400 years of the KJV

2011 marks the 400th Anniversary of the publication of the Authorized (King James) Version of the Bible on 2 May 1611.   There will be many special events surrounding this date including Hampton Court Palace where the decision to produce a new translation was taken in 1603.

The anniversary offers an opportunity to encourage people to think about our Christian heritage and for those who are not familiar with the Bible to discover it's treasure themselves.   Schools may consider running competitions related to the ocasion.  Churches may put on special programmes, talks, films, exhibitions or even plan an event such as a Bible Reading Marathon. 
Why not "bless your local school" with a presentation of Bibles to pupils.

Over the coming months many new books, DVDs and other resources will be published and, in May 2011, a new revised Edition of the New International Version (NIV) will be published.   We will be constantly updating this page to give customers information on the resources available and some of the special events planned.

Useful Links Biblefresh: A partnership of over 50 Christian agencies, festivals, colleges and denominational bodies committed to seeing churches grow in their confidence in the Scriptures during 2011.   Partners include the Bible Society, Evanglical Alliance, Scripture Union and London School of Theology.   Biblefresh will be developing resources for use in the run-up to 2011.  A launch event is being held on March 20, 2010  www.biblefresh.com. The 2011 Trust is an educational and arts Trust which aims to celebrate the cultural importance of the King James Bible; its contribution to the English language and its impact on subsequent generations throughout the World.  Partners include the Bible Society and Historic Royal Palaces.  Among events planned are a lecture by Lord (Melvyn) Bragg in the Great Hall of Hampton Court Palace on 11 May 2011.  www.2011trust.org

 A Visual History of the English Bible by Donald L Brake

This 350-page hardback book provides a handy overview of the story of our English Bible.  Starting with early hand-written texts it devotes chapters to John Wycliffe, Gutenberg and the development of printing, Martin Luther, William Tyndale,  Miles Coverdale, The King James Version and subsequent revisions.  It looks at other early translations, modern translations and principles of translation.  
 
The book is written in a style that will suit a non-academic readership and could provide a valuable resource for anybody planning special events around the 400th Anniversary of the KJV.  As the name implies, it is lavishly illustrated with over 100 photographs of ancient texts and pictures of people mentioned.  It also includes useful charts and timelines.

Travel with William Tyndale by Brian H Edwards

Anybody who is familair with Day One's "Travel with..." guides will know that these are highly readable little books that present the lives of great Christians like Bunyan, Spurgeon, William Carey, Wilberforce and Tyndale in the form of travel guides that transport the reader from location to location with old pictures, modern photographs, maps and other information.

Travel with William Tyndale is written by the Series Editor, Brian Edwards (Former Minister of Hook Evangelical Church), who also wrote God's Outlaw, a biography of Tyndale which spawned the successful film of the same name (See below).  It traces Tyndale's life and work from his Gloucestershire roots to Oxford, Cambridge, London, Antwerp, Vilvoorde and other parts of Europe.

There is also an associated children's activity book with photocopiable activities and text for classroom or group use.

The Story of the Bible by Tim Dowley  (New 2010 Edition)

One of Candle's Essential Bible Reference series for young people*, this attractively-produced 32-page book is an ideal resource for schools.  In concise, fully-illustrated spreads, it traces the story of the Bible from the original writers and their tools through the preservation and transmission of the texts to the work of the translators of the English Bible and beyond.
The Story of the Bible includes material on the development of writing, the language of the Bible and the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls. There is a brief summary of each book of the Bible, references to key passages and "fascinating facts".  The story of the King James Version is set in the context of translation into other languages such as  Spanish (1417), French (1523), Italian (1471) and Russian (1581).
Single copies £1.99. 
Ask about bulk quantities.
*Click HERE for information on other books in the Essential Bible Reference series.

DVD -  The Story of the English Bible

This 52-minute documentary traces the history of the King James Version.  It discusses the background to Wycliffe's translation of the Latin Vulgate, the work of John Huss in Prague, Gutenberg and the development of printing, Erasmus and the Greek New Testament, Thomas Bilney, Martin Luther and, of course, William Tyndale.
Although the narrative style is rather stilted, the filming is good and does not fall into the common trap of spending too much time in the contributors' studies.  Contributors come from Bob Jones University and various reformed churches in the UK.

DVD - John Wycliffe The Morning Star

This is a 75-minute dramatic presentation of the work of John Wycliffe.   It gives an impression of his teaching on subjects such as salvation, transubstantiation and the selling of indulgences which brought him into conflict with civil and ecclesiastical authorities, before he set about the great work of translating the Latin Vulgate into the English vernacular.

The DVD offers English, German, Spanish and Portuguese options language and includes additional resources including a study guide with notes for teachers and questions for students.  It also includes printable worksheets in PDF format.

DVD - God's Outlaw, The Story of William Tyndale

God’s Outlaw is a 95-minute colour film of the inspirational story of William Tyndale, who paid the ultimate price for bringing us the Bible in English.   Forbidden by the Catholic church to carry out his translation work in England, he fled to the Continent and moved from City to City to evade capture until betrayed by a friend, brought back to England, strangled and publicly burnt.

At his execution he prayed “Lord open the King of England’s eyes.”  Within two years Henry VIII had decreed that every church in England should display a Bible in English.  It is said that 90% of Tyndale’s work found its way into the King James Version of the Bible.   This has carried through into more recent versions, based on the AV, including the Revised Standard Version and the English Standard Version.

An inspirational film that should be seen by anybody who does not know the background to our English Bible … and those who do as well!