Show d is i. i HM 4 t II j c it bC curt of 01 f 6 f OIO e f n to len u. u Nt IC ll pr foa t u It of Ob fie f fn k bt loft i td U t Cot ro m. tbt of tU ft 3 tcO Jh l L La not noc W. W boti L LL of epic r tails t m ut t lafe tl ms ud p 1 o I. I I I e Yf erry e t r tr t i r f I of fir e sh Dh i f Now Now when J Jesus Jelu was born In Beth Deth- l lehem h m of ot Judea In the days of ot lI Herod rod the king behold there came wl wile men from the east to Jerusalem Buying Baying Where I Is he hi that I to Is born King of ot the Jews f for r we have seen big hll star atar In the east and are come cOm to worship him When they law saw the itar star the they re rejoiced re- re joked with exceeding great soy Joy And when they were come Into the house houie they taw saw the young child Mary his hla mother and tell fell down and worshipped him and when the they had opened their treasures they presented t unto him gifts old gold and frankincense I and myrrh By JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN O 0 GOES In part the story atory In Inthe Inthe Inthe the King James Bible DIble 1011 1611 of ot the birth of ot Christ and the adoration of ot the Three Kings of ot the Magi Magl Orient Magi wise men men men-as as told by St. St Matthew l The Bible Dible Is la laThe The Book for tor every day In Inthe Inv inI v I the year as shown by the fact tact that It la Is s incomparably the worlds world's best seller But It Is la especially espe espe- laity The Christmas Book for tor It Is la lathe the very fount of ot the Christmas In Inspiration In- In and of ot the Christmas spirit Christianity Is le the driving power of the world Skeptics may point to the World war as 88 evidence that Chris Christianity has tailed failed Churches and sects may nay quarrel among themselves Fundamentalists Fundamentalists Fundamentalists Funda Funda- mentalists and modernists may fiercely dispute about the authority of the Bible DIble The file Reds Beds may predict the decline de de- cline dine and fall of ot Christianity Nevertheless Never Christianity after utter nineteen centuries still remains the driving power of ot the world And the central fact tact of ot Christianity Is Jesus Christ Christ- Ills HIs life lite Ills person Ills teachings So the Bible Is the Christian Book Dook The four tour verses from St. St Matthews Matthew's account of ot the birth of ot Christ are given gl exactly as found In the modern printing of ot the King Jam James s Bible I which la lit still the accepted text with willi many churchmen notwithstanding the many versions which the centuries have hove bro brought It Is often otten called ailed the Authorized Bible for tor the reason that It had the sanction of ot both the thel l English king and of ot English scholars The fhe King James translation had hall Inception Inception In In 1004 1 at nt a conference at nt Hampton co court rt It was then determined deter mined that a a I translation should bo be made which could could be accepted ns as fundamentally correct seven Forty-seven translators were named from the foremost foremost fore tore most scholars of ot England The first draft was completed In 1000 1600 Two years fEars were devoted to revision It was printed In London In 1011 1611 by Robert Robert Rob Rob- ert Barker Darker That this translation was an nn tant undertaking Is shown by the address address address ad ad- dress to King James Tames of ot the translators of ot which the beginning and fourth paragraph are as aa follows To the Most Olt High and end Mighty Prince James Jamel b by the Grace Orace of God King of Great Britain France and Ireland Defender Defender De De- fender of ot the Faith Ac ko 0 the Translators Translator of the Bible Dible wish Grace Mercy and P Peace ace through Jesus Christ our Lord There are Infinite arguments of ot this right Christian and religious affection In Your Tour Majesty Maty but none Is more forcible to declare It to others othera than the th I vehement and perpetuated desire of ac accomplishing so ao- and publishing of ot this work which now with all humility we e present unto Your Tour Majesty For when Your Tour Highness had once out of ot deep Judgment apprehended how convenient It was wae that out of the Original Sacred Tongues together with comparing of ot the labours both In our own and other foreign Languages of many worth worthy men who ho went before us there should be one more exact Translation of the holy Scriptures Into the English Tongue Your Tour did never desist to 10 urge and to excite te those to whom It was commended that the work might be hastened and that the business might be expedited In so ao decent a manner man roan ner as aa a matter of such Importance