I recently completed reading a fun book — Majestie: The King Behind the King James Bible by David Teems (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010). It comes at a time (400-yr anniversary) when many are appropriately examining the time period and substance of the English translation of the King James Version of the Bible. From a biblical point of view, one would have to say that the assessment of the spirituality of King James is quite lacking and any judgment of his “born again” status left in confusion. The book does not really go into these features in much detail. I do not know much about Teems and his background although I browsed the web for information. But the book is a delightful read and puts the spotlight on early 17th century England in a way that you will remember.
Archive for category King James Only Debate
King James I
May 28
The King James Only Debate
Jan 13
Erasmus
I thought about the King James Only Debate while reading a book by David Bentley-Taylor entitled My Dear Erasmus: The Forgotten Reformer (2002). I have always found the logic (or lack of it) in King James proponents appalling. I have also thought that the issue is one of church tradition rather than the Bible itself. The Erasmus book is largely a book of quotes from letters to and from Erasmus (mostly from Erasmus). The letter in particular that caught my attention was probably in 1515. Maarten van Dorp wrote Erasmus the following words (taken from David Bentley-Taylor’s book):
I understand that you have also revised the New Testament and written notes on over a thousand passages. This raises another point on which I should like in the friendliest possible spirit to issue a warning. What sort of operation is this, to correct the Scriptures, and in particular to correct Latin copies by means of the Greek?…It will do a great deal of harm. Many people will have doubts about the integrity of the Scriptures if the presence of the least scrap of falsehood in them becomes known.
