Celebrating 400 Years

Today I was able to visit the Special Collections exhibit about the King James Bible at Brigham Young University.  This year marks the 400th anniversary of the first printing of the King James Bible, and let me tell you -- it wasn't easy for the KJV to get here.  But regardless of the difficulty, the KJV has impacted the religious and secular cultures of the English-speaking world forever. 

 The exhibit documents the life and creation of the King James Bible, as well as the history of the many various bibles before the KJV was created.  I was able to see editions of the real Vulgate Bible, Wycliffite Bible, Tyndale's Bible, the Great Bible, and the Geneva Bible.  The books were remarkably preserved and had beautiful detail.  It was incredible to see the Latin, Old English, and Middle English language written so beautifully. 

Perhaps the most interesting part of the exhibit is the history of translating the Bible from Latin in to the vernacular.  Originally, the Bible was written only in the Latin language, in what is called the Vulgate Bible.  Only the highly educated (priests) could read it because it was not in the vernacular, which was English.  As a result of the teachings of John Wycliffe, there was a strong movement toward the Bible being printed in the vernacular.  He believed it was important for the word of God to be in the homes of every person and to be a part of normal life and government. 

Thanks to the sacrifice of reforms like Wycliffe, Tyndale, and many others, the Bible was eventually translated in to English and illegally distributed. 

But many versions of the Bible were created, and controversy over which Bible to use lasted for centuries.  Eventually, King James I decided to create a new translation from the original text.  He wanted to most correct English words to be used in the translation.  It took decades for the KJV to catch on because many people were attached to the Geneva and Bishop's Bibles. 

Now, the KJV is one of the most popular Bibles in circulation.  It is said to be "the most correct" of the many Bible translations and is used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It has become one of the most influential books in the world.  The pamphlet from the exhibit says, "the King James Bible has influenced music, politics, literature, and the English language itself. . . it was at the forefront of religious worship, private devotion, and personal or classroom reading." 

The King James Bible exhibit will be open through Spring 2012, and I highly recommend visiting.  The history and beauty of the Bible is incredible, and those of all religions can benefit from visiting the exhibit and witnessing history.