King James’s Motivation Behind Translating the Bible
We have few kings and monarchs left in our world, but we know they’re very busy people. Even if their roles have largely changed thanks to the popularity of democratic governments, they still work hard for their countries. Older monarchs from times gone by, such as King James I in the 1600s, had to work even harder, since they had more prominent governmental roles.
How, then, did a busy ruler such as King James find the time and motivation to translate the Bible? The king had many motivations behind his translation, and we describe some of the most important ones below.
Calming Religious Disputes
King James I came to power during a tumultuous time. He inherited the Scottish throne from his mother, Mary, the Catholic queen of Scotland. When his distant Protestant cousin Queen Elizabeth I of England passed away without an heir, he was the closest relative and assumed the English throne.
Both England and Scotland struggled with religious disputes between Catholics and Protestants, as well as disputes among Protestant denominations, such as those breaking away from the Anglican church. Different groups were translating the Protestant Bible, and these translations often clashed. This was especially true of the Bible that Anglican officials were using, commonly known as the Bishop’s Bible. James hoped that one official English Bible translation would calm these disputes.
Ending Political Upheaval
The Anglican church had close ties to the English monarchy, since it was King Henry VIII who split from the Catholic church to create this Protestant denomination. This close connection between religious and political power meant that the religious disputes we mentioned above threatened Anglican bishops, Parliament, and the king himself. James hoped that if he agreed to an official English Bible translation based on the Bishop’s Bible but written for the common people, he could end this political upheaval.
Improving Personal Reputation
James hoped that commissioning a new, beautiful Bible translation wouldn’t just quell religious and political disputes. It would also ingratiate himself with the English people, some of whom had not originally wanted him on the throne following Elizabeth’s death. Giving people direct, easy access to their religious book and making that book the same as the one used in church democratized Protestantism. It was no longer just the religion of the powerful; it was also the people’s religion.
King James’s motivation behind translating the Bible was to promote peace and improve his reputation. Unfortunately, religious and political upheaval still lead to the English Civil Wars, which lead to the death of James’ son. While the translation did improve his reputation, and we are still grateful for this translation today, many of his motivations were not realized.
If you want to partake in the amazing history of this book, the KJV Store sells the Scofield Study Bible. It is a KJV Bible translation with a helpful commentary printed alongside the translated text that will help anyone better appreciate this beautiful book.