Teaching & Learning Guide for: Writing the History of the English Bible: A Review of Recent Scholarship

Abstract

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...