Bible Question: What language did King James translate the bible from and why is his version considered to of specific importance in terms of the language he used? |
Bible Answer: King James did not translate the bible actually; he authorized the translation (as opposed to executing those daring to translate the Bible into English, which happened to earlier translators), which was done by a group of scholars of the day. The British crown publisher was the only printer to publish the KJV for the first 100 years of its existence. The KJV New Testament was translated from a printed Greek text that found its origins in the work of the scholar Erasmus. The text is called the Textus Receptus, and was considered the best Greek New Testament available in the early 1600's. I'm not as familiar with the Old Testament, but it was translated from primarily from a Hebrew text and a Greek version of the Old Testament called the Septuagint (70, for the number of translators) Textual differences that exist between the KJV and modern translations like the NASB are due to the fact that the TR follows the "Byzantine" text-type, while modern texts draw from several difference text-type. Some feel that modern translations, because they follow these different text-types, are tampering or corrupting God's word. This is refered to as "King James Onlyism." James R. White, the reformed scholar, has a book title "The King James Only Controversy" that goes into great detail. In the interest of fairness, there is also a great deal published representing the various forms of the KJV only position. One example is "Why I Believe the King James Version is the Word of God" by Peter Ruckman. |