largely involving the social history of the period and the enormous influence the KJV has had on the English language along with BCP and Shakespeare. It is the flourishing era of Elizabeth England atop the Tudor State which is the basis of the book, and just how far the political stability of the era required a little island nation which had just weathered attack by Imperial (Catholic) Spain from an irate brother-in-law, could navigate between the Scylla of Catholic Absolutism in France and Spain, and the Charybdis of Protestantism in extremis - Puritanism as embodied in (believe it or not) radical, revolutionary Geneva.[return][return]That Protector Somerset could set the ball rolling did not stop it taking a few perilous turns as James I disappointed Presbyterians by his love of bishops and his son paid gor this disappointment with his head and a Puritan Republican Commonwealth until the revolution faltered and a new King returned with revised Prayebook, restored Anglican Church and its AV Bible which survived the lunacies of Charles II's brother and the rocky Stuart Era to be the epitome of Anglicanism even if the modern Church has worked assiduously to pull up its roots.

I just finished reading Alister McGrath's book "In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How it Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture". Even though I've read over a dozen books on the topic of English Bible translations, I was suitably impressed with the information in the book. I'd expected the book to be a review of information I was already aware of, but McGrath added pieces to the puzzle I was unaware of. McGrath went into some political and religious areas to explain what happened to the KJV after pupublicationand part of the book was the influence the King James Version had on the American colonies.

I was a bit disappointed the book didn't discuss into the successors of the KJV, such as the RV, ASV, RSV, NKJV, etc.

All-in-all, this is a 5-star book. This would be a good choice for a layperson who wants to learn about the history of English Bible translations. ( )

Very entertaining and informative; I ended up wishing for more information. ( )

I was curious how the King James Bible came to be, and Mr. McGrath well more than answered my question. Martin Luther started it all in the 1520s, ninety years later something like 30 Oxford and Cambridge scholars came together at King James's behest and, using Luther's bible as a guide, compiled the King James version of the Bible. Interesting fact: the book's English usage was considered archaic even back in the 1610s. Also, the word "atonement" was coined by the King James' consortium for a Hewbrew word that had no then-present equivalent. I could go on, but I won't. Go forth and read. ( )

I'm not a Biblical scholar or an authority on the history of the English language although both subjects are of interest to me. This is not a book for those looking to discredit Bible translation as a way to discredit Christian faith. Obviously, the author has a great deal of respect for those that took on this task. However, he doesn't shrink from telling all the "dirty laundry" associated with the translation and the acceptance of the KJV. If we think politics and religion get all mixed up today, we only have to read this to find that there is nothing new in the world.

All in all, I found this book interesting, easy to read (except for a few places), and enlightening. ( )