Please don’t forget to ‘like’ and leave a comment (however short), as it REALLY helps promote the channel - so I can make more content. What do you think of the film? What books should I look into? I appreciate your amazing support - James
What I have always found fascinating is all the incredible artists who painted the scenes from the Bible’s. Whenever I go to another country I am in awe of all the churches with their stained glass windows, frescos, & the opulence they display.
I was a specialist in the conservation of historic buildings I can tell you I often felt a deep connection with those who did the work I repaired and conserved. Even a small parish church that lasts hundreds of years was constructed with utmost care and reverence often I think as an act of worship. I often felt the same as I worked.
a lot of people forget that most of the churches especially in Italy and France were not built by the Vatican. It was built by wealthy families and the different city states like the state of Genoa
Wow. An intensely beauteful presentation of this book. Being an atheist, i did not even know this book was translated in english in thoses days, i thought the translation was more recent. M. TInsdale was a great poet. Thanks so much for publishing this video.
I was curious as to how you’d tackle the most consequential book in the world’s history and as always you’ve done a magnificent job with aplomb and pedantic fashion.
As a Christian I am familiar with the Bible, but I was unaware of the history of the making of the King James Version. Very interesting! I have one of the civil war miniature bibles you mentioned. A distant relative that carried it thru the war! Thank you for both of your channels!
You may also like the Centre Place TH-cam channel. They have many well-researched, well-presented lectures on the history of the Bible, the Torah, the first 300 years, etc.
Love how you approached this topic! Seeing it as art from afar. The book is so provoking to believers and non believers that I think you're approach really helped see it in a new way.
The Spanish version of the Bible from Reina and Valera has had a tremendous impact on the Spanish language as well. After watching this, I briefly researched how it came to be. This is a wonderful exploration of the historical and linguistic impact of this book. Great video!
As a black child in the late 70s/early 80s, the King James Bible (Red Letter Edition, of course😄) was the most important book in my poor, religious 6-person house. As a voracious reader by age 4, it was the only book I hadn't read 20 times and we had 3 different ones, so I could always snag one when I needed something, ANYTHING, "words in a row" so to speak. I didn't understand most of it, but at the time, it seemed like an accomplishment anyway, like building some huge structure you have no idea of what the purpose is. I'm pretty sure I read the entire thing through twice over by the time I hit double digits. It never did make me enjoy church service, though!😅
I got a heck of a lot out of Isaak Asimov's guide to the bible. Maps, timelines, lots of clarification and context. Lots and lots of wars. Made me wonder how it caught on and persisted so well, but that's just me.
My cup runneth over because of this channel. Since the discovery of your channel, I’ve been recommending it nonstop. Thank you for your hard work and devotion to the arts. Your videos epitomize humanity.
Had absolutely no idea about the origin of the word "beautiful". Language history is truly fascinating. Just as fascinating is the history of the Hebrew scriptures that the Old Testament is built upon. Karen Armstrong's "The Bible: A Biography" is a brilliant book unravelling both the history of the texts themselves, and the idea of God as it changed and developed into the monotheism we know today. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to learn more about this subject.
Well, i don't know how I missed seeing this video when it came out, but I'm rapt to see it now. This information is, as always, so beautifully presented. I thank you again for all the hard work you put in for our edification and pleasure!😊
As an ecumenical Christian who believes in the impact that all denominations have had in the history of accelerating human potential, I am delightfully excited to see this on your channel. Fantastically well done!
I was raised agnostic and have never had an interest in Christianity/Catholicism but this was BRILLIANT. So fascinating to learn what an impact it has had on our syntax.
Taking on the Bible is a huge topic-I’ve always wanted to understand more about its formation but found it daunting to look into. And quite frankly, the bible is so huge a subject-and my interest is only middling-I’ve never tried. I see why (or at least part of why) you focused on the KJV rather than the basis of all the various books in the Bible. Now I’m going to go back through this video while reading the transcript so I can absorb more of what I heard. This film is understandably somewhat dense; one sitting just won’t do. Thank you so much for this effort!
