The "
King James Only movement" advocates the superiority of the Authorized King James Version (KJV) of the
Protestant BibleA Christian biblical canon is the set of books that a Christian denomination regards as divinely inspired and thus constituting the Christian Bible...
. The topic increased in newsworthiness in 2011, the
400th anniversary of the translation's 1611 initial publicationThe 400th anniversary of the Authorized King James Version was a set of events and exhibitions in 2011 commemorating the four-hundredth anniversary of the publication of the Authorized King James Version in 1611.-United Kingdom:...
.
The origin of the label "King James Only" is unclear, although as early as 1987 it was being used to refer to claims of exclusivity for the King James Version and the controversy that had been brewing over these claims for almost a decade.
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
church historianThe history of Christianity concerns the Christian religion, its followers and the Church with its various denominations, from the first century to the present. Christianity was founded in the 1st century by the followers of Jesus of Nazareth who they believed to be the Christ or chosen one of God...
and
apologistApologetics is the discipline of defending a position through the systematic use of reason. Early Christian writers Apologetics (from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is the discipline of defending a position (often religious) through the systematic use of reason. Early Christian writers...
James R. WhiteJames Robert White is the director of Alpha and Omega Ministries, an evangelical Reformed Christian apologetics organization based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is the author of more than twenty books and has engaged in numerous moderated debates...
states that the phrases "KJV Only" and "KJV Onlyism" are not "insulting" or "inaccurate." However, KJV proponent D. A. Waite states the term is a "
smear wordIn language, dysphemism, malphemism, and cacophemism refer to the usage of an intentionally harsh, rather than polite, word or expression; roughly the opposite of euphemism...
."
Variations
James WhiteJames Robert White is the director of Alpha and Omega Ministries, an evangelical Reformed Christian apologetics organization based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is the author of more than twenty books and has engaged in numerous moderated debates...
has divided the King James Only movement into five main types:
- "I Like the KJV Best" - Although White lists this group as a division of the King James Only group, this division does not believe that the KJV is the only acceptable version, thus disqualifying them from being "King James Only." This group simply prefers the KJV over other translations because their church uses it, because they have always used it, or because they like its style.
- "The Textual Argument" - This group believes that the KJV's Hebrew and Greek textual bases are the most accurate. These conclude that the KJV is based on better manuscripts. Many in this group may accept a modern version based on the same manuscripts as the KJV. White claims Zane C. Hodges
Zane Clark Hodges was an American pastor, seminary professor, and Bible scholar. He was reared in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and came to Dallas, Texas in 1954 after receiving a bachelor's degree from Wheaton College. He received master of theology degree from Dallas Theological Seminary in 1958...
is a good example of this group. However, Hodges would consider that the Majority TextThe Byzantine text-type is one of several text-types used in textual criticism to describe the textual character of Greek New Testament manuscripts. It is the form found in the largest number of surviving manuscripts, though not in the oldest...
"corrects" the Received Text as seen, e.g., in the Majority Text textual apparatus of the New King James Version. The Trinitarian Bible SocietyThe Trinitarian Bible Society was founded in 1831 "to promote the Glory of God and the salvation of men by circulating, both at home and abroad, in dependence on the Divine blessing, the Holy Scriptures, which are given by inspiration of God and are able to make men wise unto salvation through...
would fit in this division; however, "the Trinitarian Bible Society does not believe the Authorised Version to be a perfect translation, only that it is the best available translation in the English language," and "the Society believes this text is superior to the texts used by the United Bible SocietiesThe United Bible Societies is a worldwide association of Bible societies. In 1946 delegates from 13 countries formed the UBS, as an effort to coordinate the activities of the bible societies. The first headquarters were London and in Geneva...
and other Bible publishers, which texts have as their basis a relatively few seriously defective manuscripts from the 4th century and which have been compiled using 20th century rationalistic principles of scholarship."
- "Received Text
Textus Receptus is the name subsequently given to the succession of printed Greek texts of the New Testament which constituted the translation base for the original German Luther Bible, the translation of the New Testament into English by William Tyndale, the King James Version, and for most other...
Only" - Here, the traditional Hebrew and Greek texts are believed to be supernaturally preserved. The KJV is believed to be an exemplary translation, but it is also believed that other translations based on these texts have the potential to be equally good. Donald Waite would fall into this category.
- "The Inspired KJV Group" - This faction believes that the KJV itself was divinely inspired. They see the translation to be preserved by God and as accurate as the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts found in its underlying texts. Sometimes this group will even exclude other language versions based on the same manuscripts, claiming that the KJV is the only Bible.
- "The KJV As New Revelation" - This group claims that the KJV is a "new revelation" or "advanced revelation" from God, and it should be the standard from which all other translations originate. Adherents to this belief may also believe that the original-language Hebrew and Greek can be corrected by the KJV. This view is often called "Ruckmanism" after Peter Ruckman
Peter Sturges Ruckman is an Independent Baptist pastor, teacher, writer, and founder of Pensacola Bible Institute, an unaccredited school in Pensacola, Florida...
