King James Bible

Next year is the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible and there was an interesting letter in The Times today from Rev A Graham Hellier of Marden in Herefordshire.

He commented on the debt that the translators owed to the earlier version prepared by William Tyndale.  He was a fine scholar and a Reformed theologian and his work was denounced by the Roman Catholic Church authorities.  Eventually he had to flee from England but in 1536 he was strangled and burned at the stake in Vilvoorde Castle, which is now in Belgium. 

Mr Hellier wrote:

About four fifths of the New Testament and much of the Old is Tyndale in word and rhythm, including a multitude of memorable phrases - 'Am I my brother's keeper?', 'The signs of the times', 'The salt of the earth', 'Eat, drink and be merry', 'A law unto themselves', 'The patience of Job' - to cite just a few.

This is a useful reminder of the influence of the King James Version of the Bible on the cultural and linguistic heritage as well as the spiritual heritage of the British Isles and indeed the English-speaking world.

We are approaching the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible and it is only right that this remarkable work of literature should be commemorated and celebrated.