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God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible
A network of complex currents flowed across Jacobean England. This was the England of Shakespeare, Jonson, and Bacon; the era of the Gunpowder Plot and the worst outbreak of the plague. Jacobean England was both more godly and less godly than the country had ever been, and the entire culture was drawn taut between these polarities. This was the world that created the King James Bible. It is the greatest work of English prose ever written, and it is no coincidence that the translation was made at the moment "Englishness," specifically the English language itself, had come into its first passionate maturity. The English of Jacobean England has a more encompassing idea of its own scope than any form of the language before or since. It drips with potency and sensitivity. The age, with all its conflicts, explains the book.
This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.
This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.
281 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2003
About the author
Adam Nicolson
59 books206 followersAdam Nicolson writes a celebrated column for The Sunday Telegraph. His books include Sissinghurst, God’s Secretaries, When God Spoke English, Wetland, Life in the Somerset Levels, Perch Hill, Restoration, and the acclaimed Gentry. He is winner of the Somerset Maugham Award and the British Topography Prize and lives on a farm in Sussex.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 373 reviews
October 30, 2019
Adam Nicolson is better known for Sea Room and nature writing but what a marvellous historian he is! His enthusiasm for his subject leaps off the page and is utterly absorbing.
The King James Bible is probably still the most widely known translation, its archaic language lending an authority and romance to the words. I was surprised to learn that the language was archaic even when it was written. King James I & VI, a formidable intellectual, had the task of uniting Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland and France under one crown following the death of Queen Elizabeth I. He was a pacifist and wanted to ease the tensions between religions while ensuring that the Church of England became the established church in that country. One way of doing this was to create a translation of the Bible that would be agreeable to all, including the Puritans, although only the most moderate of the latter were to be involved. Working groups of scholars were formed, each tasked with translating a specific section, with the instruction that they were to pay heed to the already excellent translations of Tyndale, Coverdale, and the Geneva Bible, amongst others. Once this work was done, the whole was discussed by a committee comprising of the leaders of each of these working groups. The language used was that of the mid 16th century because it was felt to reflect the necessary ‘majestie’ of the work and its sponsor.
Nicolson has an impressive knowledge of the process and of the men involved. Through their stories and an assessment of King James’ reign, he gives us a portrait of a fascinating period of history and its continuing legacy. The Puritans who fled first to the Netherlands and then to North America were of no more consequence than a minor irritation at the time. They were not being persecuted in the way that history often leads us to believe. In fact, the authorities helped them to leave the country. Their displeasure with the rise of the C of E, which they deemed equivalent to Roman Catholicism, the growing cultural acceptance of wearing a wedding band to denote marriage, the use of priests to mediate between parishioners and God, created a dull and analytical version of Christianity that appealed to few, not many. It is difficult for most of us now to understand the passion with which early 17th century Christians held their beliefs and invested so much into the word of God. Church attendance was compulsory in Jacobean England so even the illiterate were familiar with the Bible. King James’ aim was to create a Bible that everyone could understand and it is interesting that literacy levels in England rose dramatically during this period, meaning that ordinary people could read for themselves without the intervention of learned churchmen.
This is an excellent book which brings alive an exciting period of history, often overlooked because it follows the Elizabethan age and precedes the romantic times of Charles I and II. I am hugely impressed with Adam Nicolson’s depth of knowledge and passion for his subject. An easily awarded 5 stars from me.
The King James Bible is probably still the most widely known translation, its archaic language lending an authority and romance to the words. I was surprised to learn that the language was archaic even when it was written. King James I & VI, a formidable intellectual, had the task of uniting Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland and France under one crown following the death of Queen Elizabeth I. He was a pacifist and wanted to ease the tensions between religions while ensuring that the Church of England became the established church in that country. One way of doing this was to create a translation of the Bible that would be agreeable to all, including the Puritans, although only the most moderate of the latter were to be involved. Working groups of scholars were formed, each tasked with translating a specific section, with the instruction that they were to pay heed to the already excellent translations of Tyndale, Coverdale, and the Geneva Bible, amongst others. Once this work was done, the whole was discussed by a committee comprising of the leaders of each of these working groups. The language used was that of the mid 16th century because it was felt to reflect the necessary ‘majestie’ of the work and its sponsor.
Nicolson has an impressive knowledge of the process and of the men involved. Through their stories and an assessment of King James’ reign, he gives us a portrait of a fascinating period of history and its continuing legacy. The Puritans who fled first to the Netherlands and then to North America were of no more consequence than a minor irritation at the time. They were not being persecuted in the way that history often leads us to believe. In fact, the authorities helped them to leave the country. Their displeasure with the rise of the C of E, which they deemed equivalent to Roman Catholicism, the growing cultural acceptance of wearing a wedding band to denote marriage, the use of priests to mediate between parishioners and God, created a dull and analytical version of Christianity that appealed to few, not many. It is difficult for most of us now to understand the passion with which early 17th century Christians held their beliefs and invested so much into the word of God. Church attendance was compulsory in Jacobean England so even the illiterate were familiar with the Bible. King James’ aim was to create a Bible that everyone could understand and it is interesting that literacy levels in England rose dramatically during this period, meaning that ordinary people could read for themselves without the intervention of learned churchmen.
This is an excellent book which brings alive an exciting period of history, often overlooked because it follows the Elizabethan age and precedes the romantic times of Charles I and II. I am hugely impressed with Adam Nicolson’s depth of knowledge and passion for his subject. An easily awarded 5 stars from me.
October 15, 2011
Another case of a book where what I learned was not what the book was about. Oh, I learned about the translation of the King James Bible, but this book is about much more. The previous translations. The history of England in the late, late 1500's to 1611. The death of Elizabeth. The ascension of King James. The Jacobeans. Queen Mary. Shakespeare. Robert Cecil. The Pilgrims. The Puritans. The Gunpowder Plot. The English of the KJB was not the English spoken by the English at the time. Even then, it was archaic, affected, high-falutin' ... intentionally so, for it's "majesty." So, this was a history book pretending to be a book about a book. Bring it on!
