"No bishop, no king"
The history of King James and the KJV
There is enough known about
King James I, the king who authorized the making of the King James Version
of the Bible, to believe he was both a tyrant and a pervert (i.e. bisexual).
(A good summary of his love life as well as the rest of his life is
found here.)
Then why did King James
authorize the making of what ultimately became the most popular Bible
translation in English history? What could possibly have been the motive
behind this deviant? (The history of this is fascinating enough for
your reading here.)
In a nutshell, the Bible
used by Englishmen prior to the KJV was the Geneva Bible, published
in English in 1560. This Bible was used by the Puritans, the Calvinists,
and the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock. It was used by William
Shakespeare, John Bunyan, John Milton, and even King James himself until
he disclaimed any knowledge of it, though he quoted the Geneva Bible
in his own writings. King James intentions were clear: He wanted to
deny the common people the marginal notes of the Geneva Bible.
So, what was in those marginal
notes that King James hated so much? Quite simply the Geneva Bible spoke
against the tyranny which he practiced. To silence this opposition,
he commissioned the making of a new translation. According to his dictates,
this translation would contain no marginal notes. Moreover, King James
was raised to believe in the “divine rights of kings” in which
a king was to be tolerated no matter how corrupt. He understood the
connection between State-sanctioned Church authority and his own authority.
If the church's authority were undermined, his own authority would also
be undermined. Thus,
in this new translation he mandated that “ecclesiastical”
words and intonation be retained, viz. the word “church” not
be translated “congregation,” etc.
A common saying of King James
was, “no bishop, no king.” The people were required
to respect church (or “ecclesiastical”) rule under penalty
of imprisonment, torture, or even death. Ironically, King James’
tactics in the making of the KJV paved the way for the establishment
of freedom of religion in the United States. The Pilgrims understood
the tyranny of both church and state under King James, and were
committed to not repeat the same mistake.
Government-sanctioned, hierarchical
church rule is welcomed by tyrants like King James because it facilitates
and justifies their rule over the people. It sanctions tyranny.
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