I have long thought that the proper term for the King James Version is “the Authorized Version.” At times, I’ve wondered if that title isn’t more of a British title, since most Americans prefer “King James Version” or simply the “King James Bible.” But I recently read a historical essay by David Bebbington, professor of History at the University of Stirling, Scotland, in which he points out the fact that the King James Version was not always known as “The Authorized Version.” Bebbington’s essay, “The King James Bible in Britain from the Late Eighteenth Century,” appears in a collection of important historical essays published by Baylor University Press (2011) under the title, The King James Bible and the World It Made (edited by David Lyle Jeffrey).

Bebbington argues convincingly that the King James Bible did not enjoy universal acclaim in the eighteenth century until the very end of that period. In a post at my personal blog, I excerpted Bebbington’s conclusion, which argues that “the enthusiasm for the translation of 1611 rose and fell with the growth and decay of Romantic sensibility.” In the excerpt provided below, I would like to quote his description of how the title “the Authorized Version” came to be used for the King James Bible.

A fourth explanation of the rising tide of admiration for the translation of 1611 was its redefinition as “the Authorized Version.” The title emerged for the first time in a debate provoked by the creation of the [British and Foreign] Bible Society. Whereas the society’s evangelical supporters considered the new agency a bulwark of the existing social order, the High Church party thought it a sinister development. It threatened the work of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, the established Anglican organization for circulating the Scriptures. Furthermore, the timing was unfortunate. During 1804, the year of the society’s foundation, Napoleon’s forces were poised to invade the country, and in the heightened alarm, the equal presence of Dissenters alongside Churchmen on the society’s committee seemed poentially subversive. Had not Dissenters once killed an English king, Charles I? Thomas Sikes, the High Church vicar of Guilsborough, Northamptonshire, warned that, when the production of the sacred text was being entrusted to “sectaries,” nobody could be confident that they would not tamper with the translations. In order to calm such fears, John Owen, one of the society’s secretaries, replied that the organization was limited to producing versions “printed by authority.” When an opponent pointed out that this restriction had not been stated formally, the society hastened in May 1805 to revise its constitution so as to read, “The only copies in the languages of the United Kingdom to be circulated by the Society, shall be the authorised version, without note or comment.” Thus the phrase “the authorized version” was launched on the world as an apologetic device for the Bible Society. By 1819 the phrase had been heard so often that it crept for the first time into the Times newspaper, though still with a lowercase “a,” showing that it was not yet a title. The steady growth of the usage is documented in the number of times in each subsequent decade the phrase occurred in the Times: 1820s, 7; 1830s, 41; 1840s, 61; 1850s, 91. By the last of these decades, the expression was starting to be capitalized, demonstrating that it had emerged as a title. Thereafter “the Authorized Version” became the standard term for the 1611 Bible in Britain, where the phrase “King James Bible” was hardly ever used. The new title surrounded this particular text, as it was originally intended to do, with an aura of unique legitimacy. It helped forward the process by which the version became embedded more deeply in the national culture. (pg. 53-54)

You can pick up a copy of this book at any of the following online retailers: CBD, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Baylor University Press.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Baylor University Press for review. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

Today is the 400th Anniversary of the printing of the King James Bible. In honor of that, I tried my hand at my first video book review. Below, you’ll find a video review of A Visual History of the King James Bible by Donald L. Brake. While there are a few audio glitches, the stunning visual beauty of Brake’s book is put on full display. I hope you’ll consider picking up a copy of this book as a way of celebrating this momentous occasion.

A Visual History of the King James Bible — A Video Review from Bob Hayton on Vimeo.

The book can be purchased from these retailers: Christianbook.com, Amazon.com or direct from Baker Books. Also, be sure to check out Dr. Brake’s other book: A Visual History of the English Bible (Baker Books, 2008).

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Baker Books. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

~cross-posted from my personal blog, FundamentallyReformed.com.

At Haven Today, a nationally syndicated Christian radio show and podcast, Dr. Donald Brake was recently interviewed on the 400th Anniversary of the King James Bible. Dr. Brake is the author of A Visual History of the English Bible (Baker Books, 2008) and the recently released A Visual History of the King James Bible (Baker Books, 2011).

I just completed reading through this fascinating book and will be putting my review up soon. The 400th anniversary of the King James Bible is next week, May 2nd. Dr. Brake’s interview will be very informative. Here are the links to the interview: Part 1 (April 25, 2011), Part 2 (April 26, 2011). More information is available on the interview at HavenToday.org. These interviews are only about 15 to 20 minutes long minus the commercial breaks (which is just music on the web-player), but they’ll whet your appetite for this book.