Very well written, easy to read, hard to put down, and not dry with facts, albeit full of facts. This book brings the events and people involved and the time period alive in a way that perhaps only a good documentary on the History Channel could ... but in words.
Very well written, easy to read, hard to put down, and not dry with facts, albeit full of facts. This book brings the events and people involved and the time period alive in a way that perhaps only a good documentary on the History Channel could ... but in words.
January 8, 2021
This was a surprisingly exhilarating read and one that has changed significantly my perceptions of the period (and hence how I'll teach it in future). The original title was Power and Glory: Jacobean England and the making of the King James Bible, but it was souped up for this edition to accompany the TV programme of the same name.
It's a very fine history of the making of what is arguably the most significant book in English; how it was collated and adapted from at least three previous versions produced overseas, with reference to the Hebrew and Greek originals, at the behest of a Scottish king. The key figures, not least James himself, are brought to life as men of their time. The Translators were a surprisingly broad-ranging group of men, from scholars to buccaneers, from leading clerical figures to a 'debosh'd and drunken Dutchman'. Nicolson's account of them is scholarly, but conversationally vivid and brimming with details that illuminate their world and their places in it.
Fittingly for the subject, the writing is literary and eloquent, but there is energy and entertainment, too. It is a satisfying buffet for the general reader and a feast for the academically inclined, especially the final chapter, and the comparison between the KJV and King Lear.
ETA: One lovely thing I gained from this book is that the Pilgrim Fathers should really have been called the Scrooby Separatists. I shall certainly think of them as that from now on.
It's a very fine history of the making of what is arguably the most significant book in English; how it was collated and adapted from at least three previous versions produced overseas, with reference to the Hebrew and Greek originals, at the behest of a Scottish king. The key figures, not least James himself, are brought to life as men of their time. The Translators were a surprisingly broad-ranging group of men, from scholars to buccaneers, from leading clerical figures to a 'debosh'd and drunken Dutchman'. Nicolson's account of them is scholarly, but conversationally vivid and brimming with details that illuminate their world and their places in it.
Fittingly for the subject, the writing is literary and eloquent, but there is energy and entertainment, too. It is a satisfying buffet for the general reader and a feast for the academically inclined, especially the final chapter, and the comparison between the KJV and King Lear.
ETA: One lovely thing I gained from this book is that the Pilgrim Fathers should really have been called the Scrooby Separatists. I shall certainly think of them as that from now on.
October 6, 2014
We weren't allowed to use the KJV of the bible as a primary resource in college as well as in seminary. Too many words had changed, or even reversed, meanings since its publication in the 17th century. Koine Greek, the primary language of its 'new' testament, was not well understood by its teams of translators. Better, older versions of the texts, unavailable or unknown then, have been uncovered in the centuries since their work was concluded. The King James, while important in literary and social history, was not regarded as a suitable basis for contemporary biblical scholarship.
While not questioning the inadequacies of the sources and scholarship behind the KJV, Nicolson goes far to extole the literary virtues of its English, far superior to his mind than other translations. His enthusiasm is infectuous, however much one may, on reflection, question the authority of what passes for aesthetic taste.
More importantly, Nicolson uses what little we know about the formation of the KJV to write about it cultural background, early 17th century England. Here he shines, his descriptive and explanatory excurses moving back and forth from his main theme, the bible, seamlessly, elegantly. His is the kind of writing that sucks one in so that one forgets that one is reading.
Years previous I had read another history of the formulation of the King James Bible, something written over fifty years ago. Unlike Nicolson's work that book had stuck closely to its topic: to those who did the translating, to the organizational structure within which they worked and so on. Nicolson manages, within similar compass, to cover the same data while doing very much in addition.
I strongly recommend this book.
While not questioning the inadequacies of the sources and scholarship behind the KJV, Nicolson goes far to extole the literary virtues of its English, far superior to his mind than other translations. His enthusiasm is infectuous, however much one may, on reflection, question the authority of what passes for aesthetic taste.
More importantly, Nicolson uses what little we know about the formation of the KJV to write about it cultural background, early 17th century England. Here he shines, his descriptive and explanatory excurses moving back and forth from his main theme, the bible, seamlessly, elegantly. His is the kind of writing that sucks one in so that one forgets that one is reading.
Years previous I had read another history of the formulation of the King James Bible, something written over fifty years ago. Unlike Nicolson's work that book had stuck closely to its topic: to those who did the translating, to the organizational structure within which they worked and so on. Nicolson manages, within similar compass, to cover the same data while doing very much in addition.
I strongly recommend this book.
August 7, 2008
I found this book fascinating. I have always loved the Bible and have read it since I was young. I also love language and often feel disappointed when I read newer translations that render the Bible into modern speech. So, the KJV is important to me and I liked learning about the men who helped create it. I think they relied on poor translations but used beautiful language. I was surprised to find how political the process of chooseing that language was. Politics rather than truth was the highest authority. I wouldn't call these men God's secretaries, but the crown's. (Of course, since JAMES appears on the dedication page in much bigger type than Jesus Christ, maybe there was some confusion on that subject.) Many reviewers seemed disappointed that this book was about the secretaries and not so much their work. I thought Bart Ehrman's book "Misquoting Jesus : the story behind who changed the Bible and why," gave an interesting account of how the Bible was actually compiled.
November 12, 2012
This book took me a while to get into. It probably took me a month, on and off, to read through it the first time. And then I sat down and read it again--and now find myself going back to read parts over and over.
The book weaves together a history of the Jacobean era, with all of its political and religious turmoil, with biographies of many of the major players involved in the translation of the King James Bible. In this section, the author explains the political and religious problems that the Translators faced, and manages to give a real sense of the religious issues that the new Translation was supposed to help to help bridge.
And then it gives just enough of an analysis of the word-by-word translation process for the reader to get an idea of how the translators managed to produce, by committee, some of the most enduring and beautiful writing in the English language.
