The Learned Men

The making of the King James Bible is a fascinating story - this account describes how suitable scholars were found and given a shared purpose; to meticulously translate and render the entire Bible into early modern English.

Early English translations of the Bible dating to the Renaissance fell into disfavor, being associated with Protestant groups then-thought heretical. Later versions of an English Bible by William Tyndale, and the so-called Geneva Bible, were recognized for their efforts but found to be flawed, with inaccurate or faulty interpretations. Prior to King James' ascent to the throne, the need for an authoritative English language Bible was apparent - to do the job well, in 1604 James ordered that 54 great scholars of the age work together on the task. Of these, 47 were finally approved to begin the challenge.

The painstaking process took years, with the scholars divided into separate committees, all of whom would finish their parts and submit them for rigorous review. Finally, in 1611, after years of translation, editing, drafting, discussion and debate between the men given the task - the King James' Bible was printed. Acclaim was swift, and in the decades following the King James Version became dominant, with copies travelling to the colonial Americas and with missionaries to far-flung locales.