Thank you - fascinating video! I learned a lot watching it. I'm not a believer, but i totally value the Bible as part of our history and literature. As someone once said: don't burn the bible - put it into your bookshelf next to Homer (or sth like that).
Interesting, informative and very consice... I was hooked and being from an orthodox country, albeit not with any serious involvement with religion, this made me to go out and buy a KJB to read, learn and judge! Excellent James!
It's sad when people either haven't realized or outright deny how important the KJV bible has been in the history of the English-speaking world, even if someone isn't religious, it's very much worth learning about the impact this book had on culture. Thank you for making this video!
Wonderful - I often question my use of idioms and phrases, and many ultimately derive from the bible or Shakespeare of course. So thoughtful and informative and entertaining!
What a video, I've never heard the story of the Bible told so shorn of bias. And I've never learned so much about any religion in such a short period of time. Bravo!
This video has changed the way I look at the Bible, language, religion, and ultimately, that this book is the one with the most fans out of any other in the world. Harry Potter probably be the second. Christianity is just a massive fan base of a book. It’s wild and absolutely fascinating.
This came out the same week a youtube channel called crashcourse is doing a series on religion. Once again another good video, can't wait for the next one!
I’ve always felt that there is a great beauty lacking in all the other Bible versions. I think it’s because the English of the King James is Shakespearean. It speaks more profoundly than any other, in my judgment.
Indeed. It's just so lovely to listen to. Its poetry. Funnily enough, even by the standards of the day the KJV was pretty flowery and archaic. So it must have had the same effect back then.
At 2:38, the narrator says, "When King James the First was crowned in 1601, the language of the state was Norman French." That is incorrect. Anglo-Norman French was the most common language in the royal court and aristocracy from 1066 to the early 15th century. By 1601, Early Modern English had fully replaced Anglo-Norman French among the nobility.
19:45 The visuals of how the KJV influenced the English language, and all of the visuals, really, are brilliant. Paired with your essays, you channel really is a gem on TH-cam, among an ocean of nonsensical content
I just watched it with a lifelong friend of mine. Cheers maestro. Thanks so much for what you do, for sharing it with us. Waiting for the next ones! All the best!
Astonishing how rich the history of the Bible really is even in the "later" days - I had no idea so many people had worked on it. And the process used for the KJV - my goodness, it seems so complicated and yet so very clever. It's also interesting to learn that there were ALWAYS multiple versions of the Good Book - something that makes so much sense when you come to think on it but if you've never stopped TO think about it... The way the Bible was presented to me through most of my childhood, it was just THE Bible, there was only the one version ever, as if the Hebrews spoke Elizabethan English, hehe. And yet it just felt so right, so familiar and so beautiful in its language, it took on something more than just the meaning of the words. The power of myth, perhaps. Or just the power of indoctrination within the church, but whether you feel bitter about that or not it's still powerful. Excellent work, as I have come to expect from you. Thank you so much for working on this!
Reading texts in their original language is key for scholarship. For instance, in Hebrew, the first word of Genesis is "Bereshit" -- or "In the beginning" -- but the Hebrew letter Bet, the very first letter in the bible, is closed on three sides and open on one which can be interpreted as we can know what happens after creation, but not what happens before it, or what is above the heavens or below the earth.
This was rather interesting to me. I was brought up reformist in NL, and only ever heard an "inside" origin story of how the bible came to be. Your telling of this origin really changes my now atheist perspective of it, in an unexpected positive way!
An excellent analysis of how the words were written, and their power. So much is made of the KJV Bible that people easily forget what a well-written bit of text it is. Thank you!
This is a great overview. I do have to point out, however, that the KJV did not only contain the 66 books of modern Bibles, but added the fourteen books we know as the apocrypha. It would take a long time, including the editorial opinions of Martin Luther and the economic concerns of Bible printers in the UK and US, before the books of the apocrypha were removed from the public attention. Also, it is worth noting the KJV's language was archaic even when it was first published. A lot of modern readers totally misinterpret statements that have changed meaning in ~500 years. For example, "our conversation is in heaven" does not mean anything resembling what you think it means!
