message we proclaim. What are we saying? What should be the guiding principles governing how we communicate God's words in our contemporary culture?
When the Authorized Version was translated, the translators were commanded to abide by certain priorities, principles, and practices. Fifteen were listed by the bishop of London, Richard Bancroft. (2) Let us examine a few of these, making application to ourselves and circumstances.
Rule 3 urged the translators to use "The Old Ecclesiastical Words," which were "to be kept." Within the Anglican churches, contrary to more radical reformers, a historic continuity was maintained between medieval Roman Catholicism and the sixteenth-century Reformation. At times, the differences between Anglicans and Presbyterians centered upon words. Bancroft, acting as an agent of King James I, insisted that words such as "ecclesia" and "presbyter" be interpreted and translated from an established ecclesiastical perspective ("church" and "priest") and not from a more Reformed and ministerial perspective ("congregation" and "senior/elder"). While Protes-tants continue to be divided on this issue, we are all agreed on one point: The work of translating God's Word through our lives and into the world must be attentive to history. Christians are called to listen carefully to our past, most especially the biblical narrative. The narrative of how God moves in the world does not begin with us. Christian history does not begin in the sixteenth century. Christian history is centered in Jesus Christ (who is the same yesterday, today, and forever) and includes God's words through the Old Testament law, prophets, and writings. Our lives must be informed by this history in order to be radically transformed. Our lives must be informed by history in order to effectively engage the world, presenting it with timeless truth.
Rule 6 reads, "No Marginal Notes at all to be affixed, but only for the explanation of the Hebrew or Greek Words." Although this may appear reasonable, King James had an entirely different agenda than simply keeping the written Word of God an unadulterated text of revelation. In short, he did not like the Puritans, and he thought that the notes contained in the Geneva Bible were theologically suspect and politically subversive. Consequently, he wanted to eliminate the notes in the Geneva Bible in order to minimize Puritan influence. Again, there continue to be differences of opinion between the casual and radical reformers on this issue. However, when applied to how Christians are called to communicate the gospel, we are all agreed. Christians must be very careful about adding to or subtracting from the written Word of God. We must strive in all that we do to be pure conduits of who God is and what God communicates. While God does use each of our personalities in order to communicate his Word, we must also make sure that our personalities are submitted to Scripture and to the Spirit. Our lips and our lives must speak with one voice, unadulterated by the "marginal notes" that undisciplined lives lend to the process of conversation. If people reject Christ, we must ensure that it is not because they are distracted by our own sins and shortcomings.
Although Bancroft was resistant to marginal notes, he was very open to a cross-referencing system within the Authorized Text of the King James Bible. This is outlined in Rule 7. One of the glories of the Reformation was the recovery of the Bible and of long-forgotten doctrines derived from the Sacred Text. Reformers sought to recover the whole Bible and not simply parts of it. Indeed, both Wycliffe and Tyndale sought to move the English people away from superstitious stories of saints back to the supernatural revelation that God provides in Holy Scripture. Moreover, the composition and compiling of the Book of Common Prayer encouraged an in-depth reading of the Scriptures: Old Testament, New Testament, and the Apocrypha (more later). On a personal level, Rule 7 urged the people of God to be fully informed Christians. We must know the Word of God in order to grow in the grace of God. Heretics emphasize one text above another, giving no credence to God's complete revelation. Heresy is spawned in the slime of underdeveloped or misapplied theology. The translation of any given text must be informed by the entire corpus of revelation. Every Christian must be an informed Christian in order to be a transformed Christian. Only transformed Christians will be able to "translate" Sacred Text into social context.
Community was emphasized in Rules 8-10. That is, the King James Bible was not the work of one man. Rather, the translation of the King James Bible was undertaken by companies of men who worked cooperatively. It is to be noted in this regard that it was a Puritan who was placed in charge of the translation of the Apocrypha, those books between the Old and New Testaments to which Puritans were militantly opposed. (3) Christians must learn to work together as we seek to translate God's eternal Word into our lost world. Although there is value to be found in denominational distinctions, most especially when pertaining to essential doctrines, we are charged by Christ to be "one" and to express our faith through love. How we express this loving oneness may be different from person to person and from place to place. Some will emphasize a "visible unity," while others are content with a "viable unity." Some will focus upon the catholicity of the church, while others focus upon the purity of the church. Some will stress denominational lines and others will minimize them. Genuine issues of difference do exist, and we must not minimize this or compromise truth. Nevertheless, we must strive to work as a community toward Christian unity and the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Translation of Word into world is mediated, at least partially, through the communion of the faithful’the church of our Lord Jesus Christ, walking, working, weeping, worshipping, and witnessing together.
Finally, reference is made to other translations that were also to be consulted, including the once outlawed Tyndale Bible and the politically suspect Geneva Bible. Other texts are also referenced in Rule 14. Scholar Alister McGrath properly suggests that the King James Bible stood on "the shoulders of giants." It does. We all do! John Donne, the great Anglican poet and dean of St. Paul's, rightly stated that "no man is an island." How true. We do not stand alone. To be effective, to convincingly share Christ's gospel, to win the world to Christ, we must work together. (4) As our Lord has said, the faithful scribe draws from the riches of both the old and the new. History, good history, is heritage. History, good history, is hope.
The King James Bible, an act of translation that has influenced countless millions for good, reminds us that we must be and always are "translators" of Jesus Christ. The world needs effective evangelists, but how will they hear without holy preachers, without those who "translate" Christ and his Word into the languages of a lost world?
2 [ Back ] Alister McGrath, In The Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture (New York: Doubleday, 2001), 173-75.
3 [ Back ] Gordon Campbell, Bible: The Story of the King James Version 1611-2011 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), 52-53. The issue of the Apocrypha has still not entirely been resolved. Roman Catholics and Orthodox accept them. Presbyterians and radical Protestants reject them. Anglicans, in keeping with the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, accept them for edification but reject them for establishing doctrine. An enlightening "must-read" text on this issue is Craig T. Allert, A High View of Scripture? The Authority of the Bible and the Formation of the New Testament Canon (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007).
4 [ Back ] Prayer is the great "work" we must do'which is, in fact, true theology. The psalmist and St. Paul tell us how blessed are the "feet" of those who share the good news. The Richmond Revised Translation of this text suggests "knees."
