Since the Bible so widely used in homes and churches to this day is often called the "King James Version," it is of interest to discover the exact nature of the relation between that monarch and the translation associated with his name. Of course, King James was not himself the translator of this version, that task being assigned to a large committee of scholars. Nevertheless, not only was James I an ardent student of the Scriptures, but he had produced a paraphrase of the book of Revelation, besides translating certain sections of the Psalter. Thus he might well be expected to favor the great enterprise which culminated in the publication of the Authorized Version. This rendering, however, as Dr. Hoare points out, "had its origin in something very like an accident" (Evolution of the English Bible, p. 241).
In January, 1604, less than a year after his accession, James called a large conference to meet with him at Hampton Court, not for the purpose of launching, or even discussing, any new translation of the Bible, but simply to consider what is known as the "Millenary Petition"—a document presented by the Puritan party within the Church of England, requesting certain changes in the Prayer Book and pleading for a higher standard of education among the clergy of the day. As the conference proceeded, it became increasingly apparent to the Puritans that scant attention was being paid to their plans for the revision of the Prayer Book, and, as a last resort, they affirmed that the Bible translation on which it was based was most unsatisfactory. As the Preface to the Authorized Version puts it: "When by force of reason they [the Puritans] were put from all other grounds, they had recourse at the last, to this shift, that they could not with good conscience subscribe to the Communion Book [i.e., the Prayer Book] since it maintained the Bible as it was there translated, which was, they said, a most corrupted translation."
The seed immediately took root in the king's thought. Affirming that "he had never yet seen a Bible well translated in English," he desired that steps should be taken for the production of a new translation or revision, which was to be prepared by the most learned academic scholars of the day, and revised by the leaders of the church, while he felt that later it should be presented to the Privy Council and eventually ratified by himself. Thus it was that King James definitely suggested the preparation of our Common Version, and it was not long before this great enterprise was fully under way.
