HISTORY OF THE KING JAMES BIBLE: When Prince James VI of Scotland became King James 1st of England upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I, the Protestant clergy approached the new King in 1604 and announced their desire for a new translation to replace the Bishop's Bible first printed in 1568. Discontent with earlier versions of the Bible in English had resulted in a conference at Hampton Court in 1604, at which the Puritan party, led by John Reynolds, convinced King James that a new Protestant translation was required. But, emblematic of the inclusiveness of approach that characterized the production of the "King James," the committee found that despite their avowedly Protestant mission, certain phrases and wordings even in the first Catholic New Testament in English (Rheims, 1585) were worthy of inclusion—as well as borrowings from the Tyndale, Wycliffite, Matthew's, Great, Geneva, and Bishops' Bibles (etc.).
About 90 per cent of Tyndale's work and a great part of Coverdale's, survive in the Authorized Version. The Geneva and Rhemes versions, in their different ways, brought a new accuracy to the translation. The Geneva provided pithy phrases, while Latinisms from Rhemes contributed to the majesty of the prose. It has been compared to a great English Cathedral: not the work of one period alone, but due to the devoted creation of several generations.
It was indeed fortunate that this Majestic translation was achieved during one of the most creative periods in English literature, when the English language as we know it was growing out of medieval usage into prose that rolls like a great cathedral organ played by a "Master- Musician". Macaulay said: 'If everything else in our language should perish it [the Authorized King James Version] alone would suffice to show the whole extent of its beauty and power.'
The translators knew that the Geneva Version had won the hearts of the people because of its excellent scholarship, accuracy, and exhaustive commentary. However, they did not want the controversial marginal notes (proclaiming the Pope an Anti-Christ, etc., etc.) Essentially, the leaders of the church desired a Bible for the people, with Scriptural references only for word clarification when multiple meanings were possible.
This "translation to end all translations" (the King James Version) was the result of the combined effort of about fifty scholars. They took into consideration: The Tyndale New Testament, The Coverdale Bible, The Matthews Bible, The Great Bible, The Geneva Bible, and even the Rheims New Testament. The great revision of the Bishop's Bible, resulting in the new King James translation, had begun.
From 1605 to 1606 the scholars engaged in private research. From 1607 to 1609 the work was assembled. In 1610 the work went to press, and in 1611 the First-Edition, first issue of "The King James Bible" came off the printing press.
The First Edition, First Issue of the "King James Bible" (i.e., the so-called Great "He" Bible) was printed in a black-letter ("Gothic") font, in a double-column 59 line format of the era's style, and with a generous use of woodcut initials and head & tail-pieces.
There were two distinct issues of the 1611 First Edition printing, one printed and issued in 1611 (called The Great "He" Bible) and the (arguably) later or second Issue (leftover 59 line leaves from the 1611's) re-issued in 1613 (called The Great "She" Bible). Additionally in 1613 a corrected Second Edition having smaller type and 72 lines was printed after the final supply of 1611 59 line leaves had been exhausted. The publication of the latter 72 line 1613 is often called the "True She Bible" for a corrected misprint in Ruth 3:15. In other words, (Great "He" 59 line Bible = 1611/1611) (Great "She" 59 line Bible = 1613/1611) (True "She" 72 line Bible = 1613/1613). The publication of the later 72 line 1613/1613 "True She Bible" was delayed by Barker for reasons that remain unclear. Some of the leftover 1611 Great "He" 59 line Bible leaves were combined with a new run of leaves (in 1613) and printed in identical format in order to produce a few more complete copies of the 1611 although with the correction to Ruth 3:15 (the Great "She" 59 line Bible). Later in 1613 Barker printed the 72 line corrected "True "She" Bible".
A typographical error in the Genuine First-Edition, First Issue King James "He" Bible in Ruth 3:15 rendered the pronoun "He" instead of the later corrected "She" in the last sentence of that verse. The Genuine & Rare 1611/1611 First-Edition, First Issue King James Bible says;…"and "He" went into the citie, instead of the later corrected "She" in the last sentence of Ruth 3:15. This caused the 1611/1611 First-Edition, First Issue 59 line misprinted King James Bibles to be known by collectors as "Great "He" Bibles", and the later First Edition, Second-Issue 59 line "corrected" King James to be known as "Great "She" Bibles". The 1613 Second Edition 72 line 1613/1613 is known as the "True "She" Bible". (GREAT HE, GREAT SHE, and TRUE SHE, in that order of Issue/Printing)
* Originally, the King James Bible was printed with All 80 Books (including the Apocrypha which was Officially Removed in 1885) Leaving Only 66 Books.
The King James Version of the Bible became the Bible of the English people. It became the most printed book in the history of the world. Incontestably the King James Version of the Bible has been one of the most influential books ever published, not only as a religious work, but also as a work of English literature. As the noted (now, late) Alan G. Thomas wrote in his Great Books and Great Collectors (p. 110), "No book has had greater influence on the English language or on the English character."
As another influential work notes, "It [the King James Bible] has been described as `the only literary masterpiece ever to have been produced by a committee,' and was the work of nearly fifty translators, organized in six groups"
No other book has had greater influence on the English language or, on the English character. For the next three hundred years the majority of English men and women heard the King James Bible read aloud Sabbath after Sabbath and, until recently, a very large proportion of people read the Bible with steady, life-long devotion in their own homes. This great quality was carried to America, where its influence has hardly been less!
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