1 The King James Version of the Bible was not the first English language translation of the Scriptures, but the culmination of extensive translation activity in the 1500s, including the likes of the Tyndale Bible, the Great Bible, the Geneva Bible, and the Bishops' Bible. In 1604, King James came to power unifying a divided England. In order to settle disagreements over reforms in the Church of England, he authorized a new translation of the Scriptures building on the previous English Bible translation work and using the best Hebrew, Greek, and Latin texts and manuscripts available. The work, undertaken by a total of 54 scholars, was completed and the first edition published in 1611. Since the mid-17th century, the King James Bible has been the Bible of the English-speaking church. Even though more recent modern translations have grown in popularity, the KJV stills stands as the masterpiece of the English language. Over four hundred years after its first printing, the King James Bible continues to have worldwide influence, retaining its place as the most influential book and Bible ever published. The exhibit includes a collection of rare King James Bible editions from the 17th and 18th centuries, the earliest from 1613, as well as pages from the first edition in 1611. The King James Bible: A Translation for the Ages Biblical Heritage Gallery Virtual Exhibit Guide
The King James Version of the Bible was not the first English language version of the Bible, but the culmination of extensive translation activity (some illegal!) in the 1500's. This began with the work of William Tyndale and the printing of the first English New Testament in 1526. Following a tumultuous 75 years, King James I came to power in 1603, unifying a divided England. Three main English Bibles were in use: the Bishop’s Bible (Church of England), the Geneva Bible (Protestants), and the Rheims New Testament (Roman Catholic Church), causing much confusion and dissension. To settle disagreements over reforms in the Church of England and respond to pressure from the Puritans, King James in 1604 approved a new translation of the Bible, primarily because he knew that it would reinforce his image as a political and spiritual leader. The translators used previous English Bible translation work and the best Hebrew, Greek, and Latin texts. The completed King James Version was published in 1611. Though slow to be adopted in the English-speaking world, from the mid-1600's to the late 20th century the King James Version was THE Bible of the English-speaking church. Even with more recent modern translations, the KJV remains the standard of measure for all new translations and still stands as an outstanding masterpiece of the English language. Item 1: King James Bible, First Edition Pages, 1611 These pages from first editions of the King James Bible are taken from editions or fragments which could not be sold as complete Bibles, because they were already missing pages when found. These fragment sections and pages are often used by restorers to put together complete Bibles that were not complete when discovered. The pages that are left over from the restoration process are often sold by the page. These pages are not the result of the destruction of complete Bibles. Genesis II Kings Matthew II Thessalonians
3 The new translation authorized by King James was done by six committees of 54 scholars. The text was not “newly translated” as claimed. Translators were told to follow the Bishops’ Bible as much as possible, and to be guided by the previous translations of Tyndale and Coverdale when they agreed better with the original texts and manuscripts, supported by available Biblical manuscripts. Since the translators were instructed to use the Bishops’ Bible (1568) as a guide, which was a revision of the Great Bible (1539), which was a revision of the Matthew’s Bible (1537), which was a revision of Coverdale’s first Bible (1535) that included all of Tyndale’s translation work, the King James version includes much of the wording of the Tyndale and Coverdale translations. Thus, the preface to the first edition says that the translators did not make a totally new translation, but made “out of many good ones, one principal good one.” Scholars agree that, though the translation work was done by a committee, this large group with diverse resources produced a better version of the English Bible than had previously been available. It had been carefully done, faithful as possible to the available texts and manuscripts, and has stood the test of time and study. Item 1: King James Bible, 1613 This copy of the King James Bible is a first black letter quarto version published by Robert Barker in London in 1613, one year after the first Roman letter quarto version was printed in 1612. This edition is called a “He” Bible because of the “he” instead of “she” reading in Ruth 3:15. Bound in this volume are a Common Book of Prayer and a 1614 Sternhold and Hopkins Psalter. Item 2: King James Bible, 1617 This copy of the King James Bible is a large folio lectern Bible printed in 1617 by Robert Barker in London, the third unrevised edition of the 1611 first printing. Thus, this copy is essentially what a first edition looks like. This printing is called a “She” Bible because of the “she” instead of the” he” reading in Ruth 3:15.