Fantastic video, like always! I've always been smugly happy about being born and spending my childhood in a communist country, as it meant no religious education. But you are right, the influence on our society is immense, and it's so enlightening to better understand it! Thank you!
Thanks, James, for this really interesting account of the “tortured” history of the Bible in English, as always splendidly done. Just a few additional notes to add some additional context: _Versions of the Bible in English_ The *Wycliffe* version of the Bible was the first complete version of the Bible in English but, as pointed out in the video, the Bibles were _hand-written_ since, obviously, printing with movable type had not yet been invented. *William Tyndale* completed much of the translation of the Bible into English, published in print, but didn’t complete the whole thing, and, again, as pointed out in the video, he was burned at the stake as a heretic for his work. The *Coverdale* Bible, _not_ the King James Version [KJV], became *the first complete version of the Bible **_printed_** in English* and, in fact, the title page of the 1537 edition (published, note, a year after Tyndale was burned at the stake) stated that it was “set forth with the King's most gracious license.” But the word “license” actually contains a bit of ambiguity: it _could_ just mean official permission to print and distribute a work without necessarily meaning full approval or “authorization” from Henry VIII and he didn’t make any royal proclamation about it. So it was officially licensed but not explicitly endorsed by the King. (By contrast, King James I obviously commissioned the translation that would become the King James Version and that version’s title page said it was “Appointed to be read in Churches” so it definitely had the royal imprimatur.) _The language of the KJV_ Even at the time of its publication, some of the features of the language of the Kings James Version-such as the use of “thou/thee” and verb endings like “-eth” (e.g., “sayeth”)-were falling out of use. (Less than half a century later, in 1660, one of the founders of the Quakers, George Fox, would claim that Quakers, who persisted in using “thou,” were “often beaten and abused, and sometimes in danger of our lives…”-the threat of physical violence probably did not do much to slow the decline of the use of “thou/thee.”) So the KJV was written consciously in a sort of “Biblical” register that no one actually spoke in to give it an air of dignity and authority and also to emulate to some degree the rhythm and style of the original Hebrew (at least for those portions that were originally written in Hebrew), with which the translators were familiar. And, while we can note the various phrases of the KJV that made their way into the English language, it’s better not to overestimate the influence of that version on English. Linguist David Crystal found just 257 such phrases, all but 18 of which were lifted directly from Tyndale’s version; Shakespeare, by contrast, has even fewer, about 100. (Again, all those phrases floating around at 10:45 are _Tyndale’s,_ not those of the KJV translators.) That’s not really surprising-the KJV scholars used extant translations of the Bible in their work-and relied heavily on Tyndale’s. as the video points out 11:38-and, also, Jewish commentaries (there were no actual Jews around, at least officially, in England to ask at that time). These scholars weren’t trying to be linguistically innovative; if anything, by relying on earlier translations, the original source languages, and commentaries, they were trying to be conservative.
Thanks for the (as usual) brilliant comment - the archaic language and Hebrew connection is particularly interesting. Sometimes time constraints mean nuances here and there get lost in pursuit of a good flow of story line. I hope I make it clear that so much of the KJV came from Tyndale’s original translation. Thanks Jeff
@@greatbooksexplained371 “I hope I make it clear that so much of the KJV came from Tyndale’s original translation.” No, no, you absolutely did! (I put the timestamp in the comment.) I was just pointing out that there aren't, like, _thousands_ of phrases in English from the King James Version (
@@greatbooksexplained371 You absolutely made clear that Tyndall was the real artist at work, and I never felt that you were implying that thousands of phrases and idioms we use to this day originated with the KJV ... I was honestly quite surprised by just the couple dozen that popped up onscreen. I had no idea. More than I would have imagined. Thank you again for an enlightening and succinct work.
