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Around the time that the last three of these early Bibles, the
Bishop's Bible of 1568, was published, a certain John Bois—whose
mature years were dedicated to translating the Authorized Version—was
just starting his education, learning Hebrew and Ancient Greek. Bois
was born in 1560, just four years before William Shakespeare, and
it is said that under his father's eye he had read the entire Bible
in Hebrew by the time he was six years old. At fourteen he became
a classics scholar at St John's College, Cambridge, passed through
his examinations at record speed, and soon became a Fellow at the
College.
John Bois was the sort of scholar people
like to gossip about. It was said that he would rise at four in the
morning to give classics in Greek, and would work until eight o'clock
at night, always reading standing up. When his Fellowship expired
he was offered a rectorship at Boxworth, a scattered hamlet a few
miles to the north of Cambridge, on condition that he married the
deceased Rector's daughter. This he did, and moved out into the Fens,
though he would often ride his horse into Cambridge to teach, reading
a book as he went.
In 1604 Bois was forty-four, living quietly
in Boxworth, a man with a brilliant scholarly reputation. At the
Hampton Court Conference, Dr John Reynolds, President of Corpus Christi
College, Oxford, proposed a definitive translation of the Bible to
ameliorate the friction between the Anglicans and the Puritans. James
I, the rex pacificus, gladly assented to
the idea of "one uniforme translation",
though he confessed he doubted whether he would "see a Bible well
translated in English."
Progress was rapid. By June, it had been
settled that there should be six groups of translators, two in
Westminster, two in Oxford and two in Cambridge, each made up of at
least eight scholars. It was perfectly natural that the brilliant
John Bois should be recruited for one of the Cambridge committees.
He was put in charge of translating the Apocrypha from the Greek.
As it turned out, his was a level of scholarship that made him
indispensable to more than one committee. Surprisingly, perhaps,
for an age that was so familiar with Latin and Greek, the six committees
were instructed to base their Authorized Version upon the previous
English versions, translating afresh, but also comparing their work
with the other vernacular Bibles, from Tyndale to Parker.311
The King James Version Translators312
When the LORD God of Israel chose the prophets and apostles
of old to pen the Scriptures, He made His selection with the utmost care.
Faith, holiness, a love for truth and
inherent ability were the deciding qualities He looked
for. In other words the Most High looks within when selecting His
servants. That is how He always judges men.
| 1 Samuel 16:7 | But the LORD said
unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his
stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man
seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the
LORD looketh on the heart.
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The Protestant translators of the King James Version
were providentially chosen by God in exactly the same way: firstly
for their faith, holiness and love of truth,
and secondly for their linguistic abilities. In other words,
they were TRUE BELIEVERS. At their centre some 47
pious scholars were involved. In addition many hundreds of Protestant
ministers and believing linguists throughout the UK assisted in the great work. I cannot over-stress
the importance of that fact: that FAITH IN GOD was the
first and over-riding reason why the Almighty chose the KJV translators for their sacred task.
It is totally inconceivable that the Almighty, who initially inspired
"faithful, holy men of God" to write the
Scriptures in the first place, would then - centuries later - hand
over the translating of those selfsame Scriptures to
unbelievers and sceptics. So I repeat:
the translators of the King James Version were MEN OF FAITH,
who believed that the text they were translating was, in fact, the
WORD OF GOD!
"Thus started the greatest writing project
the world has ever known, and the greatest achievement of the reign of
James I - the making of the English Bible which has ever since borne
his name."313
W. Scott writes as follows:
| Quote: | "King James named
54 pious and scholarly persons -
and who were empowered to communicate with 'all our principal learned
men within this our kingdom,' so that the scholarship of the country
was consecrated to the noblest work which could engage the heart,
the mind, and the pen of men - the production of our admirable English
Bible. Seven of the number, through death and other causes, were unable
to serve, so that the list was reduced to 47.
It may be interesting to know how and to whom
the work was distributed.
There were six committees chosen, two of which sat at Westminster,
two at Cambridge, two at Oxford. The whole were presided over by
Bishop Andrews, who, besides possessing an intimate knowledge
of Hebrew, Greek, Chaldee, and Syriac, was familiar with 16 other
languages.
As each set or committee of translators finished
the particular part
assigned to them, it was then subjected to the criticism of the other
five sets in order; so that each part of the Bible came before the
whole body of the translators. When the 47 finished their work it
was then carefully reviewed by the final committee. Dr Miles
Smith, Bishop of Gloucester, wrote the preface."314
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Always bear in mind the spiritual qualifications of these
great men of God. They were
* Pious Christians who believed that the text they
were handling was the very Word of God!