might justly require This James 1625 1500 was Wall the son of ot Lord Darnley and Mary Queen of ot Scots In 1507 1667 he be became James 1 of ot Scotland and In 1603 succeeded Queen Elizabeth as James Tames I king of ot England Scotland and Ir Ireland land He lIe was said by his hla contemporaries to be bethe bethe bethe the wisest fool tool In Europe The King James version Is la by no means the first English Eglish Bible That honor probably belongs to a manuscript manuscript manuscript manu manu- script translation of ot about 1380 by John Wycliffe the famous preacher from the Latin Vulgate Incidentally Incidentally Incident Incident- ally It Is of ot Interest to note note- that In his Ills preface wrote The Bible Is for the government of ot the pe people by the people and for tor the people which Is suggestively similar to Lincoln's Lincoln's Lin Lin- coln's coins famous utterance In his Gettysburg Gettysburg Gettysburg Gettys Gettys- burg Address How many ninny manuscript manuscript manu manu- script copies of translation were made malle Is not known eight of ot hisHme his hla time are are still In existence ence It la is kno known n however that these manuscript manuscript manuscript manu manu- script c copies pl s were In semi-secret semi circulation circulation circulation cir cir- cir cir- In fn England down to the end endot of ot the Fifteenth century Now we wo come to the first complete English Bible the title page of ot which Is 11 herewith reproduced Its Ita date Is ns as as the foe toc simile shows It was not a 11 translation from original Greek and Hebrew v texts text from the Douche and Latin as the title page sets Bets forth The names of ot translator and printer are ore not set forth But they are known The translator was Miles Mlles Coverdale 1483 1489 lJ 1508 1568 I und and the printing was done In Switzerland probably In Zurich It Is considered a scholarly version No perfect per pero feet copy cOPl Is la known knOWD to be extant Much of ot the lettering of ot the Illus Illustrations can b be read The upside- upside down scroll In connection with Adamand Adam Adamand Adamand and Eve and the serpent In the Garden of ot Eden reads In what bat daye days BO so ever thou thon thereof thou shall dye dye Note the vv v which It is used for w which Is not followed In la the center lettering In old English r v and u were practically Interchangeable hence w was literally u. double-u. The seventeenth seventeenth seventeenth seven seven- verse of the second chapter of Genesis In the King KID tames James version reads But of ot the tree of ot knowledge of good and evil thou not eat of it Itt IU I Ifor for In Inthe the day thou thoa thereof thou thon surely die A significant cant piece of ot decoration on this title page pare la is that et lit the bottom between the two scrolls It It Quite evidently represents King Henry Vm YIU to whom the translation was waa dedicated dedicated dedi dedi- sated by Myles Coverdale presenting this first complete English Bible to church and civil dignitaries Henry VIII Bluff Bluff King Hal the Hal the king of 01 many wives procured wives procured In 1534 1634 the passage of ot the Act of ot Supremacy which severed severee the connection of the English church with Rome nome and appointed appointed appointed ap ap- pointed the king ane and his Ma successors the protector and only supreme head bead of ot the church and clergy of ot England So It was quite In order for tor him to bring out a new vera version Ion of ot the Bible An odd bit of ot decoration for tor the ti titie title tI ti- tIe tle page of ot a Bible Is the suggestion suggestion tion of ot the Order of ot the Garter with Its famous motto This II la the highest highest highest high high- est order of ot knighthood In Great Britain Brit Brit- aln ain and Its membership Is about 60 ro Including the sovereign the Prince of ot Wales Vales and 24 knights com compan pan ions It was WIlS established by Edward III 77 1312 about 1345 The legend of ot It Is that at a state ball the the Countess of ot Salisbury lost her garter which Edward picked up and placed on his own onn knee Ills courtiers thereupon thereupon thereupon there there- upon snickered whereupon the king exclaimed as we now write It lion Honl I salt BOlt qui mal y 1 pense This literally means Shamed be bo lie he who vho thinks e evil ll of ot It We how translate It Evil to him who evil thinks Suppose we wo put the kings king's utter utterance nce conversely thus Good to him who good thinks That Is ig not so 80 very far tar from Peace on earth to men of ot good will will as the Roman Boman Catholic Douay Doua version of ot the Bible DIble translates the tile Christmas message |