Agnostic New Testament textual and early Christianity scholar Dr. Bart D. Ehrman states God “didn’t preserve the words, the conclusion seemed inescapable to me that he hadn’t gone to the trouble of inspiring them.” The KJVO/TRO argues, “Because the Scriptures are forever relevant, they have been preserved down through the ages by God's special providence.”
How Did the King James Version Come Down to Us?
The King James Bible (KJV) and the King James Bible (KJB), and the Authorized Version, is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611 by the sponsorship of King James VI and I. The 80 books of the King James Version include 39 books of the Old Testament, an intertestamental section containing 14 books of what Protestants consider the Apocrypha, and 27 books of the New Testament. Noted for its “majesty of style,” the King James Version has been described as one of the most important books in English culture and a driving force in the shaping of the English-speaking world.
THE TRANSLATORS TO THE READER: Preface to the King James Version, 1611
The 1611 KJV translators said in the 1611 Preface that they revised the 16th century English Bible trying to make advancements on the English Bible and that when new manuscripts were discovered, and a better understanding of the Hebrew and Greek happened, they expected that there would be an improved English Bible.
The King James Only Movement
The King James Only movement asserts that the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible is superior to all other translations of the Bible.
Why Is the Reign of the King James Version Over?
Exactly why are we making other translations beyond the King James Version of 1611? The King James Version has been the primary translation of the Christian community for 400 years (1611-2011). There is no doubt that this Bible alone has affected the lives of hundreds of millions and has influenced the principles of Bible translation for the past four centuries. So, why would we ever need another Bible other than the King James Version?
PREPARING THE WAY: Ancient Versions and the English Bibles before the 1611 King James Version
THERE are three great Book-religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Other religions have their sacred writings, but they do not hold them in the same regard as do these three. Buddhism and Confucianism count their books rather records of their faith than rules for it, history rather than authoritative sources of belief. The three great Book-religions yield a measure of authority to their sacred books which would be utterly foreign to the thought of other faiths.
The King James ONLY Movement (KJV Onlyists)
The King James Only movement asserts that the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible is superior to all other translations of the Bible. Adherents of the King James Only movement believe that the KJV is the greatest English translation ever produced, needing no further improvements, and they also believe that all other English translations which were produced after the KJV are corrupt. Is this true?