The Reformation: The King James Bible (Text-based Response).

Background:

One of the major concerns for Martin Luther, aside from the Church selling Indulgences, was the fact that only the clergy had access to the Bible and it was up to priests to read and interpret the meaning of the Bible to the people.  He felt that in order for people to truly believe in Christ and be good Christians that they needed to read and interpret the meaning of the Bible for themselves.  At this time the most widely read Bible was the King James version, which is still the translation of the bible that most churches use to instruct their parishioners about Jesus and the Christian faith.

Directions:

Read the small summary of the history of The King James Bible (a digital copy of the summary has been attached to this post) and answer the focus questions in the text entry box.  The text entry box will appear when you tap the Submit Assignment button.  

Remember to copy and paste the questions into the text entry box and answer the questions in complete sentences to receive full credit.

Questions:

1. Why did King James order a new English translation of the Bible? Why do you think the Bible that came from this decision was called the Authorized Version?

2. Why did it take 47 people to complete the translation?

3. What do the translation methods and rules suggest about the importance of the project?

4. Why do you think the King James Bible was so successful?

Digital Copy of worksheet:

History and Literature - The King James Bible.pdf