Monday, May 02, 2011

King James Bible Turns 400 Years Old on Monday


The King James Version of the Bible officially turns 400 years old on Monday after months of celebration worldwide leading up to the day.

Everyone from Prince Charles of England, who read a passage from the KJV for the “YouTube Bible,” to stalwart atheist Christopher Hitchens, have participated in the 400th anniversary of the Bible translation that is not only respected as a religious text but also as a literary masterpiece.

"Though I am sometimes reluctant to admit it, there really is something 'timeless' in the Tyndale/King James synthesis," admitted Hitchens in his commentary featured in Vanity Fair. "For generations, it provided a common stock of references and allusions, rivaled only by Shakespeare in this respect.”

"It resounded in the minds and memories of literate people, as well as of those who acquired it only by listening."

In celebration of KJV’s 400th anniversary, the Bible Nation Society will host an expo housing ancient Bibles, including a first edition 1611 authorized King James Bible, in front of the U.S. Capitol building on May 2 and 3.

Prominent Bible scholars, including India’s foremost Christian intellectual Vishal Mangalwadi, will also give a lecture on the King James Version’s influence on the development of Western civilization and America on Monday at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

To read more, click here.

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