, a staunch advocate of this view.
These latter two views have also been referred to as "double inspiration".
These types are not mutually exclusive, nor a comprehensive summary of those who prefer the KJV.
Douglas WilsonDouglas James Wilson is a conservative Reformed and evangelical theologian, pastor at Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, faculty member at New Saint Andrews College, and prolific author and speaker...
, for instance, argues that the KJV (or, in his preferred terminology, the Authorized Version) is superior because of its manuscript tradition, its translational philosophy (with updates to the language being regularly necessary), and its ecclesiastical authority, having been created by the church and authorized for use in the church. The logistics of the KJV's wide availability and
public domainWorks are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
status also come into play, on top of or apart from any theological preference. Some KJV only advocates claim that the KJV is the only version of the Bible that is not under copyright, and thus is superior. However, it is not the only Bible version in public domain.
History
A Seventh-day Adventist
Benjamin G. WilkinsonDr. Benjamin George Wilkinson was a Seventh-day Adventist missionary, educator, theologian and the Dean of Theology at the Seventh-day Adventist Washington Missionary College which is located in Takoma Park, Maryland, near Washington, D.C.-Biography:Wilkinson is an obscure figure today, and is...
wrote a book called
Our Authorized Bible VindicatedOur Authorized Bible Vindicated is a book written by Seventh-day Adventist scholar Dr. Benjamin G. Wilkinson advocating the King James Only position, published in 1930...
(1930) on the textual debate.
Independent BaptistIndependent Baptist churches are Christian churches generally holding to conservative Baptist beliefs. They are characterized by being independent from the authority of denominations or similar bodies. Members of such churches comprised three percent of the United States adult population according...
preacher
David Otis FullerDavid Otis Fuller was a graduate of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois and Princeton Theological Seminary...
wrote a book about the textual debate entitled,
Which Bible? (1970), which draws heavily on Wilkinson's book.
The translation of the English Revised Version (ERV) of 1885 by
Brooke Foss WestcottBrooke Foss Westcott was a British bishop, Biblical scholar and theologian, serving as Bishop of Durham from 1890 until his death.-Early life and education:...
and
F. J. A. HortFenton John Anthony Hort was an Irish theologian and editor, with Brooke Westcott of a critical edition of The New Testament in the Original Greek.-Life:...
has been criticized on a KJV-only basis.
John William BurgonJohn William Burgon was an English Anglican divine who became the Dean of Chichester Cathedral in 1876. He is remembered for his passionate defence of the historicity and Mosaic authorship of Genesis and of Biblical inerrancy in general.-Biography:Burgon was born at Smyrna, the son of an English...
, an authority on early Christian manuscripts, has alleged that changes he called "the reverse of trustworthy" were brought into the ERV's text by Westcott and Hort. While Burgon has also been critical of the
Textus ReceptusTextus Receptus is the name subsequently given to the succession of printed Greek texts of the New Testament which constituted the translation base for the original German Luther Bible, the translation of the New Testament into English by William Tyndale, the King James Version, and for most other...
, his detailed criticisms of the ERV were collected into book form as "The Revision Revised."
Burgon criticised all five of the oldest Greek manuscript which Westcott and Hort relied upon. Burgon claimed that they were "among the most corrupt documents extant." Each of these codices (
AlephCodex Sinaiticus is one of the four great uncial codices, an ancient, handwritten copy of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters on parchment. Current scholarship considers the Codex Sinaiticus to be one of the best Greek texts of...
, B, and
DThe Codex Bezae Cantabrigensis, designated by siglum Dea or 05 , δ 5 , is a codex of the New Testament dating from the 5th century written in an uncial hand on vellum. It contains, in both Greek and Latin, most of the four Gospels and Acts, with a small fragment of the 3 John...
), he wrote, "exhibits a fabricated text and is the result of arbitrary and reckless recension." The two most weighty of these codices, Aleph and B, he likens to the "two false witnesses" of Matthew 26:60.
See also
- Australian Free Church
Australian Free Church is a Presbyterian denomination in Australia. It was established in 1979 when Eric Turnbull was removed from being a minister of the Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia...
- Bible version debate
There have been various debates concerning the proper medium and translation of the Bible since the first translations of the Hebrew Bible into Greek and Aramaic...
- Dean Burgon Society
The Dean Burgon Society is an organization that promotes and defends the King James Bible and the underlying Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. It should not be confused with the academic Burgon Society. They are separate organizations....
- List of Bible verses not included in modern translations
- Modern English Bible translations
Many attempts have been made to translate the Bible into modern English, which is defined as the form of English in use after 1800 . Since the early nineteenth century, there have been several translational responses to the rapid spread of Christianity throughout the world...
- Textual criticism
Textual criticism is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts...
External links
Pro King James Only
Anti King James Only