Posted on 11/20/2011 6:30:16 PM PST by Jim Robinson
The King James Version of the Bible has been enormously influential in the development of the English language. It ranks with the complete works of Shakespeare and the Oxford English Dictionary as one of the cornerstones of the recorded language. After Shakespeare, the King James, or Authorized, Version of the Bible is the most common source of phrases in English. The King James in question was James I of England and James VI of Scotland. He didn't write the text of course, he merely authorized it, hence the name that the book is best known in the UK (King James Version, or KJV, being more commonly used in the USA).
The King James Version was translated by 47 biblical scholars, working in six committees. It was first printed in 1611 and was by no means the earliest English translation of the Bible. It was pre-dated by several other partial or complete translations, notably John Wyclif's translation in 1382 and William Tyndale's in 1528 - the latter forming the basis of a large proportion of the KJV.
What raises that version above other versions of the Bible in terms of its linguistic impact is the fact that the language used has persisted into the present-day. Many of the phrases includeded are still commonplace. Here are some of the many phrases that originated in the Bible (most, but not all from the King James Version):
A list of 122 everyday phrases that have a biblical origin:
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
A broken heart
A cross to bear
A fly in the ointment
A graven image
A labour of love
A law unto themselves
A man after his own heart
A multitude of sins
A nest of vipers
A peace offering
A sign of the times
(Excerpt) Read more at phrases.org.uk ...
Homer's "rosy-fingered dawn" was always one of my favorite phrases.
>The protestants of the time decided that they were more qualified to design a bible than were the fathers of the church.<
That is an example of editing itself, but the details you left out or are ignorant of is that the “fathers” were not unified on the apocrypha, and while there was a general consensus there was no “infallible” canon until Trent provided it in the year Luther died (1546), and disagreement existed through the centuries and within Trent.
The RCs who doubted the apocrypha did not do so bcz it opposed their doctrine, but for scholarly reasons, as did Luther although doctrine was an issue with some, though 2 Macc 12 does not actually refer to purgatory, but supports praying for those who died in mortal sin, which there is no hope for in RCM.
Nor was an assuredly infallible magisterium (which Rome “infallibly” defines herself as having) necessary to establish writings as Scripture, as most of it was est. prior to Rome, and which is essentially due to its unique and enduring Heavenly qualities and effects of believing it, and other supernatural attestation, and conflation with that which had prior been manifest as being of God.
And which became the standard for obedience and testing truth claims. See prior links and commentary in red: http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/Bible/2Tim_3.html
In addition, it is those who hold Scripture as supreme and are committed to it that manifest greater conservatism than Roman Catholics overall: http://www.peacebyjesus.com/RC-Stats_vs._Evang.html
Now you are more informed, as your tag line asserts. Be back Tues.
Ditto.
Lord, hear our prayers ;)
A digitally remastered replica of the 1611 King James version of the bible was released a few months ago. They were available at Wal-Mart for just under $5.00 and may still be available. I couldn’t resist buying such an interesting and memorable historical replica.
LOVE IT.
A KEEPER.
All my first 30 years or so memory work and memory by osmosis was with KJV. I wore several out. Dixon version.
I enjoy THE MESSAGE and other modern versions but I’m super thankful that that substrate of KJV is always there ‘in my bones’ as a comparison.
I once taught a class in China essentially along the lines of this thread and source. I went through Genesis, Psalms and Proverbs as well as the Sermon On The Mount and talked about the English idioms derived therefrom.
It was a class just for teachers at the head Provincial University. I pray they learned more than English from that class. Thankfully, God insures that HIS WORD does NOT return void.
THANKS.
Seems to me the whole political spectrum is infested with such. There are rare exceptions here and there . . . Sigh.
NONSENSE.
“Don’t muzzle the ox”
1Ti 5:18
(18) For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.
Not to mention that many of their movies are plots that they twist but get inspiration for right out of the Bible.
And I recently enjoyed this one from Jesus "Let these sayings sink down into your ears" from the book of Luke, chapter nine, verse forty four.
Your sin shall find you out.
placemark for tomorrow
In answer to your question, I defer to Dr. Daniel B. Wallace, an expert in Koine Greek.
http://bible.org/article/why-i-do-not-think-king-james-bible-best-translation-available-today
Whether or not you agree with his conclusions, I hope you will find the read edifying.
You’re right, and Hollywood relied on the Bible for its movie titles for fifty years.
“The KJV omits some really beautiful and meaningful books from the real bible.”
Huh?
“The question as always is how much of it was a direct translation from Greek and Hebrew, and how much were English interpretations and idioms of the time?”
The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
Psalm 12:6 & 7
Thanks! A good one to bookmark.
This did miss “decked” as we say all decked out:
“And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the Lord.” (Hosea 2:13)
The phrase “holy smoke” is also an allusion to the burning of incense.
Also of note as regards influence on culture which the ACLU types disdain is that of the McGuffey Readers, which,
became the standardized reading text for most schools across the United States, especially throughout the West and South, during the mid to late nineteenth century,[22] [23] and were used widely in America until just after World War I. This resulted in the Readers becoming a unifying force in American culture, giving America a common value-laden body of literary reference and allusion,[24] and a sense of common experience and of common possession. http://www.astorehouseofknowledge.info/Education_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-69
I recently learned that about 90% of the wording in the KJV, is NOT original to that translation, but is taken from the earlier original William Tyndale translation of the 1530s.
Tyndale’s bible was the first bible printed (not hand-written) in English—and, because of the political/religious chaos of the Reformation—Dr. Tyndale was burned at the stake for his translation work.
There is evidence that when Tyndale fled England in the 1520s—he went to the hotspot of the Reformation at the time, that is Wittenberg, Germany...and may have done most of his translating there.
Martin Luther was busy translating the bible (and developing a common, high German language in the process) in the 1520s also, and, fascinatingly, the Tyndale/King James Version wording in English often has an uncanny resemblance to Luther’s poetic use of German in his bible.
Point being—the Tyndale/KJV bible may also owe a good deal of its linguistic beauty to Martin Luther.
Our #1 son was an English major at UMass Amherst, and IIRC, one of his classes was a study of the Bible as Literature. So someone recognized its importance to the English language.
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