At the liberal arts college where I teach Renaissance literature, few of my students seem to practice any organized religion. So when I assigned bits of the King James Bible last spring, I was surprised by the fascination it inspired. My students marveled at how its language was used by 17th-century writers and were impressed by the history behind the text: how some 50 mostly forgotten academics created a book that bridged chasms of geography, gender, race and class.
These past few months, more Americans have been discussing the King James Bible. In June, Texas moved forward with a plan to make passages from the King James required reading for public school students. Despite notable defenses, the plan has caught major flak for its dubious constitutionality. But I thank Texas for putting the King James back onto our cultural radar.
The text is a master class in collaboration, close attention to language and ideological humility. The 1604 meeting came soon after James VI of Scotland assumed England's throne. Unlike most "great books" in English, the King James Bible was undertaken by six companies of idiosyncratic men. One translator, Lancelot Andrewes, gave sermons in English that drew huge crowds.
By some measures, the translators made for a homogenous group. But the companies included other kinds of diversity. Puritans and high churchmen teamed up, and the group even reached beyond Protestantism for help. The entire process required openness to ambiguity. As translator Miles Smith notes, many Hebrew and Greek words have multiple English counterparts.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing