“The King James Bible is one of the greatest accomplishments of the British empire.”
Actually, in 1611 there really wasn’t a British Empire yet—even the American colony was barely surviving at Jamestown, Virginia.
I’ve read that around 90% of the King James Version wording is that of WILLIAM TYNDALE, an English scholar executed under warrants from Henry VIII in Europe in 1536.
Tyndale was a real hero (and a brilliant linguist and wordsmith)—who did most of his translation work in continental Europe (probably in Wittenberg, Germany—under Martin Luther’s guidance, no one really knows—but the wording in English is often in the same pattern as in Luther’s German bible...)and smuggled copies of his bible back into England—where the Bible was strictly forbidden at the time...
Tyndale was betrayed by a friend, into the hands of the Catholic Belgian authorities.
While he was being burned at the stake, Tyndale’s last words were “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes!”
Literally within a few months, in 1537, the “Matthew (Coverdale)” bible was printed in England with Royal permission. It was actually William Tyndale’s translation...
Subsequent English translations, including the KJV bible, were all primarily revisions of Tyndale’s original translation.
Good stuff here. I’m currently reading John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs with that info. Also in many specials of KJV.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReoIXojq_xw
Yet, King James did pull off in getting an excellent translation. We still hear it - especially during Christmas and Easter - and Handel’s Messiah is performed.
And the empire was in its fledging stages, but as the empire grew, they took the Word with them and it had an impact.