* They had absolutely no doubt in their minds that
the Genesis account of creation was true.
* They never for a moment doubted the miracles of
Jesus or that he was born of a virgin, lived a sinless
life, was crucified for the sins of mankind and that
he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven.
* They were pious Protestants who saw through the
errors of the Roman Catholic Church.
* They were scholars of the highest order. Few -
if any - of today's scholars come anywhere near them
in their understanding of the original languages; let
alone their faith, piety and commitment to truth above
tradition.
Here are a few quotes about some of these great men of
God from Rev. Gipp's book entitled An
Understandable History of the Bible..
* Lancelot Andrews: "As a preacher, Bishop Andrews
was right famous in his day. He was called the 'star
of preachers' Dr Andrews was also known as a great
man of prayer...But we are chiefly concerned to know
what were his qualifications as a translator of the
Bible. He ever bore the character of a 'right godly
man,' and a 'prodigious student.' One competent judge
speaks of him as 'that great gulf of learning'! It
was also said, that 'the world wanted learning to know
how learned this man was.'
A brave, old chronicler remarks, that such was his
skill in all languages, especially the Oriental, that
had he been present at the confusion of tongues at
Babel, he might have served as the Interpreter-General!
In his funeral sermon by Dr. Buckridge, Bishop of
Rochester, it is said that Dr. Andrews was conversant
with fifteen languages." (page 186)
* John Overall: "He was chosen for his expertise
in the writings of the early church fathers. "Dr. Overall
was vital to the translation because of his knowledge
of quotations of the early church fathers." (page 186-187)
* Robert Tighe: "an excellent textuary and profound
linguist." (page 189)
* William Bedwell: "an eminent Oriental scholar.
His epitaph mentions that he was 'for the Eastern
tongues, as learned a man as most lived in these modern
times.'" (page 189)
* Edward Lively: "One of the best linguists in the
world...Much dependence was placed on his surpassing
skill in Oriental languages."(page 190)
* Lawrence Chaderton: "He made himself familiar
with the Latin, Greek and Hebrew tongues and was
thoroughly skilled in them...Dr Chaderton was a powerful
preacher who lived to the age of one hundred and three.
A preaching engagement in his later years was described
as follows: 'Having addressed his audience for full
two hours by the glass, he paused and said, 'I will
no longer trespass on your patience.' And now comes
the marvel; for the whole congregation cried out with
one consent 'For God's sake, go on!' " (page 191)
* Francis Dillingham: "was so studied in the original
languages that he participated in public debates in
Greek." (page 191)
* Thomas Harrison: Vice-Master of Trinity College
in Cambridge. "On account of his exquisite skill in
the Hebrew and Greek idioms, he was one of the chief
examiners in the University of those who sought to
be professors of these languages." (page 192)
* John Harding: "At the time of his appointment
to aid in the translation of the Bible, he had been
Royal Professor of Hebrew in the University for thirteen
years." (page 192)
* John Reynolds: "Determined to explore the whole
field and make himself master of the subject, he devoted
himself to the study of the Scriptures in the original
languages, and read all the Greek and Latin fathers,
and all the ancient records of the Church." (page 193)
* Dr. Henry Saville: "was known for his Greek and
mathematical learning. He was so well known for his
education, skilled in languages and knowledge of the
Word, that he became Greek and mathematical tutor to
Queen Elizabeth during the reign of her father, Henry
VIII." (page 195)
* Dr. Miles Smith: "the man responsible for the
preface of the King James Bible. The preface is no
longer printed in present copies of the Book. He had
a knowledge of Greek and Latin fathers, as well as
being an expert in Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic. 'Hebrew
he had at his finger's end.' And so was the Ethiopic
tongue." (page 195)
"It should be noted that these men were qualified in the readings
of the church fathers which prevented them from being 'locked' to
the manuscripts, causing earlier readings to be overlooked. This is
vastly better than the methods used by modern translators. It should
also be recognized that these men did not live in 'ivory towers.'
They were men who were just as renowned for their preaching ability
as they were for their esteemed education. It is a lesson in humility
to see such men of great spiritual stature call themselves 'poor
instruments to make God's Holy Truth to be yet more and more known.'"315
William Grady backs up this evidence:
| Quote: | "The men on the translation
committee of the King James Bible were, without dispute, the most
learned men of their day and vastly qualified for the job which they
undertook. They were overall both academically qualified
by their cumulative knowledge and spiritually qualified
by their exemplary lives... William John Bois was only five
years old, when his father taught him to read Hebrew. By the time
he was six, he could not only write the same, but in a fair and elegant
character. At age fifteen, he was already a student at St John's College,
Cambridge, where he was renowned for corresponding with his superiors
in Greek." 316
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Why the King James Version Should Be Retained?
