The
King James Bible or
Authorised Version was commissioned by the King of England in 1604, and took 7 years to complete. Today, his successor, Her Majesty the Queen, attended a
special service at Westminster Abbey where the editing was completed.
James I, was not only King of England but also King of Scotland (James VI); England and Scotland would not be united until the Act of Union in 1707. There had been constant friction between England and its neighbour for hundreds of years, in spite of their common ancestry. The
Bible commissioned by the King was intended to put an end to this strife not only between the English and the Scots but throughout his Kingdom.
Although it had a limited effect in this respect, the
Authorised Version is much more than a simple
Bible; it has contributed enormously to the English language, the
lingua franca of the known universe. Phrases such as "biting the dust", "the apple of his eye", "signs of the times" and “the powers that be" all first appeared in print in English in this historic book.
The
Bible is of course on-line, and was one of the first books to be put on-line, before the advent of the modern Internet. The most comprehensive
Bible website is
Bible Gateway. There are believed to be fewer than 200 copies of the original
King James Bible extant; one was discovered in a Wiltshire Church
earlier this year.