Do Wuthering Heights next. I don't know if you would consider it a great book but I certainly do. The book is often miscatergorised as romance when it's gothic with themes of afterlife and souls. The book touched my heart in spite of never having experienced romantic love because it uses the concept of soul mates rather than romantic love to express an undying kind of connection, a connection that transcends death.
"All the nations of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” "
Fascinating video,Mr Payne, thank you. I really hope you cross the English-language-borders in the future because, for example, the German Bible by Luther had no less significance and caused much trouble as well. So set saill across the La manche please...
Wow! Just wow!! I'm going to cherish the bible a lot more now. Also the church is way more political and indoctrinating than I thought 😮.. very eye opening
Wow, I have never heard of the impact of the KJB on the English language, how interesting! Thank you James for another wonderful video, you enrich my life.
Please don’t forget to ‘like’ and leave a comment (however short), as it REALLY helps promote the channel - so I can make more content. What do you think of the film? What books should I look into? I appreciate your amazing support - James
Given today’s world I’d be fascinated by a deeper look at like… Brave New World haha. Woof. That one might get dark.
@@mostlyvoid.partiallystarsthat would be a good one!
The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio.
Paradise Lost by Milton. 🤤🤤😂
@@greatbooksexplained371 i would like you to do the tale of genji.a japanese clasic
Never would have expected a translation of the Bible to have such an impact on the English language, and the world. Thank you!
What I have always found fascinating is all the incredible artists who painted the scenes from the Bible’s. Whenever I go to another country I am in awe of all the churches with their stained glass windows, frescos, & the opulence they display.
I’m European and I’ve been to the Sistine chapel 20 times and I’m still in awe - thanks 🙏
I was a specialist in the conservation of historic buildings I can tell you I often felt a deep connection with those who did the work I repaired and conserved. Even a small parish church that lasts hundreds of years was constructed with utmost care and reverence often I think as an act of worship. I often felt the same as I worked.
a lot of people forget that most of the churches especially in Italy and France were not built by the Vatican. It was built by wealthy families and the different city states like the state of Genoa
I appreciate both of your channels SO much thank you!!!
Glad you like them!
Wow. An intensely beauteful presentation of this book. Being an atheist, i did not even know this book was translated in english in thoses days, i thought the translation was more recent. M. TInsdale was a great poet. Thanks so much for publishing this video.
I was curious as to how you’d tackle the most consequential book in the world’s history and as always you’ve done a magnificent job with aplomb and pedantic fashion.
That’s such a nice thing to say - thanks 🙏
Always great to learn about the political history of religious books
Thanks 🙏
As a Christian I am familiar with the Bible, but I was unaware of the history of the making of the King James Version. Very interesting! I have one of the civil war miniature bibles you mentioned. A distant relative that carried it thru the war! Thank you for both of your channels!
Wow that’s so great. What a treasure!
You may also like the Centre Place TH-cam channel. They have many well-researched, well-presented lectures on the history of the Bible, the Torah, the first 300 years, etc.
Love how you approached this topic!
Seeing it as art from afar.
The book is so provoking to believers and non believers that I think you're approach really helped see it in a new way.
I feel like a child watching these videos. I thank you for your hard work and obvious passion!
So great to hear about Tindale, he should be better known given how much influence he has had on the English language
He should be - he’s the hero of this story
The Spanish version of the Bible from Reina and Valera has had a tremendous impact on the Spanish language as well. After watching this, I briefly researched how it came to be. This is a wonderful exploration of the historical and linguistic impact of this book. Great video!
Thanks 🙏
As a black child in the late 70s/early 80s, the King James Bible (Red Letter Edition, of course😄) was the most important book in my poor, religious 6-person house. As a voracious reader by age 4, it was the only book I hadn't read 20 times and we had 3 different ones, so I could always snag one when I needed something, ANYTHING, "words in a row" so to speak. I didn't understand most of it, but at the time, it seemed like an accomplishment anyway, like building some huge structure you have no idea of what the purpose is. I'm pretty sure I read the entire thing through twice over by the time I hit double digits.