The author argues that the Translators actually sought words and phrases that would all at once convey grandeur, be musically and rhythmically pleasing, and allow for ambiguity and encompass multiple meanings. By showing how common passages changed from the Tyndale and Geneva versions to the King James versions, and interspersing these passages with some of the few surviving notes about the translation process, the author allows the reader to imagine the whole process. One can almost hear the arguments back and forth, the Translators reading versions out loud, and the subtle process of making decisions both for political and religious reasons.
It's also worth the price of the book just to read the excerpt from Miles Smith's Preface to the KJB. This preface is not printed in any of the versions of the King James Bible that I have, and I don't know why not.
The book weaves together a history of the Jacobean era, with all of its political and religious turmoil, with biographies of many of the major players involved in the translation of the King James Bible. In this section, the author explains the political and religious problems that the Translators faced, and manages to give a real sense of the religious issues that the new Translation was supposed to help to help bridge.
And then it gives just enough of an analysis of the word-by-word translation process for the reader to get an idea of how the translators managed to produce, by committee, some of the most enduring and beautiful writing in the English language.
The author argues that the Translators actually sought words and phrases that would all at once convey grandeur, be musically and rhythmically pleasing, and allow for ambiguity and encompass multiple meanings. By showing how common passages changed from the Tyndale and Geneva versions to the King James versions, and interspersing these passages with some of the few surviving notes about the translation process, the author allows the reader to imagine the whole process. One can almost hear the arguments back and forth, the Translators reading versions out loud, and the subtle process of making decisions both for political and religious reasons.
It's also worth the price of the book just to read the excerpt from Miles Smith's Preface to the KJB. This preface is not printed in any of the versions of the King James Bible that I have, and I don't know why not.
January 29, 2017
Interesting tale of the making of the bible - very reasonable in length although overtly detailed in some cases in describing some of the translators and their back story: actual historical evidence of the actual translation process and many of the committee of translators employed are lacking and so when it exists the author over exposes it.
The book is strongest when setting out the context in which the book was written. It presents James as a natural peacemaker who took a deliberate decision to: exclude the more extreme Protestant elements (especially those who either would not accept that some practices at the high end of Anglicanism while not set out in the bible where neither forbidden there, or those who would not accept that the church came under the state and king - which was precisely what attracted James to his new Kingdom in contrast to the fractious Presbyterian system that dogged his Scottish rule) and, after the Gunpowder plot Jesuit style extreme Catholics; but otherwise to force a religious consensus. The Bible is presented as a key part of this process.
A very interesting section examines the instructions set down for the translating teams which the author believes to have the full weight of James's authority, and interprets them in the light of the author's thesis about James's views. The translators were to: preserve traditional ways of rendering proper names and concepts such as church; draw on a small number of recent translations including Tyndale's gospel (which ends up as a key influence over the text) and the low-church Geneva gospel unless they were seen as in error: preserve traditional interpretations of text unless clearly in error. Further the translators had to avoid the notes which were a key part of the Calvinistic bent of the Geneva gospel but instead employ as far as possible "circumlocution" to avoid notes. The author interprets the last instruction as being key and that it lead to the deliberate inclusion of more expressive text which preserved some ambiguity, mystery and majesty in the text as well as introducing a form of English which was already archaic at the time it was used and which is only really matched in Shakespeare's plays and which could only be done in an age which fully believed in the truths of the bible, sought to represent them in the common language (and for that to be the ultimate source rather than having to understand Greek or Latin) while preserving the need for interpretation by the ordered church.
He admits some of the flaws in this translation (its errors and reliance on incomplete and sometimes faulty understandings of both the Hebrew and the Greek in which the bible was written) but clearly thinks these are outweighed by its advantages and many times (very unconvincgly) argues for the superiority of the text both over the precedent versions which inspired it and particularly over more recent "flatter" translations. Overall a good read even if the central thesis is not convincing.
The book is strongest when setting out the context in which the book was written. It presents James as a natural peacemaker who took a deliberate decision to: exclude the more extreme Protestant elements (especially those who either would not accept that some practices at the high end of Anglicanism while not set out in the bible where neither forbidden there, or those who would not accept that the church came under the state and king - which was precisely what attracted James to his new Kingdom in contrast to the fractious Presbyterian system that dogged his Scottish rule) and, after the Gunpowder plot Jesuit style extreme Catholics; but otherwise to force a religious consensus. The Bible is presented as a key part of this process.
A very interesting section examines the instructions set down for the translating teams which the author believes to have the full weight of James's authority, and interprets them in the light of the author's thesis about James's views. The translators were to: preserve traditional ways of rendering proper names and concepts such as church; draw on a small number of recent translations including Tyndale's gospel (which ends up as a key influence over the text) and the low-church Geneva gospel unless they were seen as in error: preserve traditional interpretations of text unless clearly in error. Further the translators had to avoid the notes which were a key part of the Calvinistic bent of the Geneva gospel but instead employ as far as possible "circumlocution" to avoid notes. The author interprets the last instruction as being key and that it lead to the deliberate inclusion of more expressive text which preserved some ambiguity, mystery and majesty in the text as well as introducing a form of English which was already archaic at the time it was used and which is only really matched in Shakespeare's plays and which could only be done in an age which fully believed in the truths of the bible, sought to represent them in the common language (and for that to be the ultimate source rather than having to understand Greek or Latin) while preserving the need for interpretation by the ordered church.
He admits some of the flaws in this translation (its errors and reliance on incomplete and sometimes faulty understandings of both the Hebrew and the Greek in which the bible was written) but clearly thinks these are outweighed by its advantages and many times (very unconvincgly) argues for the superiority of the text both over the precedent versions which inspired it and particularly over more recent "flatter" translations. Overall a good read even if the central thesis is not convincing.
