The King James Bible Translators

Citation

Woodman, G. (2002), "The King James Bible Translators", Library Review, Vol. 51 No. 6, pp. 316-317. https://doi.org/10.1108/lr.2002.51.6.316.10

This is an account, directed at the general reader, of the creation of the King James version of the Bible from its inception to its publication. As the title conveys, the focus is on personalities. This is very much the story of the people who carried out the translation, although, as will be seen, the actual process is not neglected.

The figure ultimately responsible, and indeed the colloquial eponym, was King James I of England and VI of Scotland himself. The first chapter vividly sketches his arrival in England as King before describing the Hampton Court Conference of 1604 which brought together the different English religious factions. From this conference arose the proposal, made by the Puritans, for a new, purer version of the English Bible. This proposal was, rather surprisingly, backed by the King against the wishes of his bishops. The incident makes a good story and it is well told here.

A summary of the history of the translation of the Bible into English from Wycliffe to the sixteenth century follows. The language of the different versions and the Hebrew and Greek scholarship on which they drew are clearly discussed and there are interesting comments on the relationships between the various Protestant translations and the Catholic Dhouai/Rheims Bible. This highlights one of the books main themes. The King James Bible is one of the very few common enterprises before the twentieth century on which Christians of very different opinions worked together. In an age of intense religious antagonisms they were prepared to treat the scholarship of opponents with respect.

The focus now shifts to the actual translators, with one chapter devoted to each of the six teams amongst whom the text of the Bible was divided up. These chapters make up the bulk of the book. The description of the individual translators is lively and interesting, as befits some figures. Richard Thompson was a great interpreter of the distinctly profane Latin epigrammatist Martial and also “seldom went to bed sober”. The Puritan Laurence Chadderton once attempted to conclude a sermon after preaching for two hours only to be urged by his hearers: For God’s sake, go on! We beg you, go on! He then preached for a further hour. It has to be said that we are left with a stronger awareness of those personalities and of Jacobean society than of their actual contribution to the process of translation but perhaps there is not very much evidence. The work of each team is compared with earlier English translations.

The next three chapters describe the process of compilation and publication. The general meeting of 1610, when the work of the teams was brought together and revised, and the final work of the principal editors are examined. Again, interesting comparisons are made with earlier versions. The editors’ work is further considered in a chapter dealing with the Dedication and the Preface. Since the latter is never printed in modern editions, it is useful to have it and the Dedication reprinted as appendices. In the chapter which follows, the process of printing is outlined, both the original edition and those of the years immediately after 1611. This chapter includes valuable comments on spelling and other differences in these early editions and on the process of standardisation which occurred in the eighteenth century.

The final three chapters consider both the context against which the King James Bible appeared and its subsequent influence. Its reception on publication is looked at briefly, with some emphasis on the distinguished, but quarrelsome, Hebrew Scholar Hugh Broughton. Its rather slow growth in popularity is considered. Certain contemporary events, not all of them altogether relevant, are summarised. Not all of them are relevant. The final chapter briefly looks at the subsequent influence, both spiritual and linguistic, of the King James Bible. This somewhat sketchy introduction to a vast topic perhaps takes the scope of the narrative somewhat beyond the Bible translators and cannot do more than set their work in a wider context.

The King James Bible Translators is very much a text for the general reader and the appearance of this reprint suggests that it has been successful in reaching its target audience. Biblical and literary students will enjoy its lively narrative and find its excellent bibliography a good starting point for more detailed studies. The standard of scholarship is scrupulous for a popular text. It will have a place in general collections on biblical and religious studies, seventeenth century history and English language and literature.