It never did make me enjoy church service, though!😅
Thanks for the great comment 🙏
i'm an atheist & im ready to learn
May the Lord Jesus Christ guide you in to all truth through the Holy Spirit 🙏🏾
Shout if you have any questions
@@theboynamedsimba4194this film is about literature. Not faith
Yep. Hopefully the film makes people realise you can celebrate the artistry of the King James Bible without being religious
Yea! The poetry in the KJ version❤
I got a heck of a lot out of Isaak Asimov's guide to the bible. Maps, timelines, lots of clarification and context. Lots and lots of wars. Made me wonder how it caught on and persisted so well, but that's just me.
your editing is getting better and better every video, this one was phenomenal!
That has made my day! Thank you 🙏
My cup runneth over because of this channel. Since the discovery of your channel, I’ve been recommending it nonstop. Thank you for your hard work and devotion to the arts. Your videos epitomize humanity.
Had absolutely no idea about the origin of the word "beautiful". Language history is truly fascinating.
Just as fascinating is the history of the Hebrew scriptures that the Old Testament is built upon. Karen Armstrong's "The Bible: A Biography" is a brilliant book unravelling both the history of the texts themselves, and the idea of God as it changed and developed into the monotheism we know today. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to learn more about this subject.
Glad you enjoyed it! I’ll check out the book
@@greatbooksexplained371 Highly recommend anything by Karen Armstrong. Her earliest books are the best. Thanks for this wonderful presentation!
Well, i don't know how I missed seeing this video when it came out, but I'm rapt to see it now. This information is, as always, so beautifully presented. I thank you again for all the hard work you put in for our edification and pleasure!😊
As an ecumenical Christian who believes in the impact that all denominations have had in the history of accelerating human potential, I am delightfully excited to see this on your channel. Fantastically well done!
Thank you 🙏
I would say that the evidence presents a much stronger case that Christianity has done more to retard human potential.
As always, your production is flawless and exquisite.
Thanks for such a nice comment!
That was a great run through of hundreds of years of history. Very skilfully done. Thank you.
I was raised agnostic and have never had an interest in Christianity/Catholicism but this was BRILLIANT. So fascinating to learn what an impact it has had on our syntax.
Leaving a comment for the algorithm and to remind you how much I appreciate your beautiful content!
You're the best!
Taking on the Bible is a huge topic-I’ve always wanted to understand more about its formation but found it daunting to look into. And quite frankly, the bible is so huge a subject-and my interest is only middling-I’ve never tried. I see why (or at least part of why) you focused on the KJV rather than the basis of all the various books in the Bible.
Now I’m going to go back through this video while reading the transcript so I can absorb more of what I heard. This film is understandably somewhat dense; one sitting just won’t do. Thank you so much for this effort!
I thought very carefully before I decided to do this, and I am pleased with how it turned out.
This episode is especially good. Thank you for the high quality of your videos and the exceptional content.
Thank you too!
Thank you james for giving me not just the history of the bible but a new way to look at it and its influence
Thanks 🙏
During my childhood, listening to readings from this book gave me a love of language that is still with me 66yrs later..
Beautiful work Mr. Payne! Always a pleasure watching your content. I can't wait until you release a video about Kafka :)
One day for sure!
I have no faith but I can see why others would. Reading the Passion is very moving
As a translator, I find the history of the bible translations so interesting! This video has taught me a lot ! Thank you for your work !
You're very welcome! Thanks for the compliment 🙏
Totally knocked it out of the park, as usual!
Thanks 🙏
Thank you. I truly enjoy your work.
Thanks so much 🙏
Fascinating overview, excellently produced and delivered. Great work!
Much appreciated!
Eye-opening, enlightening and accessible - fantastic video as usual!
Glad you enjoyed it!
James you outdid yourself with this one. Thank you so much! Loved this!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you! 🙏
This was excellent. Thank you so much for this effort. ❤
Very interesting and again beautifully told. Thank you!
And thanks to the actor, the reading fits wonderfully.
