Biography
Discover how the King James Bible came to be compiled, the troubled history of attempts to produce a standard English translation, and compare the merits of some of the modern rivals to it
King James Bible: the basics
The most famous English translation of the Scriptures began in 1604 at a meeting of bishops at Hampton Court, arranged by James I.
Before the King James Bible
The King James Bible published in 1611 was by no means the first Bible in English – its specific purpose was to provide a definitive version that would supersede all the other numerous English editions.
The Creation of the King James Bible
By the end of the 16th century, there were several different English Bibles in circulation within the Protestant church. Amid all the confusion, the initiative to produce a definitive version of the Bible in English arose in the final years of Elizabeth I’s reign. An Act of Parliament spoke of the need “for reducing the diversities of bibles now extant in the English tongue” – but the proposal was not immediately acted upon...
English Bibles Today
Today, there are many modern contenders to the King James Bible.