The first edition of the King James Version was printed in 1611 by Robert Barker in London. The first two printings were large folio Bibles for use in churches, but smaller editions were soon produced for personal use, starting in 1612. With the proliferation of printings, early printer errors crept into the editions. As well, if some printed sheets were left over from one printing, they were incorporated into another. Almost no two existing “original 1611" King James Bibles are exactly the same. Eventually there were various calls for the need to correct and revise the King James Version because of printer errors over the years and the changes in spelling and word usage. Corrected editions were published by the Cambridge University Press, the first being in 1629. Several of the revisers were part of the original group of translators of the KJV. In 1762, the most significant corrections were completed in an edition overseen by Dr. Thomas Paris of Trinity College in Cambridge. The work was refined in 1769; this edition then became the standard King James Bible in use up to today. Almost 1000 editions were printed from 1611 to 1769, all with minor corrections. No comprehensive revision of the King James Version was undertaken again until the middle of the 19th century. Item 1: King James Bible, 1629 This copy of the King James Version, a large quarto edition, is the first Cambridge (England) printing of the KJV. It was the first printing since the first edition in 1611 in which editors included a number of revisions, chiefly incorporating more literal readings originally presented in marginal notes. As well, the editors attempted to restore the proper text which had been affected by many misprints in previous printings. Two who participated in the Cambridge printing, Dr. Samuel Ward and John Bois, worked on the original translation of the King James Version in 1611. Item 2: King James Bible, 1762 This copy of the King James Version, a large quarto edition printed in Cambridge in 1762, is considered to be the “standard” edition of the King James Version, becoming, along with the Blayney Oxford edition of 1769, the foundation of the modern King James Bible. Led by Dr. Thomas Paris as editor, this was the first edition of the KJV with standardized spelling, based on Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language, published in 1755. As well, the language was modernized, marginal references were expanded, and previous printing errors were removed.
Many of the early settlers in America from England came seeking religious freedom. The Pilgrims arrived in 1620 and brought with them the Geneva Bible, not the King James Bible. The KJV was seen as the Bible of the English King and the state Church of England which had been persecuting them. But by the mid-1600's, the King James Bible was arriving in the New World with the increasing flow of settlers. It was much later in the colonial period, in 1782, when the first complete King James Bible was printed in America. Prior to that time, English Bibles were readily available as imports from England. With the coming of the Revolutionary War, the importation of British goods was seriously curtailed, so Robert Aitken, who had started printing the King James New Testament in the Colonies in 1771, gained the support from the United States Congress to print the entire King James Bible, which he did in 1782. His Bible became known as the “Bible of the Revolution,” because of its small size so copies could be given to the soldiers in the Colonial army. In 1798, John Thompson produced the first King James Bible to be “hotpressed” in America. This printing technique helped to sear the ink clearly into the paper with heat. Thompson’s Bible was a pulpit folio size, the largest Bible printed in America up until that time. Item 1: Aitken Bible Page, 1782 This original page from a King James Bible is from a copy printed in Philadelphia in 1782, Robert Aitken’s only edition of the first English Bible printed in America. The page measures about 6 inches by 4 inches, making the Bible small enough to fit into the pocket of a Continental Army soldier. The text on these two pages is from I Corinthians 7:1-8:7. Item 2: King James Bible, Thompson Hot-Press Edition, 1798 This copy of the King James Bible was printed by John Thompson in Philadelphia in 1798, the first hot-pressed printing of the Bible in the American colonies. This copy was rebound in leather in 2004 by the artisans at the Ohio Book Store in Cincinnati, Ohio. Item 3: New Testament, 1807 This copy of the King James Bible New Testament, published during the time of the presidency of Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809), was printed in New York in 1807 by Duyckinck and Mesier.
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