In honor of the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible (KJB), this article reviews recent scholarship in the growing, interdisciplinary field of the history and impact of the English Bible. Beginning with the early versions of the 16th and 17th century, the contributions of literary scholars and early modern historians are explained and assessed. While the rise of the KJB is given ample consideration, emerging work in other areas is also discussed, including Catholic biblical scholarship. In later periods, the global impact of the KJB and its subsequent decline in use is given attention, alongside newer versions both in traditional printed and online formats.
The new Cambridge paragraph Bible. With the Apocrypha. King James version. By David Norton. Pp. xxxvi+1868. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. £45. 0 521 84386 3; 978 0 521 84386 7 A textual history of the King James Bible. By David Norton. Pp. xii+387 incl. 5 ills. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. £55. 0 521 77100 5; 978 0 521 77100 9 This book sets out to be a history of Christian worship with a difference. MartinStringer's field is anthropology and sociology, but, as an undergraduate, he had the opportunity to study liturgy in the theology faculty at Manchester in the days when Kenneth Stevenson and Richard Burton offered a very popular liturgy course at no cost to the university. Stringer is appreciative of the teaching, but notes that the syllabus was heavily text-based -as indeed were most liturgy courses in that era. This study purports to be from a very different perspective, namely, with the recognition that liturgy texts were for worship, and thus performance. After a brief history of the study of liturgy as a discipline, Stringer concludes that today liturgical studies mainly fall into three categories : historical study of rites, such as Stevenson's work on marriage rites ; those of a more social and cultural approach, such as Susan White's study on women in worship ; and those broader studies such as James White's Brief history of Christian worship. Stringer then turns to discuss some postmodern exponents on discourse, such as Foucault and Bourdieu, before setting out his own intention of telling a broader story of worship, with concern beyond the text, looking at performance, devotion and the story of more ordinary members of the congregations. The history is set forth in chapters covering 300 years at a time (though not hard and fast), with kaleidoscopic key themes of discourse, from text and context, to public space, hegemonic worship of empires, cosmological Christianity, devotional discourse, humanistic discourse and globalisation of worship.Like many books of extravagant promise, this book whets the appetite but the author then fails to deliver the goods. To begin with the treatment of the material is extremely uneven, with worship not at all being the main focus of some chapters ; the reader is left wondering whether sacred space, the spread of Christianity or modern mission is the real subject under scrutiny. Second, the work which promises to deliver beyond the text is in fact almost entirely based on secondary sources, some of which are now superseded. There is a certain irony in discussing postmodern writers, only to present a grand narrative based on other grand narratives ; indeed, at times the book reads like a summary of the Grove Liturgical Studies series, with a few liturgical classics thrown in for good measure. Missing are the personal diaries and accounts (other than Egeria) which are absolutely central if the views of the ordinary Christian really are to be reflected. Third, there is too much that is dated and misleading. Few liturgical scholars would attemp...
This guide accompanies the following article: Ellie G. Bagley, Writing the History of the English Bible: A Review of Recent Scholarship, Religion Compass 5/7 (2011) pp. 300–313, 10.1111/j.1749‐8171.2011.00286.x Author’s Introduction The 400th anniversary of the King James Bible (KJB) has drawn increased attention to the study of the English Bible, from its earliest versions to more recent translations and formats. In addition to the host of new publications on the subject, colleges and universities are offering a broader range of courses on the history and impact of the English Bible, both for undergraduates and graduate students. This guide is offered as an aid for instructors developing (or re‐designing) courses on the English Bible, and for those interested in adding a few days or a few weeks to existing syllabi in religion, history, or literature. Engagement with primary resources is especially encouraged, and instructors may wish to supplement facsimile‐reprinted and online editions with materials available at institutional libraries or in traveling exhibitions. Author Recommends Norton, David. (2011). The King James Bible: A Short History from Tyndale to Today. New York: Cambridge University Press. Of the many one‐volume introductions to the history of the English Bible, Norton’s stands out as both readable and containing helpful notes and bibliographies that synthesize recently published work in the field. Campbell, Gordon. (2010). Bible: The Story of the King James Version, 1611–2011. New York: Oxford University Press. This is a well‐written and engaging account, with especially good coverage of the reception history and American contexts of the KJB. Lori Ann Ferrell. (2008). The Bible and the People. New Haven: Yale University Press. This book examines the broader cultural importance of the Bible in western culture throughout the past millennium. Sixteenth‐century Bibles receive due attention, as does the subject of the Bible in America and missions and print culture in the nineteenth century. Daniell, David. (2003). The Bible in English: Its History and Influence. New Haven: Yale University Press. This is generally recognized as the most thorough narrative in recent years and is well worth having students read from selectively. Norton, David. (2005). A Textual History of the King James Bible. New York and Cambridge: Cambridge UP. This authoritative account of developments in the text of the KJB has helped to offset popular notions of the “classic,” unchanging quality of the KJB’s text, which changed significantly in editions from the eighteenth century onwards. Hamlin, Hannibal and Jones, Norman (eds.) (2010). The King James Bible after Four Hundred Years: Literary, Linguistic, and Cultural Influences. New York: Cambridge University Press. An excellent collection of essays exhibiting recent work on the literary impact and cultural significance of the KJB. Helen Moore and Reid, Julian (eds.) (2011). Manifold Greatness: The Making of the King James Bible. Bodleian Library Publishing. Contribution...
More than just a study of one dynasty, with its emphasis on political, cultural and religious history, A house divided reflects the dynamism of Europe in the early modern world.
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