400 years of the King James 1611 A.V of the Bible
Written by Aidan Thomas
Brethren Of Christ Articles - The Reliability of the Bible
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400th anniversary the 1611 King James authorised translation of the Bible. (2 May 1611)
The year 1911 marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of what is known as the King James Version of the English Bible, commonly called the A.V.
The reason it made such a tremendous impact on publication was because:
1. It was the Inspired Word of God which set out His Plan and Purpose with the World and His wonderful offer of salvation.
2. This record was conveyed in words and phrases that dignified the message and was clearly and powerfully set forth in a
language that was easily understood and beautifully expressed.
3. This version of the Bible was readily available and could be read without fear of being arrested for possessing it.
4. The people were ready and hungry for it.
The translation and publication of this edition of the Bible was approved by James 1st, son of Mary Queen of Scots, who
came to the English throne on the death of Queen Elizabeth the first.
To appreciate the impact this had we need to briefly revisit the historic setting of those days.
Queen Elizabeth 1, had ruled over England from 1558 till her death inn1603. She was the daughter of Henry V111, and was the last monarch of the Tudor dynasty.
She came to the throne after the death of her sister, the Roman Catholic Queen Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon. She was known as Bloody Mary because of the ferocity of her actions against the Protestants, whom she regarded as heretics, 300 of whom were burnt at the stake during her 5 year reign.
Elizabeth was able to establish Protestantism as the religion of England with her ‘Religious Settlement’ in 1559, which enforced the Protestant religion by law. But during her 44 year reign she had to contend with attempts by the Roman Catholics in England and Europe to reinstate their religious and political power in this country. The Spanish Armada in 1588 was one such attempt, which thankfully failed.
Because she had no heir there was the constant concern about who her successor would be and what religion he would favour.
In the absence of her producing an heir, it seemed that Mary Queen of Scots would fill that role. She claimed a hereditary right to the English throne by virtue of her descent from her grandmother, Margaret Tudor, the daughter of Henry V11 and the sister of Henry V111. But Mary had leanings towards the Roman Catholic religion.