In the BeginningIn the Beginning
the Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture
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Book, 2001
Current format, Book, 2001, , All copies in use.Book, 2001
Current format, Book, 2001, , All copies in use. Offered in 0 more formatsThe author of The Journey traces the origins and history of the world's most familiar translation of the Bible; discusses the political, religious, and technological forces that prompted its creation; and assesses the influence of the King James Bible on literature, religious belief, and more.
Traces the origins and history of the world's most familiar translation of the Bible; discusses the political and religious forces that prompted its creation; and assesses its influence on literature and religious belief.
Containing many quotes from original documents and portraits of the protagonists, McGrath's (historical theology, Oxford U., UK) history brings to light the personal and political story behind the making of this pivotal work. The story is written for the lay reader by a historian with deep knowledge of the subject; he's able to go into detail on the cause and effects of every aspect of the Bible's production, the controversy surrounding its translation, the larger context of printing history, and the Bible's profound impact on the English language. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
The King James Bible is the most familiar and widely read Bible translation in the world, recognized for centuries as both a religious and literary classic. But the origins of this masterpiece are far from what one might expect, and its beginnings lie in murder, deceit, bitter political feuds, and religious conflicts so intense they threatened the unity of England. The struggle to translate the Bible into English was a passionate cause, in the name of which crusaders fought, were imprisoned, and were sometimes even executed_like William Tyndale, whose efforts to translate the New Testament into English led him to a gruesome death. Now, Alister McGrath explores the origins of this monumental work and delves into the forces that brought it into being, illuminating a particularly volatile and culturally rich period in European history.
When Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 1450s, he was setting into motion an intellectual and cultural revolution that would have implications far beyond the literary world. The first book printed on this remarkable invention was the most important book in Christendom, the Bible, which was published in its Latin translation. Until Gutenberg, ordinary Christians had to go through an elite clergy to get access to the Scriptures that were the foundation of their faith.
But this watershed event lit the spark of the Protestant Refomation, whose advocates ultimately demanded, among other things, that the Scriptures be translated into the vernacular languages of the people so that they might experience the Word of God for themselves.
Named for the Scottish king who ascended the English throne in 1603, the King James Bible wouldn't be published until 1611, and it was not, in fact, the first Bible to be published in English; but its impact has been profound. Its language has been an inspiration for virtually every great writer since the seventeenth century, and has also provided the style and vocabulary for such different forms of expression as Negro spirituals and the Gettysburg address.
For the lover of history, literature, or language, In the Beginning is a book that shouldn't be missed. In bringing the story of the King James Bible to light, it captures a vanished period of history in vivid, compelling detail, and will more than prove Roberth Lowth's famous assertion that the King James translation is the "noblest monument of English prose."
Traces the origins and history of the world's most familiar translation of the Bible; discusses the political and religious forces that prompted its creation; and assesses its influence on literature and religious belief.
Containing many quotes from original documents and portraits of the protagonists, McGrath's (historical theology, Oxford U., UK) history brings to light the personal and political story behind the making of this pivotal work. The story is written for the lay reader by a historian with deep knowledge of the subject; he's able to go into detail on the cause and effects of every aspect of the Bible's production, the controversy surrounding its translation, the larger context of printing history, and the Bible's profound impact on the English language. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
The King James Bible is the most familiar and widely read Bible translation in the world, recognized for centuries as both a religious and literary classic. But the origins of this masterpiece are far from what one might expect, and its beginnings lie in murder, deceit, bitter political feuds, and religious conflicts so intense they threatened the unity of England. The struggle to translate the Bible into English was a passionate cause, in the name of which crusaders fought, were imprisoned, and were sometimes even executed_like William Tyndale, whose efforts to translate the New Testament into English led him to a gruesome death. Now, Alister McGrath explores the origins of this monumental work and delves into the forces that brought it into being, illuminating a particularly volatile and culturally rich period in European history.
When Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 1450s, he was setting into motion an intellectual and cultural revolution that would have implications far beyond the literary world. The first book printed on this remarkable invention was the most important book in Christendom, the Bible, which was published in its Latin translation. Until Gutenberg, ordinary Christians had to go through an elite clergy to get access to the Scriptures that were the foundation of their faith.
But this watershed event lit the spark of the Protestant Refomation, whose advocates ultimately demanded, among other things, that the Scriptures be translated into the vernacular languages of the people so that they might experience the Word of God for themselves.
Named for the Scottish king who ascended the English throne in 1603, the King James Bible wouldn't be published until 1611, and it was not, in fact, the first Bible to be published in English; but its impact has been profound. Its language has been an inspiration for virtually every great writer since the seventeenth century, and has also provided the style and vocabulary for such different forms of expression as Negro spirituals and the Gettysburg address.
For the lover of history, literature, or language, In the Beginning is a book that shouldn't be missed. In bringing the story of the King James Bible to light, it captures a vanished period of history in vivid, compelling detail, and will more than prove Roberth Lowth's famous assertion that the King James translation is the "noblest monument of English prose."
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- New York, NY : Random House, c2001.
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