January 26, 2022
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) I grew up believing in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. The clarity of narrative and doctrine of Christ is hard to beat, when it comes to the Book of Mormon. We fully believe the Bible--any Christian should--and our official Bible is the King James Version, but the caveat is always "insofar as it is translated correctly." There's an understanding that the translation process is imperfect at multiple levels, and much meaning was lost over the years. Nevertheless, despite not having read the book cover-to-cover, like I have the Book of Mormon several times (again, it's just so much clearer in its explanation of the Gospel of Christ), I love the Bible.
For that reason, I was intrigued by this book. I enjoyed reading about the cultural and historical circumstances surrounding the translation, and all of the ways in which the work was conducted. It was a bit of a disappointment to learn that very few records remains that document the actual process of translation. I think the subtitle "The Making of the King James Bible" led me and many others to believe that more would be said about the process, but alas.
The last 75 pages of the book, where Nicolson dives into the nuance of language, comparing various translations, was for me the most fascinating part of the book. I wished more of the book could have been dedicated to a study like that.
Having studied other languages, and being functionally bilingual, I understand how difficult it can be to find a good balance between a translation that is true to language vs true to meaning vs true to culture, etc. I appreciated the author's thoughts on that as well.
The book was a bit difficult to follow at first, and when Nicolson directly quotes 17th century English with little or no translation (the spelling alone makes it very nearly a different language) it can be like trudging through the mud. But I respect the majority of his decisions in that area.
Ultimately, I gained a much greater appreciation of the KJV, and a better understanding of its lasting value in our culture. I would recommend to anyone interested in language, history, Christianity, etc.
For that reason, I was intrigued by this book. I enjoyed reading about the cultural and historical circumstances surrounding the translation, and all of the ways in which the work was conducted. It was a bit of a disappointment to learn that very few records remains that document the actual process of translation. I think the subtitle "The Making of the King James Bible" led me and many others to believe that more would be said about the process, but alas.
The last 75 pages of the book, where Nicolson dives into the nuance of language, comparing various translations, was for me the most fascinating part of the book. I wished more of the book could have been dedicated to a study like that.
Having studied other languages, and being functionally bilingual, I understand how difficult it can be to find a good balance between a translation that is true to language vs true to meaning vs true to culture, etc. I appreciated the author's thoughts on that as well.
The book was a bit difficult to follow at first, and when Nicolson directly quotes 17th century English with little or no translation (the spelling alone makes it very nearly a different language) it can be like trudging through the mud. But I respect the majority of his decisions in that area.
Ultimately, I gained a much greater appreciation of the KJV, and a better understanding of its lasting value in our culture. I would recommend to anyone interested in language, history, Christianity, etc.
August 16, 2021
Sometime Nicolson gets a little carried away in his own rhetoric. The book opens with an image of Elizabeth that is more provocative than true. There are a few places like that. However, Nicolson's portrait of James succeeded in making me take the King's commitment to peace-making more seriously. His portraits of the translators are always vivid.
Powerful rhetoric is what Nicolson admires in the King James Bible, and he provides convincing examples eloquently framed. The most moving example comes at the close of the book, where Nicolson visits the grave of a young man drowned at sea. The young man's epitaph comes from the King James Bible: "Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters: and thy footsteps are not known." Nicolson comments, "A lament written in the seventh or eighth century BC, translated 400 years age by Laurence Chaderton's company in Cambridge, communicating itself now in a way which is quite unaffected, neither literary nor academic, not historical, nor reconstructionist, but transmitting a nearly incredibly immediacy from one end of human civilization to another. That is the everlasting miracle of this book.
Powerful rhetoric is what Nicolson admires in the King James Bible, and he provides convincing examples eloquently framed. The most moving example comes at the close of the book, where Nicolson visits the grave of a young man drowned at sea. The young man's epitaph comes from the King James Bible: "Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters: and thy footsteps are not known." Nicolson comments, "A lament written in the seventh or eighth century BC, translated 400 years age by Laurence Chaderton's company in Cambridge, communicating itself now in a way which is quite unaffected, neither literary nor academic, not historical, nor reconstructionist, but transmitting a nearly incredibly immediacy from one end of human civilization to another. That is the everlasting miracle of this book.
September 23, 2017
While not an overly fascinating book, I found the content to be enlightening. I grew up in a KJV only religion that defined the KJV as the only inspired word of God. It was also seen as the final word in all matters of faith and practice. I found "God's Secretaries" educational and a less indoctrinated view of the KJV bible's history.
September 5, 2015
Take a society riven by social and political conflict, where religious toleration is an alien concept. Then suggest that a committee drawn from that society – not an individual – produce one of the greatest and most enduring documents in the English language. This, of course, is the unlikely tale of the King James Bible, as related in this compelling and well-researched book by Adam Nicolson.
Committees can’t perform such literary feats – except when they do, and the King James Bible is perhaps the best example. It was edited and compiled by designated “Translators” who represented both the established English church and its Puritan wing, two groups otherwise deeply opposed to each other.
Nicolson, grandson of Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West, begins with a vivid description of Jacobin society in the early 17th century, following the death of Elizabeth I and the ascension of the first Stuart king, James I. Tensions were already rising between the established Protestant church and the Puritan movement that wished to rid it of such “Popeish” accoutrements as surplices, kneeling, Latin ceremony, and even its bishops. Puritanism had many meanings in this era, but the common denominator was the desire to worship God directly, without intermediaries, through His holy word, the Bible. To call the Puritans “word-crazed” is no understatement; the same might be said for Jacobean society as a whole. Whatever their differences over Biblical interpretation, they all agreed on its supreme importance.
James I, something of a Biblical scholar himself, rejected the Puritan call for radical reform of the church, siding definitely with the bishops. He did so in large part because of his preoccupation with maintaining absolute authority as head of both church and state. (James feuded with Parliament over the same issue, one that would lead to the execution of his son Charles I and civil war four decades later.)
