How did the King James version come about? The official language of the Medieval church was Latin. This was the language of the Roman Empire which adopted Christianity in the 4th Century. The Pope ruled from Rome and all services across the Empire were in Latin. Translations of the Bible into other languages was forbidden. By the 1500’s vernacular Bible’s were available in certain parts of Europe. This added fuel to the fire about religious authority as Martin Luther and the Reformation was growing! In England the Constitution of Oxford written in 1408 forbid translation of the Bible into a native tongue! This was done to prevent Lutheranism. The only authorized version was Saint Jerome’s Vulgate Bible which was only understood by England’s educated elite. The English translation by William Tyndale was published in 1525 and was the first Bible circulated in print form. Only 3 copies survived and William was executed! By Shakespeare’s time England and Rome had split and politics changed dramatically! King James the 1st, also known as King James the 6th of Scotland, abolished the death penalty for printing English Bible translations. Interestingly, 80 percent of William Tyndale’s was used to do the King James version! King James also employed 50 scholars to oversee the translation work. Comment: History repeats itself! Our Bible has come to us through the hands of the martyrs! If the Bible is one day banned in America what could you do to assure it would survive for the next generations to follow you? Do not let your Bible collect dust! Read it! Study it! It is the most valuable possession you have! Everything else will perish! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com