The KJV: Is it THE Bible? Part 7: Which KJV Are We Talking About?

The KJV: Is it THE Bible? Part 7: Which KJV Are We Talking About?

“Few people seem conscious of the fact that a currently circulating King James Bible differs in significant details (though not in general content) from the one issued in 1611; they assume that the King James is a fixed phenomenon like ‘the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints’ (Jude 3; ASV).”

-Jack Lewis (1)
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The KJV: Is it THE Bible? Part 6: Any Other Translation is Just So…Vulgar?

The KJV: Is it THE Bible? Part 6: Any Other Translation is Just So….Vulgar?

“The unskilled reader needs to understand clearly what he is reading.  In this area the KJV has definite shortcomings.”
-Jack P. Lewis (1)
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The KJV: Is it THE Bible? Part 5: Linguistic Prejudice

The KJV: Is it THE Bible? Part 5: Linguistic Prejudice, or “Ritzy Writ? Or Beautiful Word?”

William Tyndale, of the renowned Tyndale Bible, was once challenged by a papal cleric on his belief that the common man should have true access to God’s word, not just priests.  Ironically, many of the clergy did not know much Bible, though they knew papal law like the backs of their bejeweled hands.  To the clergy he said, “If God spares my life, before many years pass I will make it possible for the boy who drives the plow to know more of the Scriptures than you do.”
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The KJV: Is it THE Bible? Part 4: Jacobean English (not thine English)

The KJV: Is it THE Bible? Part 4: Jacobean English, or “Have It Thine Way”

“Some sentences in the KJV will not be understood without the help of a commentary.  Champions of the use of the KJV forget that they have been conditioned to its oddities by a lifetime of study.  The new reader and the uneducated reader have not had that conditioning.”
-Jack P. Lewis (1)

In our last post we discussed the language issues in translating the King James to English.  The King James Bible is known and used throughout the world, even in foreign-language speaking countries. However, we must understand that the day will come when Jacobian English, the language of the King James Version, will be unreadable to an audience that speaks a language that changes so quickly.
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The KJV: Is it THE Bible? Part 2: A Brief History of a Politically Charged Translation

The KJV: Is it THE Bible? Part 2: A Brief History of a Politically-Charged Translation

In our first post we introduced varieties KJV enthusiasm, and initial reasons why the KJV-only movement is divisive and counter-intuitive.

And now a brief history of the King James Bible.  The KJV actually wasn’t the first English Bible, nor was it the first produced by the Church of England.  English Bibles that came before it were Cloverdale’s (1535), Tyndale’s (1536), Matthew’s (1537), Taverner’s (1539), the Great Bible (1539), the Geneva (1560), the Bishop’s (1568), and the Rhiems-Douay (1582).

Translation Process
One of the main reasons the KJV came about was to produce a translation that would unify everyone, that would “corner the market” and prevent confusion between translations, two in particular.  The Geneva was the preferred translation among the  public (and the one Shakespeare quoted), while the Bishop’s Bible was used by clergy.
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The KJV: Is it THE Bible? Part I: A Plea to KJV Advocates

The King James Bible: Is it THE Bible?
Part 1:
A Plea to Advocates that the King James Translation of the Bible is the Only Inspired Translation, 
to Advocates that the King James Translation of the Bible is the Only Translation To Be Read “In the Pulpit”, and to Advocates that the King James Translation of the Bible is Merely the Best Translation to Use

Folks, we know the Bible is God’s good word. And in God’s good word we are told to avoid stupid arguments over things like endless genealogies and ‘old tales’, things like that. One of these stupid arguments is over what is “THE right Bible translation”.

I must begin by affirming that the “King James” Bible is a beautiful rendition of scripture that has been the delivery of God’s word to generations and generations around the world.  My intention here is not to slam the KJV, decry the KJV, forbid the KJV, or mock the KJV.  God’s word is holy, but we must distinguish between his word and the tradition of rendering his word.  We must not mistake one for the other.  Yes, the KJV has left a profound impact on the English language and religious culture around the world, a translation which resides in the homes of peoples the world over, a translation through which many received scripture.
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Luke Guard #SHAME Video: Hashtag Youth Series

Luke Guard #SHAME Video: Hashtag Youth Series

My brother, Luke Guard, delivers a message from the scriptures about shame.

Luke Guard talks about using our shame for God’s glory. Instead of building up ourselves and pretending to be perfect, Scripture encourages us to be honest with our sin, flaws, and need for grace. People don’t usually like to share their sin and shame with others. Luke reminds us that our open confession of sin magnifies the mercy received and patience displayed in the gift of Jesus Christ.

The 23rd Digest: A Bicolonation of David [Poem]

The 23rd Digest: A Bicolonation of David

I need Him, I am content
I drink up, I sleep deep
I am mended, I am upright
I see shadows, I fear not
I grip firm, I walk easy
I have food, I have foes
I am soaked, I am sated
I know mercy, I came home

Badly Broken: Walter White and the Corrosive Effects of Sin

Badly Broken: Walter White and the Corrosive Effects of Sin

Badly Broken: Walter White and the Corrosive Effects of Sin
by Chris McCirney and Daniel Lee

A great article about a televised story of how sin starts small and eats away at us.  Also, spoilers alert.

“With each calcified deposit, what starts off as an instinct to provide for his family mutates into a monstrous obsession to preserve the empire that Walt has established with his own two hands. Walt has been so engulfed by the darkness that he is no longer fully human. And that’s because sin is a force that refuses to let up; like gravity, it relentlessly pulls us inward into itself. As Walt himself says, ‘If you believe that there’s a hell . . . we’re already pretty much going there. But I’m not gonna lie down until I get there” (from episode 5.07, “Say My Name”).'”