But James also saw himself as a reconciler who earnestly wished to proceed over a kingdom of peace, and a fresh revision of the Bible in English seemed one way to achieve such a goal. In his instructions to the Translators, James ensured tight political control over the process – no talk of “tyrants” or disobeying the authority of kings, for example – but the Translators, divided into different committees, were a remarkable cross-section of 17th century English society, with strong Puritan representation. (No extreme “separatists,” of course, such as those who eventually sailed to the Netherlands and on to America.)
Nicolson coped with a remarkable lack of documentation about the translation process itself, but enough remains – not to mention the King James Bible itself – to recognize what the Translators achieved. It was precisely the tensions and divisions of Jacobean society, Nicolson argues, that allowed them to balance the clarity and light that the Puritans sought with the majesty and mystery we associate with High Church ritual. Many of the Translators were formidable linguists as well, although their ancient Greek was stronger than their Hebrew.
They didn’t work in isolation, either. The Translators had the great achievement of William Tyndale’s English translation, the Calvinist Geneva Bible (liked by Puritans but disliked by James for its annotations), and the Bishop’s Bible, which no one particularly liked but was the official church-sanctioned version of the time.
The King James Bible was the product of a unique place and time, Nicolson writes, but its word choices and prose rhythms have proved timeless. It carried a conviction, authority, and a joyful devotion that later times and translations could not replicate. Although no longer in regular use, its language has deeply influenced English literature since its publication in 1611, echoing in examples from Wordsworth to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Analyzing a passage in the New Testament, Nicolson writes:
The Jacobean version has the great imperturbability, the air of irreproachable authority, which is the essence of sacred ritual. The Translators made a ceremony of the word. But the passage is also astonishingly vivid, turning those words into a tangible experience. They never lose sight of the physical and the bodily dimensions of existence – service, departure, eyes, sight, face, light, illumination – and adopt them as markers of and symbols for the divine.
Committees can’t perform such literary feats – except when they do, and the King James Bible is perhaps the best example. It was edited and compiled by designated “Translators” who represented both the established English church and its Puritan wing, two groups otherwise deeply opposed to each other.
Nicolson, grandson of Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West, begins with a vivid description of Jacobin society in the early 17th century, following the death of Elizabeth I and the ascension of the first Stuart king, James I. Tensions were already rising between the established Protestant church and the Puritan movement that wished to rid it of such “Popeish” accoutrements as surplices, kneeling, Latin ceremony, and even its bishops. Puritanism had many meanings in this era, but the common denominator was the desire to worship God directly, without intermediaries, through His holy word, the Bible. To call the Puritans “word-crazed” is no understatement; the same might be said for Jacobean society as a whole. Whatever their differences over Biblical interpretation, they all agreed on its supreme importance.
James I, something of a Biblical scholar himself, rejected the Puritan call for radical reform of the church, siding definitely with the bishops. He did so in large part because of his preoccupation with maintaining absolute authority as head of both church and state. (James feuded with Parliament over the same issue, one that would lead to the execution of his son Charles I and civil war four decades later.)
But James also saw himself as a reconciler who earnestly wished to proceed over a kingdom of peace, and a fresh revision of the Bible in English seemed one way to achieve such a goal. In his instructions to the Translators, James ensured tight political control over the process – no talk of “tyrants” or disobeying the authority of kings, for example – but the Translators, divided into different committees, were a remarkable cross-section of 17th century English society, with strong Puritan representation. (No extreme “separatists,” of course, such as those who eventually sailed to the Netherlands and on to America.)
Nicolson coped with a remarkable lack of documentation about the translation process itself, but enough remains – not to mention the King James Bible itself – to recognize what the Translators achieved. It was precisely the tensions and divisions of Jacobean society, Nicolson argues, that allowed them to balance the clarity and light that the Puritans sought with the majesty and mystery we associate with High Church ritual. Many of the Translators were formidable linguists as well, although their ancient Greek was stronger than their Hebrew.
They didn’t work in isolation, either. The Translators had the great achievement of William Tyndale’s English translation, the Calvinist Geneva Bible (liked by Puritans but disliked by James for its annotations), and the Bishop’s Bible, which no one particularly liked but was the official church-sanctioned version of the time.
The King James Bible was the product of a unique place and time, Nicolson writes, but its word choices and prose rhythms have proved timeless. It carried a conviction, authority, and a joyful devotion that later times and translations could not replicate. Although no longer in regular use, its language has deeply influenced English literature since its publication in 1611, echoing in examples from Wordsworth to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Analyzing a passage in the New Testament, Nicolson writes:
The Jacobean version has the great imperturbability, the air of irreproachable authority, which is the essence of sacred ritual. The Translators made a ceremony of the word. But the passage is also astonishingly vivid, turning those words into a tangible experience. They never lose sight of the physical and the bodily dimensions of existence – service, departure, eyes, sight, face, light, illumination – and adopt them as markers of and symbols for the divine.
October 29, 2021
Audible.com 7 hours 52 min. Narrated by Clive Chafer ( B)
Adam Nicholson demonstrates his love and appreciation for the English language through this history of the Jacobean Period, and the decision by King James I to produce a new Bible that could unite the countries of England and Scotland. He's written another book just about the history, but readers of this book will find much of it repeated as background for Who, What, When, and Why. Most of the records for the actual work of the six companies appointed by the king to create the new Bible were lost in a fire at Whitehall.
It's difficult to learn that the 48-50 men (8 in each company) used six currently published Bibles to create another for the primary purpose of creating one that satified the king. Nor did these men live lives above reproach. About 94% of the KJV is taken from William Tydale's translation (1525) for which he was forced to flee England and for which was later garroted and burned. The 48 had the highest credentials as teachers of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, and they gave due diligence to their task and produced a translation that is beautiful to read and to listen. After Nicholson points out the failures and errors in the KJV, he goes on to present his case in support for this translation.
Since 1611 other Greek texts have been discovered that have proved the need for updated, newer translations, and I own and use a few, but all the verses I memorized as a child and college student are from the KJ Version. This was a well-researched interesting book. I did need to increase the speed of the narration.
