King James's Bible: perhaps the greatest work of translation ever

The Telegraph ^ | December 26th, 2010 | By Daniel Hannan

[US Navy Vet]

I can’t be the only English-speaker who suspects, deep down, that the Almighty expressed Himself in the language of the Authorised Version. Even now, I do a double-take when I listen to a biblical passage in another tongue. I struggled to repress a chuckle the other day when I heard Matthew 5:5 rendered as “Bienheureux sont les débonnaires; car ils hériteront la terre.”

Yesterday, the Queen reminded us that her ninth-great-grandfather, James VI & I, had commissioned the translation in the hope of impressing a measure of unity on the various theological currents then swirling about Britain. And, in a sense, he succeeded. The Church of England is unusual among Christian denominations in that it combines an extraordinary heterogeneity of doctrine with political and – until very recently – liturgical conformity.

[US Navy Vet]

A good Read!

[PetroniusMaximus]

And seeing, the shall not see.

And hearing, they shall not hear.

[vladimir998]

The Vulgate was a translation with far more cultural and linguistic impact for far more centuries than the KJV.

[US Navy Vet]

I like the KJV for Daily Reading and Bible Study however I LOVE the Geneva Bible 1599(The Bible of the American Revolution)!

[Gene Eric]

IBTCB

[Inyo-Mono]

But this article is about the beautiful language of the King James version. The Valgate is after all, the vulgar, or in modern day words, the common man’s translation of the Bible.

[Clint Williams]

The Vulgate was a translation with far more cultural and linguistic impact for far more centuries than the KJV.

Your metrics, please, so we all can evaluate your assertion.

[doc1019]

And yet, the KJV is the most translated version of the bible used in missionary work.

[oldbrowser]

When is he going to finish it?

[Blogger]

Whitefield used a KJV

[US Navy Vet]

I use the KJV and Geneva Bible exclusively NO others(NIV, RSV, etc) may apply!

[sionnsar]

But this article is about the beautiful language of the King James version. The Valgate is after all, the vulgar, or in modern day words, the common man’s translation of the Bible.

"Vulgar" in common (American?) English means something rather lower than its older meaning and in all fairness I would not use that term in regard to the "Vulgate."

[rissole]

In terms of being poetic, I agree that the KJV is amazing. In terms of accuracy and fidelity to the thoughts of the biblical writers, I think there are far better translations out there.

[US Navy Vet]

Amazon’s info Geneva Bible 1599:
http://www.amazon.com/1599-Geneva-Bible-Tolle-Press/dp/0975484613/ref=rsl_mainw_dpl?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

And a Great KJV Study Bible:
http://www.amazon.com/Bible-James-Version-Study-Burgundy/dp/0785201688/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1293419719&sr=1-1

[vladimir998]

That’s probably because there is no copyright for it that is respected by American missionary groups.

[Ciexyz]

The 23rd Psalm retains its unique grandeur only in the KJV.

[aruanan]

King James's Bible: perhaps the greatest work of translation ever.

It has some lovely English (now that it's not in the near-incomprehensible 1611 version), but its NT translation was a translation of a defective Greek NT apparatus hastily assembled from late, minuscule manuscripts and even back-translations from Latin to Greek where no Greek text was available, made in order to beat another group to the press of the first Greek New Testament printed edition. It even sported an advertising blurb calling it the "received text," as though it had been handed down throughout time in that form when, in reality, it didn't exist until Erasmus assembled it. The Old Testament KJV was translated from the Masoretic Text. If we really wanted to be sticklers, we would rely on the Septuagint translation because that is the version used in Jesus's day and quoted at various places in the New Testament. Because new converts were so adept at using the Septuagint to lead other Jews to conversion, the Jewish establishment abandoned it and turned to the Masoretic Text.

[Ripliancum]

Amen. I use the KJV nearly exclusively. It’s a poetic masterpiece of truth.

[vladimir998]

You wrote:

“Your metrics, please, so we all can evaluate your assertion.”

Vulgate: influenced culture throughout Europe for over a millenium.

KJV: Will only turn 400 next year.

Vulgate: Used by people of all language groups in much of Europe throughout Middle Ages (1100 years).

KJV: Only used by one language group and those who use it are probably declining in numbers rather than growing.

Vulgate: Official translation of world’s largest Church.

KJV: official translation of...no one important.

[ZULU]

I personally prefer the King James version myself.

But I have to laugh when people eulogize James I. He was a homosexual and hardly a Christian paragon.

His main claim to fame besides the Bible was attacking the filthy habit of smoking - a growing problem in England at the time.