Predecessors to the King James Bible

Many people mistakenly believe that the King James Bible (KJV) was the first English version of the Bible.  Other translations, however, played an important role before the KJV took the English-speaking world by storm.

Over the decades, the King James Version has been described as “majestic,” artistic,” a “literary masterpiece,” even “lyrical.” There is universal praise for its sound and rhythm, especially when read out loud, but are these worthwhile goals for a Bible translation?  

The king responded to the Millenary Petition by granting the Puritans a hearing at the Hampton Court Conference in 1604. He rejected all their requests except their suggestion for a new translation of the Bible.

For nearly 400 years, the King James Version held the top position amongst Bible translations. Over the past fifty years, however…

So the story goes that a young British cobbler named William Carey (1761-1834), intent on seeing his church become more involved in missions work to unreached people, stood up i

Known as the Prince of Preachers, Spurgeon set a preaching pace few could match. By the time he was 20, he had preached over 600 sermons. Some estimate he preached to ten million people over the course of his ministry through over 3600 sermons.

When Tyndale was born, there was no Bible in the common language of the person in the pew. The Latin Vulgate was the only translation sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church.