This is so important an issue that I will again quote from
Edward F Hills' book The King James Version Defended pages
218-219
"But, someone may reply, even if the King James Version needs
only a few corrections, why take the trouble to make them? Why keep
on with the old King James and its 17th century language,
its thee and thou and all the rest? Granted the Textus
Receptus is the best text but why not make a new translation
of it in the language of today? In answer to these objections there
are several facts which must be pointed out.
In the FIRST place ,
the English of the King James Version is not the English of the early
17th century. To be exact, it is not the type of English
that was ever spoken anywhere. It is biblical English,
which was not used on ordinary occasions even by the translators who
produced the King James Version. As H Wheeler Robinson (1940) pointed
out, one need only compare the preface written by the translators
with the text of the their translation to feel the difference in style.
And the observations of W A Irwin (1952) are to the same support.
The King James Version, he reminds us, owes its merit, not to
17th century English - which was very different - but to
its faithful translation of the original. Its style is that
of the Hebrew and of the New Testament Greek. Even in their
use of thee and thou the translators
were not following 17th century English usage but
biblical usage, for at the time these translators
were doing their work these singular forms had already been replaced
by the plural you in polite conversation.
In the SECOND place ,
those who talk about translating the Bible into the language
of today never define what they mean by their expression.
What is the language of today? The language of 1881 is not the language
of today, nor the language of 1901, nor even the language of 1921.
In none of these languages, we are told, can we communicate with today's
youth. There are even some who feel that the best way to translate
the Bible into the language of today is to convert it into folk songs.
Accordingly, in some contemporary youth conferences and even worship
services there is little or no Bible reading but only crude kinds
of vocal music accompanied by vigorous piano and strumming guitars.
But in contrast to these absurdities the language of the King James
Version is enduring diction which will remain as long as the English
language remains, in other words, throughout the foreseeable future.
In the THIRD place,
the current attack on the King James Version and the
promotion of modern-speech versions is discouraging the memorization
of the Scriptures, especially by children. Why memorize or require
your children to memorize something that is out of date and about
to be replaced by something new and better? And why memorize a modern
version when there are so many to choose from? Hence even in conservative
churches children are growing up densely ignorant of the holy Bible
because they are not encouraged to hide its life-giving words in their
hearts.
In the FOURTH place,
modern-speech Bibles are unhistorical and irreverent. The Bible is not
a modern, human book. It is not as new as the morning newspaper, and no
translation should suggest this. If the Bible were this new, it would not
be the Bible. On the contrary, the Bible is an ancient, divine Book, which
nevertheless is always new because in it God reveals Himself. Hence
the language of the Bible should be venerable as
well as intelligible, and the King James Version
fulfils these two requirements better than any other Bible in English.
Hence it is the King James Version which converts sinners soundly
and makes of them diligent Bible students.
In the FIFTH place modern-speech
Bibles are unscholarly. The language of the Bible has always savoured
of the things of heaven rather than the things of earth. It has always
been biblical rather than contemporary
and colloquial. Fifty years ago this fact
was denied by E J Goodspeed and others who were publishing their modern
versions. On the basis of the papyrus discoveries which had recently
been made in Egypt it was said that the New Testament authors wrote
in the everyday Greek of their own times. This claim, however, is
now acknowledged to have been an exaggeration. As R M Grant (1963)
admits, the New Testament writers were saturated with the Septuagint
and most of them were familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures. Hence their
language was not actually that of the secular papyri of Egypt but
biblical. Hence New Testament versions must be
biblical and not contemporary and colloquial like
Goodspeed's version.
Finally in the SIXTH place ,
the King James Version is the historic Bible of English-speaking
Protestants. Upon it God, working providentially, has placed the stamp
of His approval through the usage of many generations of Bible-believing
Christians. Hence, if we believe in God's providential
preservation of the Scriptures, we will retain the King James Version,
for in doing so we will be following the clear leading of the Almighty."
317
June 1999
Elder: David B Loughran
Stewarton Bible School, Stewarton, Scotland
http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sbs777/vital/kjv/part1-5.html
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My booklet on Bible Versions283
contains an exhortation relevant to our Acts 17:11 sermon.
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bibles.n7nz.org