KJV of the Bible

This epic movie captures the viewers fascination with an honest glimpse of a darker time of the human condition. The true tale of saints and sinners, power and passion, and WHY and by WHOM the grand translation of Holy Scripture into the King James Version came to be. The movie was released in 2011 as a "celebration" of the KJV Bible's 400th anniversary of being in print. This docu-drama is narrated by John Rhys-Davies  who takes us on a historical survey of the years preceding 1611 and the political and religious landscape which confronted the new King. The story follows James I from his birth to his ultimate ascension to the English throne. Particular focus is placed on how the KJV Bible influenced the strategy of James to unify his kingdom both politically and religiously. It was filmed on location in England and Scotland with scenes inside Westminster Abbey and Oxford College and into a few of the actual rooms where the translators labored. John Rhys-Davies exudes energy and vigor in his lively narration. His booming, deep voice adds to the grandeur of the story. At one point he climbs up into the pulpit of a centuries-old church to read from the pages of the King James Bible.  The historical content is minimized to fit the budget of time and funds, however, the truth is that Puritans and Anglicans worked together on the various translation committees, and without emphasis in the film, the Puritans were in fact a decided minority. The important history of the bible was not included in this film. By 500 BC, the 39 books of the Old Testament were completed and preserved on ancient Hebrew animal skin scrolls 150 feet long.   Then a few centuries before Christ, the Jewish historical books known as the Apocrypha were completed and written in the Greek language. The King James Version and most every other version of the Bible included the Apocrypha until just after the Civil War ended. In 1880 the KJV of the Bible dropped the Apocrypha. The myth that the Roman Catholic Church wrote the Apocrypha is not historically accurate. On the island of Iona, in 563 AD, a man named Columba started a Bible College.  It was a non-Catholic source of evangelical Bible teaching for 700 years. The students of this college were called "Culdees" which means certain stranger.  The Culdees were a secret society of believers, a remnant of the true Christian faith prior to the Protestant Reformation. By 500 AD the Bible had been translated into over 500 languages.  In 600 AD the only organized church, the Catholic Church restricted the language of the Bible to only be available to the public in Latin.    One of the primary reasons the KJV Bible was written was part of the plot of James to overthrow the King and his Parliament. The creation of KJV included the poetic style of the English language and Western Culture. In the film, James was not a manipulated royal puppet nor was he the saint many have made him out to be.  The truth is that James was an intelligent human being with strength, vision and a determination that exceeded his idiosyncrasies and helped offset his faults. In other words he was an above average human, with self-centered goals.  Our God is King of the Universe and He is entirely aware of who He shall use to confound the wise. He uses weak people, smart people, and driven people to accomplish His purposes. He demonstrates throughout history that in our weakness, He is strong.  

The oldest copies of the New testament that exist today are: The Codex Alexandrius and they can be found in the British Museum Library in London. .