KJB : the book that changed the world dvd, 2010 94 minutes £5.99
Presented by John Rhys-Davies and scripted by Murray Watts, this film tells the amazing tale of events leading up to the birth of the King James Bible.
Looking back 6 or 7 centuries with the help of some dramatised episodes, the presenter visits landmarks, explains relics and takes you back to the troubled times – ‘to power and passion’, as the publisher’s blurb says.
Set in its historical context with the Reformation in recent memory, the continuing focus of the film is James the Sixth of Scotland, the First of England.
When Good Queen Bess dies in 1603 the succession is uncertain as there is more than one contender for the throne. James is quickly crowned and has to cope with conflicting religious rivalries – Roman Catholics, Bishops of the Church of England and Puritans – all vying for influence with the new, young king.
Having survived the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, James later calls a meeting of the Protestant interests – the bishops and the Puritans.
A stroke of genius (or Providence ?) causes James to call for a new translation of God’s word, thereby shifting preoccupation away from the existing translations – the Bishops’ Bible and the Geneva Bible.
The resulting committee of experts, linguists and theologians eventually finds common cause in producing the magnificent, magisterial, 1611 translation bearing the King’s name and his authority.
Its influence and impact over the following centuries has been felt not just in language and literature but in divine worship and even more generally in culture.
This film is engaging and well worth watching – a well thought out and well presented story.