Adam Nicholson demonstrates his love and appreciation for the English language through this history of the Jacobean Period, and the decision by King James I to produce a new Bible that could unite the countries of England and Scotland. He's written another book just about the history, but readers of this book will find much of it repeated as background for Who, What, When, and Why. Most of the records for the actual work of the six companies appointed by the king to create the new Bible were lost in a fire at Whitehall.
It's difficult to learn that the 48-50 men (8 in each company) used six currently published Bibles to create another for the primary purpose of creating one that satified the king. Nor did these men live lives above reproach. About 94% of the KJV is taken from William Tydale's translation (1525) for which he was forced to flee England and for which was later garroted and burned. The 48 had the highest credentials as teachers of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, and they gave due diligence to their task and produced a translation that is beautiful to read and to listen. After Nicholson points out the failures and errors in the KJV, he goes on to present his case in support for this translation.
Since 1611 other Greek texts have been discovered that have proved the need for updated, newer translations, and I own and use a few, but all the verses I memorized as a child and college student are from the KJ Version. This was a well-researched interesting book. I did need to increase the speed of the narration.
October 3, 2018
Adam Nicolson has pieced together a story from the fragmentary vestiges of records that have come down to us about the translators of this magnificent text. He describes a golden age of majesty that is long gone, which is why modern translations never can achieve what this group accomplished. Our language is poorer-who could argue this fact? We are drowning in books but impoverished of mind. The values of King James day such as hierarchy, order, and rationality, are largely gone.
This book brings to life the creation of the translation and looks into the lives of the translators where anything is known of them. The language they used was archaic already in their day, and was not a form of English that was ever really spoken. They made the language more majestic to match their purpose, which was presenting a lofty translation worthy of a perceived golden age. This is a fascinating tale of a fascinating book. It's not for everyone, but I enjoyed it.
This book brings to life the creation of the translation and looks into the lives of the translators where anything is known of them. The language they used was archaic already in their day, and was not a form of English that was ever really spoken. They made the language more majestic to match their purpose, which was presenting a lofty translation worthy of a perceived golden age. This is a fascinating tale of a fascinating book. It's not for everyone, but I enjoyed it.
August 4, 2014
Back then, even a committee could write as beautifully as anything in English excepting perhaps only Shakespeare. This book has the terms of reference of the committee that wrote the King James Bible, and speculates on how it must have happened.
Not from the book, but can't resist adding Eliot's comment on first reading the Revised Standard Version: "It's the work of men who did not realize they were atheists."
Not from the book, but can't resist adding Eliot's comment on first reading the Revised Standard Version: "It's the work of men who did not realize they were atheists."
June 12, 2018
This is not a theological work on inspiration, preservation or dynamic equivalence. The bulk of this material deals with politics & personalities. The author paints the vivid landscape on which the KJV was constructed. I learned a great deal about the struggles between the Church of England, the multifaceted Puritans, the persecuted Separatists & the despised papists. Fascinating character sketches are presented about many of the more prominent Translators which surprised me when their personal devotion towards God is placed alongside their murderous hatred for reformers. A few of the chapters were a bit slow when dealing with some of the less "colorful" characters but all in all it is a very compelling collection of historic facts, some of which are surprising. The author confesses to not being a "Church-goer" but conveys a great respect for the literary masterpiece, the King James Bible.
March 19, 2009
Not really a book about the translation process or even the making of the KJV. Instead the book deals more with the period and the tensions between the Puritans and the establishment church.
While some comparisons are made between the translations made for the KJV with other translations to demonstrate how much more "rich", poetic and fraught with meaning the KJV translation is, I thought some of the claims exaggerated. In the absence of any evidence that the translators did intend all the various double and triple meanings the author read into the translated passages, I am skeptical of the claims made.
But while it was interesting read, it suffered, in my opinion, from the fact that it hardly dealt with the translation process at all, which, given the title of the book, is somewhat disappointing.
While some comparisons are made between the translations made for the KJV with other translations to demonstrate how much more "rich", poetic and fraught with meaning the KJV translation is, I thought some of the claims exaggerated. In the absence of any evidence that the translators did intend all the various double and triple meanings the author read into the translated passages, I am skeptical of the claims made.
But while it was interesting read, it suffered, in my opinion, from the fact that it hardly dealt with the translation process at all, which, given the title of the book, is somewhat disappointing.
October 9, 2017
eh, 2 and a 1/2...interesting, but he goes on and on in places
July 16, 2021
A must for anyone interested in the KJV of the Bible. Well written. Well developed. Succinct and complete.
June 6, 2013
Here’s an odd book. It suffers from a little deficiency, through no fault of its own: the story it has to tell (how the King James Bible came into being) is simply not very interesting. Most of the contributors to the King James Bible were obscure, and the historical setting is equally dull. It’s wrought with typical corruption of court, power squabbles, and serious disagreements over doctrine. What else is new throughout the 1500 years since the Bible’s books were written? Even telling the story against a backdrop of the plague and the genius of Shakespeare can’t rescue its setting.
How could our Bible emerge from such a world? But out of this stagnation, through the unlikely cooperation of divergent men, arose a masterpiece. A work meant to be chanted in church, with a rich cadence and a majestic language. Quaint even in its own time, the KJV is nevertheless the language of God, properly aged, in His antiquity and mystery.
Never mind its inaccuracies, and how we have since uncovered more original scriptures to translate. Never mind that the authors have added and subtracted to enhance the beauty of the prose. The ear is the governing organ; if it sounds right, it is right. The end result does indeed rival Shakespeare in its beauty, producing by far the most quotable literary creation in history.
Pity it’s necessary to slog through the first 150 pages of Nicolson’s book in order to appreciate the miracle of the King James Bible, but it is necessary, because that is the story. Each member of the team was to translate all the chapters in his allotted section, alone, without conferring with others. Only then were they to meet together, discuss the text and decide on their final submission. Somehow, inexplicably, it all came together, and the final chapters of Nicolson’s book are glorious. And Nicolson’s rating? A three-star story miraculously transformed into a five-star miracle.
