KSU Unveils King James Bible Exhibit

Tuesday, celebrated the opening of the new exhibit “How God Became English” with a trio of lectures and a brief panel discussion about the display.

The new exhibit, coordinated by the university’s Department of Museums, Archives and Rare Books, commemorates the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible by detailing the origins and motives for the book’s authorization.

“As we tried to figure out how to put this exhibit together, we realized that if we just tried to do it chronologically, it wouldn’t work,” said KSU Lecturer of History Dr. Stephen Bartlett. The exhibit is broken into several miniature displays, explaining how influences such as vernacular, heresy and theology ultimately paved the way for the publication of the King James version of the Bible.

“James happened to come to the throne after being on the Scottish throne for more than 30 years,” Bartlett explained. “He was experienced, he was savvy, he knew the problems that existed and he had to figure out how to deal with them.”

Bartlett said that exhibit attendees will see how James dealt with a number of political problems “through a religious avenue, through the authorization of a new translation of the Bible.”

“As you make your way through this exhibit, you’re likely to be struck by just how intense, bitter and protracted the arguments and conflicts over the Bible can be,” said Assistant Professor of History Dr. Paul Dover.

In his lecture, Dr. Dover refuted several claims and allegations about Middle European history, particularly the belief that the Catholic or Protestant churches of the time exerted control over the content of the Bible.

“Not only does this view greatly oversimplify the cultural milieu at of which the Reformation came, it also grossly overstates the capacity of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages to control the circulation and interpretation of scripture,” Dr. Dover stated. “Such absolute control has quite simply never existed in any period of Christian history.”

“You will also note as you tour this exhibit that those carrying out the persecution, the violence, were more often than not, not churchmen,” Dr. Dover continued. “They were political authorities, especially in the case of England (where) offenses deemed religious crimes were in fact classified and prosecuted as political offenses.”

Dr. Dover said that he doubts that the 16th and 17th centuries were “more religious” than the modern era.

“People were undoubtedly more likely to see supernatural forces at work,” he stated. “They were, after all, ignorant of almost all of what modern science has taught us about the way the universe functions. But this didn’t mean that they were more or less likely to do things for expressly religious reasons.”

“Quite frankly, we still live in a very religious age,” he said. “This is almost certainly a more religiously (self-aware) age than the age of Luther, Elizabeth and Cromwell.”

Professor of English Dr. Laura Dabundo spoke about the influence of the King James Bible on the works of writers as diverse as Jane Austen and James Joyce. “This is the most important book in the English language,” she said.

“When did God become American?” asked Dr. David Parker, who serves as the Assistant Chair for KSU’s Department of History and Philosophy. Although Dr. Parker said that “Americanized” reinterpretations of the King James Bible can be traced back to both 1630 and 1865, he considers the 1952 publication of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible to be the most important. Dr. Parker said that on the evening of the version’s release, numerous church services were held across the nation to celebrate what was advertised as “America’s first Bible.”

“The National Council on Churches, an ecumenical group that was formed in 1950, financed the last stretch of the RSV’s preparation and advertised it as ‘the fifth authorized English Bible,’” Dr. Parker said. “The NCC soon became in the eyes of many ‘a communist front’ and the Revised Standard Version, as one pamphlet called it, ‘the new communist Bible.’”

Dr. Parker said that several omitted and reworded passages in the Revised Standard Version, including John 7:53-8:11 and Isaiah 7:14, only fueled hostility toward the translation.

“These and other changes were said to undermine the deity of Christ,” Dr. Parker said. “The U.S. Air Force published a training manual warning recruits to avoid what it called ‘the communist tainted RSV Bible.’”

Dr. Parker said the controversy over the Revised Standard Bible may have played a prominent role in the U.S. adopting “In God We Trust” as the national motto in 1956, as well as sparking a newfound interest in the contents of the King James Bible.

Dr. Bartlett closed the presentation by stating that it was ultimately the followers of Christianity, and not the political leaders of the 17th century, that had the greatest role in the creation of the King James Bible.

“It wasn’t King James that authorized the Bible,” Dr. Bartlett concluded. “It was the people.”

Those interested in viewing the exhibit are encouraged to contact the Sturgis Library at 770-423-6289.