Melvyn Bragg
Thursday 9th June 2011
Bath Abbey, Bath, BA1 1LT
8pm
The King James Bible has a history as turbulent and tempestuous as the stories it contains: the 300 year fight to get the Bible into the English Language; the grisly deaths of many of the Oxford Scholars involved in its translation; the drama of the English Reformation; James of Scotland’s fierce determination for his version to become England’s bible when he assumed the throne. And it is the extraordinary story of William Tyndale – a master of English to rival Shakespeare.
The King James Bible has had en enduring impact and legacy on the modern world and its language. From the English Civil War, to the American War of Independence, to the speeches of Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy, the cadences, rhythms, and language of the King James Bible have inspired modern thought and discourse.