How could our Bible emerge from such a world? But out of this stagnation, through the unlikely cooperation of divergent men, arose a masterpiece. A work meant to be chanted in church, with a rich cadence and a majestic language. Quaint even in its own time, the KJV is nevertheless the language of God, properly aged, in His antiquity and mystery.
Never mind its inaccuracies, and how we have since uncovered more original scriptures to translate. Never mind that the authors have added and subtracted to enhance the beauty of the prose. The ear is the governing organ; if it sounds right, it is right. The end result does indeed rival Shakespeare in its beauty, producing by far the most quotable literary creation in history.
Pity it’s necessary to slog through the first 150 pages of Nicolson’s book in order to appreciate the miracle of the King James Bible, but it is necessary, because that is the story. Each member of the team was to translate all the chapters in his allotted section, alone, without conferring with others. Only then were they to meet together, discuss the text and decide on their final submission. Somehow, inexplicably, it all came together, and the final chapters of Nicolson’s book are glorious. And Nicolson’s rating? A three-star story miraculously transformed into a five-star miracle.
April 9, 2021
3.5 Stars
How is it possible to spend an entire book explaining the profane milieu of the King James Bible, opening every dirty cupboard, and revealing sordid secret, and yet the work becomes even more elevated in the readers mind.
This is a fascinating book. (assuming you start out with the necessary interest in the history of the King James, and a tolerance for long diatribes about the evil deeds of people popular history has long forgotten.)
If you hold the King James in the highest regard and wish to assume that it was a solely holy en-devour that created it, skip this book. You will never be able to look at this setting the same again.
However, if you want to know more about the who's and why's of this Bible this book is lovely.
The strength of this book is the author's ambiguity. He maintains a complete lack of reverence and awe for the setting and players, but he also never shows any hostility. Everything is played straight. The absurd moments are funny. The vile moments are disgusting. And the honorable moments are shown respect.
It certainly has its faults. The book is not always focused. Too many minor characters or seemingly irrelevant events get deep dives. For a book about the "making" of the Bible it speaks almost nothing about the nuts and bolts of HOW it was made. In fact the book would be better subtitled. The WHO, WHAT, WHERE, and WHY of the King James Bible.
I felt the final few chapters were the strongest and I especially enjoyed some of the back to back comparisons of the translation choices.
I am glad I read it. Probably will not be back again for a reread but I am glad to have a little more color behind the facts.
How is it possible to spend an entire book explaining the profane milieu of the King James Bible, opening every dirty cupboard, and revealing sordid secret, and yet the work becomes even more elevated in the readers mind.
This is a fascinating book. (assuming you start out with the necessary interest in the history of the King James, and a tolerance for long diatribes about the evil deeds of people popular history has long forgotten.)
If you hold the King James in the highest regard and wish to assume that it was a solely holy en-devour that created it, skip this book. You will never be able to look at this setting the same again.
However, if you want to know more about the who's and why's of this Bible this book is lovely.
The strength of this book is the author's ambiguity. He maintains a complete lack of reverence and awe for the setting and players, but he also never shows any hostility. Everything is played straight. The absurd moments are funny. The vile moments are disgusting. And the honorable moments are shown respect.
It certainly has its faults. The book is not always focused. Too many minor characters or seemingly irrelevant events get deep dives. For a book about the "making" of the Bible it speaks almost nothing about the nuts and bolts of HOW it was made. In fact the book would be better subtitled. The WHO, WHAT, WHERE, and WHY of the King James Bible.
I felt the final few chapters were the strongest and I especially enjoyed some of the back to back comparisons of the translation choices.
I am glad I read it. Probably will not be back again for a reread but I am glad to have a little more color behind the facts.
March 9, 2019
This is the second time I have read God's Secretaries. I first read the book when it was published in 2001. I loved it then!
And I loved it now on this re-reading.
What strikes me is what I recalled from the first reading, and what impressed me on the second reading.
On the first reading, I was taken with the description of actual process. Who were the translators, how were they assembled, how did they go about their work, etc.
The second reading I saw more on the historical context. How the translation came to be, why James I would want such a translation, what was the political and religious milieu of the time. I had completely forgotten that the infamous November 5 Gunpowder plot occurred while this translation process was underway. That plot is emblematic of the religious conflicts that in part helped produce the King James translation of the Bible.
The second reading was every bit as satisfying as the first.
And I loved it now on this re-reading.
What strikes me is what I recalled from the first reading, and what impressed me on the second reading.
On the first reading, I was taken with the description of actual process. Who were the translators, how were they assembled, how did they go about their work, etc.
The second reading I saw more on the historical context. How the translation came to be, why James I would want such a translation, what was the political and religious milieu of the time. I had completely forgotten that the infamous November 5 Gunpowder plot occurred while this translation process was underway. That plot is emblematic of the religious conflicts that in part helped produce the King James translation of the Bible.
The second reading was every bit as satisfying as the first.
February 2, 2023
Phenomenal, spellbinding masterpiece exceeded only by its very subject, The King James Bible. Unforgettable portraits of leading churchmen and political figures in 17th century England. Some of their experiences and idiosyncrasies could not be made up in even the best fiction. The author provides helpful examples of multiple scriptural translations side by side so the reader can see, hear and feel the differences they make. I’m left with one overarching impression, majesty! The author has left us with a magisterial but readable book about the most magisterial of all books bequeathed to the English reader.
December 23, 2014
Not so much the _making_ of the KJV as the office-seeking & politicking of the scholars, plus the accession of James the Sixth of Scotland trying to come to grips with the very different English from the Scots he had been coping with all his life. Lots of information on the more Puritan viewpoint and exactly how it differed from C of E (and Catholicism too.) Still have to read Benson Bobrick's Wide as the Waters, and McGrath's In the Beginning.
