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| Published in 1611, this
classical version of the Bible in the English language is also known as
the Authorized Version because it was translated and published at the
request of the King of England. It was translated from manuscripts
of the Hebrew Scriptures and the Greek New Testament circulating in the
late 16th century by scholars at Oxford, Cambridge, and Westminster
Abbey. This authorized version replaced earlier sectarian
translations of the Bible to became the standard English version of the
Bible for three centuries. It was designed to meet both the
Protestant demands for accuracy and the liturgical needs of the
established church. However, it has often been described as lacking in
literary quality because of its very literal dependence on its Hebrew
and Greek sources.
Because of its Elizabethan English, it has been praised since the nineteenth century as "the noblest monument of English prose." The English-speaking world continues today to hold this historic text of the Western church in high regard and wide usage. |
