Bibles in The Bible Exhibition - Authorised Version, 1634.

Bible 2

Restored and rebound 1634 edition of the King James Version, printed by Robert Barker, printer to the King on (I assume) high quality cotton rag paper. 

We take Bibles for granted. As the most published book EVER (1995 Guinness world record estimates 5 billion copies sold and distributed), there is ample reason NOT to take this Book of Books for granted. It's mere history and authenticity cannot be paralleled.  The New Testament alone has been preserved in more manuscripts than any other ancient work of literature, "with over 5800 complete or fragmented Greek manuscripts catalogued, 10000 Latin manuscripts and 9300 manuscripts in various other ancient languages including Syriac, Slavic, Gothic, Ethiopic, Coptic and Armenian". This is an amazing statistic, yet millions still question its authenticity. Take an opposite extreme - Archimedes' writings. EVERYONE accepts he lived and wrote, yet there is ONE surviving copy of his treatise on The Method, The Stomachion, and On Floating Bodies in Greek. Yet people do not even question his authenticity! 

See:  

http://archimedespalimpsest.org/about/history/index.php

                                

The Authorised Version, otherwise named the King James Version or simply KJV was commissioned in 1604 and completed and published in 1611.  This English translation of the Bible, accomplished under the auspices of the Church of England and sponsorship of James I/IV - (James I – title as King of England and Ireland and title James VI as King of Scotland) contains 39 books comprising the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. Some editions contain an ‘intertestamental section’ of 14 books called the Apocrypha*.   The ‘intertestamental’ period of time roughly spans the 400 years from the ministry of Malachi +/- 420BC to the appearance of John the Baptist in the early years of the first century AD. 

This is also known as the period of silence. 

 

Old Testament Books:

Using Jerome’s (AD342-347 – 30 September 420) principle Veritas Hebraica (truth of the Hebrew) the  Protestant Old Testament consists of the same books as the Hebrew Bible, but the order and division of the books are different. Protestants number the Old Testament books at 39, while the Hebrew Bible numbers the same books as 24. Samuel, Kings and Chronicles are counted as one book in the Hebrew Bible, with the twelve minor prophets counted as one book. Ezra and Nehemiah are also viewed as one book. 

 

New Testament Books:

This testament is the second division of the Christian biblical canon which discuss the teachings of Jesus Christ - the man who changed the world forever. Letters written by the followers of Christ and the Apostles concern behaviour of the ‘sect’ called Christian as well as events in first century Christianity.  It is a 27 book canon, universally recognised at least since Late Antiquity (approx. 3^rd – 8^th cent AD).

 

All debates surrounding the inclusion/exclusion of certain texts are human. Surely the author of the Bible, even God Himself has ensured that the scriptures He intended to be preserved are the ones we hold. This principle is considered a matter of FAITH.

 

A short history of the Authorised Version:

With Queen Elizabeth (1558-1603) ascending the throne of England, Protestantism was reinstated as the official religion of England. Mary I, (also known as Bloody Mary) who had ruled for 5 years (1553-1558) had attempted – in vain -  to restore Roman Catholicism to the country, spilling the blood of countless Protestants in her efforts. 

 

With Elizabeth on the throne, unity and consolidation was sought within the Church of England. The Bishops’ Bible (discussed in the previous post), whilst well regarded, had failed to gain wide acceptance – or Elizabeth’s authorization. The most popular translation at this time was the Geneva Bible (to be discussed, but compiled in 1557 and first published in England in 1576), was compiled/translated in Geneva by English Protestants living in exile during Mary’s persecutions. In 1604, with James’ ascension to the throne, a bevy of churchmen requested that the English Bible be revised.

     “Given the perceived need for a new authorized translation, James was quick to appreciate the broader value of the proposal and at once made the project his own. By June 30, 1604, James had approved a list of 54 revisers, although extant records show that 47 scholars actually participated. They were organized into six companies, two each working separately at Westminster, Oxford, and Cambridge on sections of the Bible assigned to them. Richard Bancroft (1544–1610), archbishop of Canterbury, served as overseer and established doctrinal conventions for the translators. The new Bible was published in 1611”. 

For further reading on this fascinating topic, see: https://www.britannica.com/topic/King-James-Version

 

  

 

*The word ‘Apocrypha’ comes from the Greek words: ἀπόκρυφος, (romanized) and   apókruphos,(hidden). These books are thought to have been written some time between 200BC and 400AD. “The preface to the Apocrypha in the Geneva Bible explained that while these books "were not received by a common consent to be read and expounded publicly in the Church," and did not serve "to prove any point of Christian religion save in so much as they had the consent of the other scriptures called canonical to confirm the same," nonetheless, "as books proceeding from godly men they were received to be read for the advancement and furtherance of the knowledge of history and for the instruction of godly manners”.

 

Sources:

 VanderKam, James (2018-07-17), "The Dead Sea Scrolls", Early Judaism, NYU Press, pp. 11–28, doi:10.18574/nyu/9781479896950.003.0002, ISBN 978-1-4798-9695-0

 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/King-James-Version

 

Geneva Bible, 1560. Full preface available online: http://www.bible-researcher.com/canon2.html

For more details see Development of the Old Testament canon#Church of England.