In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible Book

In the Beginning is Alister McGrath's history of the King James Bible and is, as the subtitle explains, his exegesis of "How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture". McGrath's story begins with the development of the printing press, describes the forces (before, during, and after the Reformation) fuelling the demand for English vernacular translations of the Bible, and considers the impact of the King James Version on Western worship and politics. McGrath deftly blends an arch and charming, donnish argot with breezy, tough, brass-tacks directness. Of the ongoing process of creating new biblical translations, he writes, "It has yet to end; indeed, it will not end, until either history is brought to a close or English ceases to be a living language." Elsewhere, describing the cultural influence of the authorised version, he explains, "Without the King James Bible, there would have been no Paradise Lost, no Pilgrim's Progress, no Handel's Messiah, no Negro spirituals, and no Gettysburg address." A professor of historical theology at the University of Oxford, McGrath has written a number of popular books about Christianity (including The Christian Theology Reader, an Introduction to Christian Theology and Theology for Amateurs). In The Beginning continues his work of making complex matters of theological thought and history accessible to a wider audience. --Michael Joseph GrossRead More