Glad you enjoyed it!
this is such an interesting topic and i love the way you led the discussion!
Wonderfully enlightening James. Thank you.
You're very welcome!
Wow, when I saw the topic, I thought, How ballsy, such a controversial topic! But it was masterfully done, a good analysis of the book as a book.
Great episode! Really well chosen content. My partner and I love watching both channels. This one is definitely a 'watch again.'
Thank you! 🙏
Thank you - fascinating video! I learned a lot watching it. I'm not a believer, but i totally value the Bible as part of our history and literature. As someone once said: don't burn the bible - put it into your bookshelf next to Homer (or sth like that).
Very interesting video! So many idioms, I had no idea
Fantastic. This video gave me so much. I love this channel, long time subscriber. thumbs up, don't go changing.
I look at the Bible quite differently now that I’ve watched this. Thank you so much for this new lens of insight.
That's great to hear. Thanks for sharing.
Interesting, informative and very consice... I was hooked and being from an orthodox country, albeit not with any serious involvement with religion, this made me to go out and buy a KJB to read, learn and judge!
Excellent James!
Thank you so much for this highly informative video. Beautiful presenation, as always. I will share with others.
It's sad when people either haven't realized or outright deny how important the KJV bible has been in the history of the English-speaking world, even if someone isn't religious, it's very much worth learning about the impact this book had on culture. Thank you for making this video!
Wonderful - I often question my use of idioms and phrases, and many ultimately derive from the bible or Shakespeare of course. So thoughtful and informative and entertaining!
Thank you 🙏
What a video, I've never heard the story of the Bible told so shorn of bias. And I've never learned so much about any religion in such a short period of time. Bravo!
Always enjoyed your art channel but as a book historian I love this new output. Great work, keep it up !
This video has changed the way I look at the Bible, language, religion, and ultimately, that this book is the one with the most fans out of any other in the world. Harry Potter probably be the second. Christianity is just a massive fan base of a book. It’s wild and absolutely fascinating.
Terrific overview. A book from the anthology would be fun. 1st and 2nd Samuel are fabulous ancient soap operas.
Agree
It's mindblowing how much of the most important events in our history were influenced by the Bible. Thank you for another great video!
This came out the same week a youtube channel called crashcourse is doing a series on religion. Once again another good video, can't wait for the next one!
This "beautiful" video is one of the best of youtube. Thank you! ❤
I’ve always felt that there is a great beauty lacking in all the other Bible versions. I think it’s because the English of the King James is Shakespearean. It speaks more profoundly than any other, in my judgment.
Indeed. It's just so lovely to listen to. Its poetry. Funnily enough, even by the standards of the day the KJV was pretty flowery and archaic. So it must have had the same effect back then.
Thank you! Will definitely come back for more! 😊
Thanks for making this video
It's my pleasure
At 2:38, the narrator says, "When King James the First was crowned in 1601, the language of the state was Norman French." That is incorrect. Anglo-Norman French was the most common language in the royal court and aristocracy from 1066 to the early 15th century. By 1601, Early Modern English had fully replaced Anglo-Norman French among the nobility.
That slipped through from an earlier script - I am re-editing it now and it should be fixed in a few hours. -thanks
@@greatbooksexplained371 You rock!
19:45 The visuals of how the KJV influenced the English language, and all of the visuals, really, are brilliant. Paired with your essays, you channel really is a gem on TH-cam, among an ocean of nonsensical content
Thanks so much 🙏
I just watched it with a lifelong friend of mine. Cheers maestro. Thanks so much for what you do, for sharing it with us. Waiting for the next ones! All the best!
Astonishing how rich the history of the Bible really is even in the "later" days - I had no idea so many people had worked on it. And the process used for the KJV - my goodness, it seems so complicated and yet so very clever. It's also interesting to learn that there were ALWAYS multiple versions of the Good Book - something that makes so much sense when you come to think on it but if you've never stopped TO think about it... The way the Bible was presented to me through most of my childhood, it was just THE Bible, there was only the one version ever, as if the Hebrews spoke Elizabethan English, hehe. And yet it just felt so right, so familiar and so beautiful in its language, it took on something more than just the meaning of the words. The power of myth, perhaps. Or just the power of indoctrination within the church, but whether you feel bitter about that or not it's still powerful.
