Celebrating a national treasure - the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible
The King James Bible – or Authorised Version - is not the first English translation of the Bible, but it is the one that has done more than any other book or Bible translation to transform English society and culture - and indeed the world.
Carried far beyond Britain’s shores by pilgrims, missionaries, traders and travellers, the KJV brought respectability and coherence to the English language such as had never existed prior to 1611 and set English on the path to becoming a world language.
As the most printed book in the English language, it has influenced the works of writers from Shakespeare, to Charles Dickens and Philip Pullman, and is the Bible of the established Church and the Royal family to this day, not to mention the Bible of choice for many churches around the world....