January 1, 2020
If you liked Simon Winchester's book on the OED, you will love this book on the KJV. In fact, it convinced me to appreciate the KJV for what it is — a great work of 17th-century English literature — rather than dismiss it as an imperfect translation. I found this book to be an illuminating window not only into the KJV but into the atmosphere of Tudor/Stuart England in general.
March 8, 2019
This book was very detailed and academic. It gave a lot of information about the time and specifics about the translators. I would have enjoyed more information about the actual process of translating.
January 26, 2022
Nicolson’s book touches on many deeply held interests of mine: the Tudor and Stuart periods of English history; Early Modern English, with Shakespeare’s work particularly beloved; philology and lexicography, and words in general; and my cherished faith in Christ and the power of His revealed word. I was excited to read more about how the King James Version of the Bible, the edition I am most familiar with as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, came to be.
The majority of the volume focuses more on the men behind the new translation and the milieu of Jacobean England, which he argues persuasively undergirds much of the particular qualities of the KJV and directly impacted the final result of the Translators’ work. While this was deeply interesting, I enjoyed much more the examples offered of specific passages in the Bible, especially when compared to other versions that the Translators consulted.
In college I took an Early Modern English graduate seminar, and one of our areas of focus was comparing KJV passages with other EME versions. Many of these offer more comprehensible language or additional shades of meaning, but as Nicolson effectively argues, none match the KJV for poetry and richness of language.
I found this passage particularly resonant:
“The sense of the many threads by which the real physical world is bound to a magnificence which goes beyond the physical; the simple word held in a musical rhythm; a poetic rather than a philosophical approach to reality, an openness to the reality of dreams and visions: all of these treasured qualities of Englishness can be seen to stem from the habits of mind which the Jacobean Translators bequeathed to their country.”
There is something about the language of the KJV that sends a thrill down my spine when I read of the Creation, the Annunciation or the Nativity, or study Isaiah or the Psalms. To learn that this was part of the Translators’ avowed purpose makes that quality even more impressive.
The majority of the volume focuses more on the men behind the new translation and the milieu of Jacobean England, which he argues persuasively undergirds much of the particular qualities of the KJV and directly impacted the final result of the Translators’ work. While this was deeply interesting, I enjoyed much more the examples offered of specific passages in the Bible, especially when compared to other versions that the Translators consulted.
In college I took an Early Modern English graduate seminar, and one of our areas of focus was comparing KJV passages with other EME versions. Many of these offer more comprehensible language or additional shades of meaning, but as Nicolson effectively argues, none match the KJV for poetry and richness of language.
I found this passage particularly resonant:
“The sense of the many threads by which the real physical world is bound to a magnificence which goes beyond the physical; the simple word held in a musical rhythm; a poetic rather than a philosophical approach to reality, an openness to the reality of dreams and visions: all of these treasured qualities of Englishness can be seen to stem from the habits of mind which the Jacobean Translators bequeathed to their country.”
There is something about the language of the KJV that sends a thrill down my spine when I read of the Creation, the Annunciation or the Nativity, or study Isaiah or the Psalms. To learn that this was part of the Translators’ avowed purpose makes that quality even more impressive.
September 17, 2023
I found this facscinating, learning about the world surrounding the translation of the King James translation of the Bible.
This book doesn't deal with the religious aspects of the translation, except in the historical context. But then again, the author says he believes in God but hasn't been a church going person for years. He hints that it may be that modern religion just doesn't offer the majesty and mystery of centuries past. Therefore, he doesn't comment on some of the doctrinal confusion that certain phrases may have introduced because the translator like the sound of a phrase better than perhaps a more doctrinally correct translation.
This book isn't an account of the translation itself, but rather the social, religious, and cultural milieu of the world the KJV was translated in. The expectations when James came to the throne in England. He was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the nephew of Queen Elizabeth I. When Elizabeth died he was the next royal blood to inherit the throne.
It is also the celebration of the language used in the KJV, its richness, fullness, potentiality.
Being a king, of course there were some politics involved in creating the commitees which translated the various sections. Besides James, Nicolson gives the backgrounds on several members of the commitees. It's a fascinating book. Definitely recommended for those who are interested in history and religion.
This book doesn't deal with the religious aspects of the translation, except in the historical context. But then again, the author says he believes in God but hasn't been a church going person for years. He hints that it may be that modern religion just doesn't offer the majesty and mystery of centuries past. Therefore, he doesn't comment on some of the doctrinal confusion that certain phrases may have introduced because the translator like the sound of a phrase better than perhaps a more doctrinally correct translation.
This book isn't an account of the translation itself, but rather the social, religious, and cultural milieu of the world the KJV was translated in. The expectations when James came to the throne in England. He was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the nephew of Queen Elizabeth I. When Elizabeth died he was the next royal blood to inherit the throne.
It is also the celebration of the language used in the KJV, its richness, fullness, potentiality.
Being a king, of course there were some politics involved in creating the commitees which translated the various sections. Besides James, Nicolson gives the backgrounds on several members of the commitees. It's a fascinating book. Definitely recommended for those who are interested in history and religion.
June 16, 2023
I learned much that I didn’t know. Overall it met what I expected and was well researched. I appreciated all the situational context around who was doing the translating, who was asking for it and why, and what was happening in England at the time - all things that influenced the interpretation of the translation and the final product.
November 24, 2022
Unfortunately, almost all of the specific notes/diaries/etc regarding the King James Bible translation process have been lost, but this recounting does an excellent job of using the available information and surrounding it with related historical information, so the reader is better able to understand the time and place in which the translation happened.
September 5, 2023
An interesting book, but it turns out that there is not much evidence surviving about the creation of the KJB. Still the author does as much as he can and includes fascinating biographical vignettes of some of the translators. Also there is lots of general Jacobean history thrown in.
The major drawback to this audiobook was the frustrating monotone style of tha narrator.
The major drawback to this audiobook was the frustrating monotone style of tha narrator.
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