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Parent:: KingJamesOnlyism
King James I Rules Of Translation
The Authorized Version of the King James Bible was not a new translation, and was done according to rules drawn up by King James, including how some specific (and crucial) words were to be (mis)translated. The rules of "translation" were sent to the "translators" by the then Bishop of London, and a copy of the original has been preserved in Lambeth Palace.
petergoeman.com/15-rules-of-translation-for-the-king-james-version-kjv/index.html
July 13, 2019 / king james version translation
When King James commissioned the King James Version, he approved 15 principles of translation which were instituted by Richard Bancroft, the bishop of London in 1604. These translation principles are as follows:
15 Rules of Translation for the King James (KJV)
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The ordinary Bible read in the Church, commonly called the Bishops Bible, to be followed, and as little altered as the Truth of the original will permit.
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The names of the Prophets, and the Holy Writers, with the other Names of the Text, to be retained, as nigh as may be, accordingly as they were vulgarly used.
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The Old Ecclesiastical Words to be kept, viz. the Word Church not to be translated Congregation et. cetera - KingJamesEtceteraWords.
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When a Word hath divers Significations, that to be kept which hath been most commonly used by the most of the Ancient Fathers, being agreeable to the Propriety of the Place, and the Analogy of the Faith.
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The Division of the Chapters to be altered, either not at all, or as little as may be, if Necessity so require.
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No Marginal Notes at all to be affixed, but only for the explanation of the Hebrew or Greek Words, which cannot without some circumlocution, so briefly and fitly be expressed in the Text.
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Such Quotations of Places to be marginally set down as shall serve for the fit Reference of one Scripture to another.
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Every particular Man of each Company, to take the same Chapter or Chapters, and having translated or amended them severally by himself, where he thinketh good, all to meet together, confer what they have done, and agree for their Parts what shall stand.
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As any one Company hath dispatched any one Book in this Manner they shall send it to the rest, to be considered of seriously and judiciously, for His Majesty is very careful in this Point.
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If any Company, upon the Review of the Book so sent, doubt or differ upon any Place, to send them Word thereof; note the Place, and withal send the Reasons, to which if they consent not, the Difference to be compounded at the general Meeting, which is to be of the chief Persons of each Company, at the end of the Work.
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When any Place of special Obscurity is doubted of, Letters to be directed by Authority, to send to any Learned Man in the Land, for his Judgement of such a Place.
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Letters to be sent from every Bishop to the rest of his Clergy, admonishing them of this Translation in hand; and to move and charge as many skilful in the Tongues; and having taken pains in that kind, to send his particular Observations to the Company, either at Westminster, Cambridge, or Oxford.
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The Directors in each Company, to be the Deans of Westminster, and Chester for that Place; and the King’s Professors in the Hebrew or Greek in either University.
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These translations to be used when they agree better with the Text than the Bishops Bible: Tyndale’s, Matthew’s, Coverdale’s, Whitchurch’s, Geneva.
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Besides the said Directors before mentioned, three or four of the most Ancient and Grave Divines, in either of the Universities, not employed in Translating, to be assigned by the vice-Chancellor, upon Conference with the rest of the Heads, to be Overseers of the Translations as well Hebrew as Greek, for the better observation of the 4th Rule above specified.
PeterGoeman.com Commentary
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Translation rules 1, 6, and 14 are interesting. Rule #1 mandated that their translation use the Bishop’s Bible as a base text whenever possible. This was likely because the Bishop’s translation was the official Bible of the Church. However, Tyndale’s translation ended up being far more influential, accounting for 4/5 (80%) of the KJV New Testament.
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Rule #6 mandated no study notes in the margins of the new translation. The Geneva Bible (which was the most popular English translation of the time) had many marginal notations, some of which King James read as challenges to his royal authority. This was the main motivation for a new translation. Thus, the KJV translation was limited from study notes.
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Translation rule #14 gives further evidence for the fact that the intention was for the KJV translation to be more of a revision of existing English translations than a new translation. The translators utilized the existing English texts where possible.
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Against those who claim the KJV translation is inspired, I have written about how the KJV is not without error. Here we also note that the KJV itself was not a revolutionary translation. Rather, it was largely a compilation of already-existing translations.
If you are interesting in my other posts about the KJV, visit Seven Posts about the King James Version
Our Commentary
The King James Bible is a revision of Tyndale
Rules 1 and 14 make the King James Bible a revision, largely in the family of Tyndale Bibles, with the additions from the Geneva bible. Almost all of the Tyndale family are explicitly listed; in chronological order (more or less) they are:
- Tyndale’s 1524 1534,
- Coverdale’s 1535,
- Matthew’s 1537 1549,
- The Great Bible 1539,
- The Bishops Bible 1568 1572 1602,
Tyndale's bible had a couple of versions but was incomplete in the OT, and was completed after his execution by Coverdale (with Archbishop Cramer's support), to give the Cramer-Coverdale's bible. But Coverdale read neither Greek nor Hebrew and may have worked from German and Latin translations, notably Luther's and the Vulgate. Tyndale worked from Erasmus' 2nd. edition, before the latter's 3rd edition corruption(s).
Matthew’s bible was the completion of Tyndale's work by John Rogers (with Coverdale's help), as John Rogers had visited Tyndale in prison while he waited 2 years to be burned at the stake, and brought back Tyndale's latest corrrections and translations into the Matthew's. Rogers also added footnotes that were Sola Scriptura/Protestant in nature, and ruffled some catholics when the bible came out - this may be another reason why James prohibited commentary footnotes in the KJV. Archbishop Cramer somehow managed to get Henry VIII's licence to publish the bible, but it was called Matthew's as the possession of a Tyndale bible was still punishable by death (and torture) at the time. John Rogers was a preacher in London, and was the first person Bloody Mary burned at the stake.
I think the Great Bible was just a large format version of the Tyndale-Coverdale-Cramer version, and by Henry's command, to be placed in all Church of England churches. Cramer and Crowell had previously ordered all churches in England to buy a copy of the Coverdale or Matthews version. Coverdale was also involved in the production of the Great Bible.
The Bishop's bible was a revision of the Great Bible, in an attempt to remedy the OT translation from the Vulgate in the Tyndale-Coverdale-Cramer version, and began to replace Tyndale's translation of certain words, like charity. It was appointed to be read in the Churches.
The Geneva bible was done from Erasmus' 3rd edition, and contains a large number of footnotes. It was the bible of the Calvanists and the Puritans and was used by the Scottish Presbyterians. King James I was brought up as a Scottish Presbyterian, but the Geneva bible footnotes were incendiarily anti-ecclesiastical and anti-Royalist; hence another reason why James prohibited commentary footnotes.
The King James Bible is a copyright violation Tyndale's!
If modern copyright laws were then in place, the heirs of Tyndale could have rightly sued the King James Bible as a copyright violation because the rule 3 is a travesty of Tyndale's work. See [[
The best part of the KJV is: