In praise of … the Authorised Version | Editorial | Comment is free | The Guardian

In praise of … the Authorised Version | Editorial | Comment is free | The Guardian

In praise of … the Authorised Version

From the cradle to the grave, those of us who ply the wordy trade are in debt to the King James Bible
Editorial


The Guardian, Thursday 25 November 2010


To every thing there is a season, so it is confusing that the anniversary celebrations of the 1611 publication of the Authorised, or King James, Version of the Bible should already be well under way in 2010, six weeks before the anniversary year and more than five months before the 400th birthday on 2 May. But such premature acts are signs of the times, and the Duke of Edinburgh launched things on Tuesday with a party; tonight a church in Preston has a non-stop reading, while over the coming weeks commorative events will be fruitful and multiply. The great and the good, to say nothing of Richard Dawkins, are giving their support, so the writing is on the wall for those who delay in joining in. What's to celebrate? Well, from a material point of view, the Authorised Version is one of Britain's biggest exports – 2.5bn copies cast upon the waters so far, though some put the figure much higher. Less measurably, the British Museum's Neil MacGregor rates it one of the first rocks of Britishness – "made by the whole island to be used by the whole island." Then, as David Crystal shows in his wonderful book Begat: the King James Bible and the English Language, the Authorised Version has probably had more impact on the language than any other work – contributing no fewer than 257 phrases in everyday use. From the cradle to the grave, those of us who ply the wordy trade are in its debt. Even if you do not turn to the Authorised Version itself next year, do read Mr Crystal's book. No rest for the wicked.

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