To see an excerpt of Dr. Brake’s A Visual History of the King James Bible, click here. You can order the book through Amazon.com, Christianbook.com, or direct from Baker Books.

~cross-posted from my personal blog, Fundamentally Reformed.

Week 4 Giveaway Details

This is the final week to enter for a chance at a free Zondervan King James Commentary set, compliments of Zondervan. There’s one more set waiting for one more lucky winner. I want to thank Andrew Rogers again for sponsoring the giveaway.

I wanted to have some fun though with the entry form this week. You’ll call me crazy, I’m sure. But filling out the form may be a bit more fun than the last three weeks. Thanks again for reading our blog, and putting up with everything around here! Oh, and there are ways to get extra entries in the contest this week again, just be sure to fill out the entire form and you’ll see the details.

For more info on the commentary set, go on over to Zondervan’s product page for the commentary set, and look around. To purchase a copy of the commentary, if you’ve given up hope for winning the contest, you can do so at Amazon.com or direct from Zondervan.

Thanks again, and I hope everyone had fun with the March King James Commentary Book Giveaway.

[If you're in the mood for filling out giveaway forms and you like free books, you should bookmark Zondervan's Koinonia blog, where they have at least one giveaway a month. Also this week, Christian Focus Publications' new blog is giving away some theology books to two lucky winners.]

Contest closed. Congratulations to Tom White the winner of this week’s contest.

Week 3, Giveaway Details

Happy St. Patrick’s Day. This week, we have another 2 volume set of the Zondervan King James Bible Commentary to give away to one lucky reader.

Once again an extra credit question will earn you additional entries to the contest. Just go on over to Zondervan’s product page for the commentary set, and look around. You may want to search Zondervan’s site too, if needed.

If you can’t stand suspense, and you want to just purchase a copy of the commentary and forget about the contest, you can do so at Amazon.com or direct from Zondervan.

We’ll see who has the “luck of the Irish” and wins the contest this week. Once again, our thanks go to Andrew Rogers of Zondervan for sponsoring the contest.

Congratulations to Harrison Hamada for winning week 3′s contest. Stay tuned for the final contest details later this week. One last chance at this great commentary from Zondervan.

Week 2, Giveaway Details

We had a great turnout for the first week’s giveaway. This week, we have another 2 volume set of the Zondervan King James Bible Commentary to give away to one lucky reader.

This week, the extra credit for the contest will be more direct (and require a bit more work). Just go on over to Zondervan’s product page for the commentary set, and click on “Read Sample”. Then you’ll have be looking for Matthew 2 to find the answer for the question on the entry form below. There, I gave you the secret.

If you can’t stand suspense, and you want to just purchase a copy of the commentary and forget about the contest, you can do so at Amazon.com or direct from Zondervan.

One final word about entering the contest. Only one entry will be accepted into the contest. If double or triple entries are received from the same person, all their entries will be rejected.

Contest closed. Congratulations to David Spice for winning this week’s contest!! Stay tuned because we have two more commentary sets to give away, one each for the next two weeks.

Book Giveaway Details

I’m pleased to announce that Zondervan has sponsored a special giveaway here at KJVOnlyDebate.com to promote their new Zondervan King James Version Commentary, 2 volume set. Each week throughout the month of March, we will have a contest where one lucky participant will get a free copy of this excellent commentary shipped to their doorstep at no charge.

The Zondervan King James Bible Commentary (2 volumes)

Just in time for the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, Zondervan has released a two volume KJV Bible Commentary set. The team which provided the notes for the Zondervan KJV Study Bible, have worked on this commentary set. Most of the authors are connected with Liberty Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, VA.

This work again is bound in an attracive Zondervan hardcover. There is a two column format and each volume is quite large. The notes deal with the text paragraph by paragraph for the most part, expanding on the notes in the companion study Bible.

From what I’ve seen so far, controversy tends to be avoided and an irenic tone prevails. Explanation is the goal rather than dogmatic indoctrination. It looks to be quite the helpful commentary for most lay teachers. It may be too shallow a work for the expositionally minded pastor, however.

Visit the commentary set’s product page at Zondervan, to learn more and view samples. You can also pick up a copy there or from Amazon.com.

Enter this week’s contest

Contest closed. Congratulations to Kevin Fiske for winning this week’s contest!! Stay tuned because we have three more commentary sets to give away, one each for the next three weeks.