Excellent work, as I have come to expect from you. Thank you so much for working on this!
Reading texts in their original language is key for scholarship. For instance, in Hebrew, the first word of Genesis is "Bereshit" -- or "In the beginning" -- but the Hebrew letter Bet, the very first letter in the bible, is closed on three sides and open on one which can be interpreted as we can know what happens after creation, but not what happens before it, or what is above the heavens or below the earth.
Thanks for that!
Beautiful scholarship, as usual. I had no idea so many common phrases came from the KJV.
Thanks for the comment 🙏
Profound! And beautifully presented by you to us. ❤
Thank you so much!
@@greatbooksexplained371
Are you a Christian?
What an extraordinary documentary/review (?). So much here I didn’t know. Thanks for posting this! 😊
This was rather interesting to me. I was brought up reformist in NL, and only ever heard an "inside" origin story of how the bible came to be. Your telling of this origin really changes my now atheist perspective of it, in an unexpected positive way!
Brilliant video! Thank you. I appreciate the choice of music as in Pasolini's Passion (or so I seem to recognize)
Yes you are quite correct! It is also used in “If…” from 1968 - two of my favourite films
I eat up every video you post on this channel and Great Art Explained. Thank you for your work! ❤️
An excellent analysis of how the words were written, and their power. So much is made of the KJV Bible that people easily forget what a well-written bit of text it is. Thank you!
Thanks 🙏
The power of words ❤
Indeed
What a lovely video! Thank you for your hard work into making these beautiful videos :)
Superb stuff. Thank you
what a great insights! Thank you
Fantastic as always
Glad you think so! Thanks 🙏
This is a great overview. I do have to point out, however, that the KJV did not only contain the 66 books of modern Bibles, but added the fourteen books we know as the apocrypha. It would take a long time, including the editorial opinions of Martin Luther and the economic concerns of Bible printers in the UK and US, before the books of the apocrypha were removed from the public attention.
Also, it is worth noting the KJV's language was archaic even when it was first published. A lot of modern readers totally misinterpret statements that have changed meaning in ~500 years. For example, "our conversation is in heaven" does not mean anything resembling what you think it means!
Fantastic video, like always!
I've always been smugly happy about being born and spending my childhood in a communist country, as it meant no religious education. But you are right, the influence on our society is immense, and it's so enlightening to better understand it! Thank you!
Thank you 🙏
Thanks, James, for this really interesting account of the “tortured” history of the Bible in English, as always splendidly done.
Just a few additional notes to add some additional context:
_Versions of the Bible in English_
The *Wycliffe* version of the Bible was the first complete version of the Bible in English but, as pointed out in the video, the Bibles were _hand-written_ since, obviously, printing with movable type had not yet been invented.
*William Tyndale* completed much of the translation of the Bible into English, published in print, but didn’t complete the whole thing, and, again, as pointed out in the video, he was burned at the stake as a heretic for his work.
The *Coverdale* Bible, _not_ the King James Version [KJV], became *the first complete version of the Bible **_printed_** in English* and, in fact, the title page of the 1537 edition (published, note, a year after Tyndale was burned at the stake) stated that it was “set forth with the King's most gracious license.” But the word “license” actually contains a bit of ambiguity: it _could_ just mean official permission to print and distribute a work without necessarily meaning full approval or “authorization” from Henry VIII and he didn’t make any royal proclamation about it. So it was officially licensed but not explicitly endorsed by the King. (By contrast, King James I obviously commissioned the translation that would become the King James Version and that version’s title page said it was “Appointed to be read in Churches” so it definitely had the royal imprimatur.)
