Begat: The King James Bible & the English Language

In commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible a host new books have been published celebrating the effect this legendary translation has had on the history, culture, and language of English speaking people. One such book published late in 2010, by Oxford University Press, is entitled, Begat: The King James Bible & the English Language by David Crystal. I came across this book while preparing for my message at the 2011 Great Lakes Grace Bible Conference titled The Language and Readability of the KJV.

While there are many books currently available discussing the various popular idioms derived from the King James Bible, Crystal's book is unique. Crystal started by reading through his King James Bible two times solely for the purpose of locating all the idioms commonly used in modern English. Next, since the King James translators were explicitly instructed to follow the Bishop's Bible where the truth of the original would permit as well as to consult other 16th century translations i.e., Tyndale's, Matthews, Coverdale's, Great, or Geneva Bibles where they agreed better with the Greek text, Crystal consulted these sources to see where each idiom's true origin could be found.

According to Crystal, the King James Bible carried many of the idioms found in previous translations forward and popularized them. Moreover, Crystal offers a total for the number of idioms truly originating in the text of 1611. To find out how many there are you will either have to listen to the interview with Crystal provided below or attend the 2011 Great Lakes Grace Bible Conference. Better yet get the book and read it for yourself it will fascinate you.

I don't normally support NPR but this is a good interview.

For a list of 122 everyday phrases that have a Biblical origin click here.

The Making of the King James Bible

In 2003, Adam Nicholson a British historian, published God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible under the original title Power and Glory. Now in commemoration of the 400 year anniversary of the King James Bible the BBC has utilized Nicholson's scholarship to produce a documentary commemorating the translations landmark anniversary. Portions of Nicholson's book are available online for free and are worth reading. Please take the time to watch this informative documentary about the historical setting in which the King James Bible was produced.

To learn more about Adam Nicholson click here.

The Place of Preservation Part Two

Unfortunately the YouTube version of this message is not available, however, the PDF notes and PowerPoint are. Please read through the notes concluding our Final Authority: Locating God's Word in English study. Discover that despite claims to the contrary, the differences between the King James and modern versions are serious and due affect basic doctrines of the faith. In addition, learn how the new Bible obscure dispensational truth.

For access to the audio of video please click here.

For a PDF copy of the notes click here.

For a copy of the PowerPoint click here.