“Did God Authorize The King James Bible?”

Welcome back!

The King James Version (KJV) of the Bible is also called the “Authorized Version” (AV) (spelled “Authorised Version” using British spelling.) This leads to an important question: Who authorized the King James Bible?

For many reasons, the King James Version has been THE Bible for English-speaking people since its first publication in 1611. It is also the most published work in the history of the English language. In all of that time, it has carried the label “Authorized Version.” 

For those who do not understand the history and political purposes behind the translation, it is very easy to assume that the words “Authorized Version” stamped on the cover mean that this version is somehow authorized by God.

In fact, the one who authorized the King James Version was not God, but King James I. The story of the making of the King James Bible demonstrates the intimate connection between religion, politics, and the Bible.

If you have watched any of “The Tudors,” you will see some of the forces at work behind the writing of the King James Bible. I watched only two episodes while visiting friends, and so have limited knowledge of the entire series, but those two episodes were enough to demonstrate that religion, politics, and power were at the heart of the ongoing conflicts.

During the era of Henry VIII, the official language of the church was Latin and translations of the Bible into English were strictly forbidden. Sir Thomas More, who was executed for refusing to recognize Henry VIII’s authority over the church, was also adamant against allowing English translations of the Bible.

In England however, under the 1408 Constitutions of Oxford, it was strictly forbidden to translate the Bible into the native tongue. This ban was vigorously enforced by Cardinal Wolsey and the Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More, in an attempt to prevent the rise of English ‘Lutheranism’. The only authorised version of the Bible was St Jerome’s Vulgate, which was understood only by highly-educated people. (King James Bible)

There is too much history to outline here to reach the point when James I became King of England after the death of Elizabeth, but the critical issues facing James were ones that had surfaced during the era of Henry VIII.

As a result of the actions of Henry VIII, the king was the head of the Church of England (the Anglican Church.)  When James became king, the Anglicans and the Puritans were still involved in deep conflicts over which version of the Bible was “authorized” for use in the Church of England. This means that control of the Bible remained a highly political issue.

In a brilliant stroke of leadership, King James I “authorized” that a committee of scholars prepare a new translation, in an effort to control the conflicts between the Anglicans and the Puritans.

When James I ascended to the throne, both the Puritans and the Anglicans tried to claim him for their own. For English Reformers, the Church of England’s liturgies, doctrines, and internal politics mimicked all too closely those of the Catholic Church. During the Hampton Court Conference of 1604, James played both sides of the religious street as he tried to allay the concerns of both Puritans and Anglicans. Although most of the conference’s conversation favored the Anglicans and their politics, James made a concession to both parties (and to his own greatness as king) when he commissioned a new translation of the Bible. According to its preface, this version would be made as consonant as could be to the original Hebrew and Greek, and was to be used in all churches in England in time of divine service. Almost all contemporary Bible versions are done by committees, but the King James was the first English version to be done this way–the collaborative effort of fifty-four translators, appointed by the king and divided into six companies, each responsible for a different section of the Bible. (Here is a review article of three books about the making of the King James Bible.)

The critical point is to understand that, whatever else James I wanted to accomplish, his first goal was a political one. The first goal of King James Version was to reinforce the authority of King James I as head of the Church of England.

The king gave the translators instructions designed to guarantee that the new version would conform to the ecclesiology and reflect the episcopal structure of the Church of England and its beliefs about an ordained clergy. (Authorized King James Version)

Although there are many reasons why the King James Version has been beloved by English-speaking Christians for almost four hundred years, there is no benefit to assume that this version is the holiest Bible of all because it was somehow uniquely authorized by God as the official “Word Of God.”

Dr. Kalinda Rose Stevenson