_The language of the KJV_
Even at the time of its publication, some of the features of the language of the Kings James Version-such as the use of “thou/thee” and verb endings like “-eth” (e.g., “sayeth”)-were falling out of use. (Less than half a century later, in 1660, one of the founders of the Quakers, George Fox, would claim that Quakers, who persisted in using “thou,” were “often beaten and abused, and sometimes in danger of our lives…”-the threat of physical violence probably did not do much to slow the decline of the use of “thou/thee.”) So the KJV was written consciously in a sort of “Biblical” register that no one actually spoke in to give it an air of dignity and authority and also to emulate to some degree the rhythm and style of the original Hebrew (at least for those portions that were originally written in Hebrew), with which the translators were familiar.
And, while we can note the various phrases of the KJV that made their way into the English language, it’s better not to overestimate the influence of that version on English. Linguist David Crystal found just 257 such phrases, all but 18 of which were lifted directly from Tyndale’s version; Shakespeare, by contrast, has even fewer, about 100. (Again, all those phrases floating around at 10:45 are _Tyndale’s,_ not those of the KJV translators.) That’s not really surprising-the KJV scholars used extant translations of the Bible in their work-and relied heavily on Tyndale’s. as the video points out 11:38-and, also, Jewish commentaries (there were no actual Jews around, at least officially, in England to ask at that time). These scholars weren’t trying to be linguistically innovative; if anything, by relying on earlier translations, the original source languages, and commentaries, they were trying to be conservative.
Thanks for the (as usual) brilliant comment - the archaic language and Hebrew connection is particularly interesting. Sometimes time constraints mean nuances here and there get lost in pursuit of a good flow of story line. I hope I make it clear that so much of the KJV came from Tyndale’s original translation. Thanks Jeff
@@greatbooksexplained371 “I hope I make it clear that so much of the KJV came from Tyndale’s original translation.”
No, no, you absolutely did! (I put the timestamp in the comment.) I was just pointing out that there aren't, like, _thousands_ of phrases in English from the King James Version (
@@greatbooksexplained371 You absolutely made clear that Tyndall was the real artist at work, and I never felt that you were implying that thousands of phrases and idioms we use to this day originated with the KJV ... I was honestly quite surprised by just the couple dozen that popped up onscreen. I had no idea. More than I would have imagined. Thank you again for an enlightening and succinct work.
Perfect voice reading the Scriptures!
Thank you , i am learning a lot from your channel . Respect
Beautiful
Thank you 🙏
Nice to hear Seamus Heaney's name!
One of my heroes
Wow! Thank you James!
You are very welcome 🙏
Another great video! Kinda hilarious that people think the KJB is in any way “apolitical”
Please let the comments be chill 🙏🏾
🙏
Thank you, my good sirs.
No worries!
Do Wuthering Heights next. I don't know if you would consider it a great book but I certainly do. The book is often miscatergorised as romance when it's gothic with themes of afterlife and souls. The book touched my heart in spite of never having experienced romantic love because it uses the concept of soul mates rather than romantic love to express an undying kind of connection, a connection that transcends death.
Excellent video, a version with just as fascinating back story is the Douay-Rheims, perhaps do this story next?
Magnificent. Thank you so much, MrPayne
Where can I find the rest of the ‘Kyrie’ songs at 2:20?
On iTunes or it’s all on TH-cam
Amazing work - thank you for enlighten me more in this topic!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very educational and powerful!
It was so delightful to watch and learn with this video. Thank you. 🙏🏼
"All the nations of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” "
Fascinating video,Mr Payne, thank you. I really hope you cross the English-language-borders in the future because, for example, the German Bible by Luther had no less significance and caused much trouble as well. So set saill across the La manche please...
Many thanks! 🙏
Wow! Just wow!!
I'm going to cherish the bible a lot more now.
Also the church is way more political and indoctrinating than I thought 😮.. very eye opening
Thanks 🙏
The calm before the storm ☁️
☔️
Wow, I have never heard of the impact of the KJB on the English language, how interesting! Thank you James for another wonderful video, you enrich my life.
Another great video. Thank you.