From Library Journal
Many today tend to take the Bible for granted and fail to recognize its permanent influence upon politics, literature, and law. During the 16th and 17th centuries, however, the availability of the scriptures in the vernacular inspired a revolution of free thought culminating in concepts of constitutional government and democracy whose impact upon the world continues to the present day. The far-reaching implications of the printing press, the rise of English as a national language, and the Reformation all closely bound to the history of the vernacular Bible figure prominently in the narrative of both of these new histories of the King James Bible. Wide as the Water (beginning with the early development of Christianity in Britain and ending with the period of the American Revolution) details the unique stamp of the English people upon Bible translation through the lives of early reformers such as John Wycliffe and William Tyndale. Although the history of the English Bible is covered in a concise and informative way, In the Beginning primarily focuses upon the translation of the King James Bible and is richly illustrated. Each work supplies a chronology and a comparison of major English translations of the most well known passages. McGrath's book contains informative appendixes which are unique to his work: "The Evolution of the English Bible," "King James Translators, by Company and Assignment," and "Richard Bancroft's Rules to be Observed in the Translation of the Bible." Both books are a pleasure to read. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries. [Wide as the Waters was previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 12/00.] Michael W. Ellis, Ellenville P.L., N.
- Michael W. Ellis, Ellenville P.L., NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
In surveying the translators and translations that paved the way for the King James Version, Bobrick rightly combines the history of translation with that of a political process that included key developments in the forging of Anglo-American democracy. The period under consideration runs from the end of the fourteenth century to the beginning of the seventeenth--that is, from Wycliffe to Tyndale and Coverdale to King James. Surely the emergence of the English Bible was connected to the broader struggle for vernacular translations often associated with the Protestant Reformation and its forerunners, such as Jan Hus. But it was also related, partly because of the unique shape of the English Reformation, to a habit of independent thought that is critical to democracy. Extracts from several translations afford comparative opportunities as well as illustrate the development of the language, yet what may interest most readers is Bobrick's demonstration that an interweaving of theology, politics, and language gave the King James Version its privileged place in the English language and English culture. Steven Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
About the Author
Benson Bobrick earned his doctorate from Columbia University and is the author of several critically acclaimed works, including Wide as the Waters: The Story of the English Bible and the Revolution It Inspired and Angel in the Whirlwind: The Triumph of the American Revolution. In 2002 he received the Literature Award of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. He and his wife Hilary live inVermont.
