Posted on 09/09/2014 7:52:23 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
In 1611, the new British state headed by King James I issued its translation of the complete Bible, "newly translated out of the original tongues, and with the former translations diligently compared and revised. By His Majesty's special command. Appointed to be read in churches." The book gave English-speaking Christians a common standard through which they could express their faith. Soon, the spread of printing technology meant that this translation above all became the definitive Bible that believers kept in their houses, and before too long, carried in their pockets.
*snip*
Even thinkers not sympathetic to the Bible's message still praise its language. Famous skeptic H. L. Mencken found in the King James "a mine of lordly and incomparable poetry, at once the most stirring and the most touching ever heard of."
*snip*
No serious study of literature in English can neglect the impact of the 1611 Bible, and that is equally true for any century from the 17th through the 20th. All the great canonical authors are immersed in that Bible, even (or especially) those who reject its fundamental religious message. To put it ironically, the Bible they reject is the 1611 version, which created the literary air we breathe. The King James language informs and inspires American literature, from Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne through Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner. It has its special power in African American tradition, from Frederick Douglass through Alice Walker.
(Excerpt) Read more at baylor.edu ...
Ditto to what you said and double dittos to the “Heck, I don’t even trust myself.”
seeing that the Catholic church was the ONLY source for Christian information to be spread throughout the world, it was, of course, the reason that so many people became educated in what Christianity really was. Since the written word was not, until the 16th century, a very effective means of spreading anything. The people attended Mass, heard the entire bible preached over a three year period, experienced pictures, statues, decorated stained glass windows, and were members of the only Christian family in the world.....That's how the word of God was spread.....not by a mega-preacher on TV.
“heard the entire bible preached over a three year period”
No, they did not.
Pre-Vatican II, only about 1% of the Old Testament was covered, and about 16% of the New Testament.
The current one, read on Sundays and major feast days, covers about 40% of the NT and 4% of the Old.
http://catholic-resources.org/Lectionary/Statistics.htm
Re: The King James Bible. Here’s a wonderful video I found, unfortunately unavailable on DVD. Terrific stuff. Benson Bobrick: “In the English speaking world, it would become the Vulgate of the Protestant faith.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yalVKnNMbKM
The NRSV is in the tradition of the King James - tries to preserve its style and flow but in modern English instead of the dated 17th Century Jacobean English used in the KJV.
Its literally accurate, which is why all the academic study Bibles - Access, New Intepreter’s, HarperCollins and New Oxford Annotated rely upon it.
The version strikes a nice balance between gender inclusiveness and customary English usage. If you’re looking for a literal readable translation, its a good one because its also ecumenical in intent and appeal.
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