Lambeth Palace Library is celebrating the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible with an exhibition, titled “Out of the Original Sacred Tongues,” that will from May 25-July 29 offer the general public the opportunity to see some of the library’s historic collections.
Lambeth Palace Library is responsible for the archives of the archbishops of Canterbury, as well as the historic collection of early printed books.
“The new exhibition sets in historical context the translation of the sacred texts of the Bible into the languages of everyday life, the controversies and discoveries, scholarly endeavours and apparatus, the influences and motives behind the many great versions of the Bible that have been produced over the centuries,” according to a press release from the library.
The Authorized King James Version is an English translation of the Bible begun in 1604 and published in 1611. James I, who instructed the translation, was king of England at the time.
At the centre of the exhibition is The Holy Bible Conteyning the Old Testament and the New, London 1611, the first edition of the Authorized King James Version, which is open at the beginning of the Epistle to the Romans. The volume will be on show alongside the translators’ manuscript drafts.
Other highlights of the exhibition include:
• Medieval English Bible translations and documents relating to their suppression; • The landmark editions which drew on the new textual scholarship of the Renaissance and Reformation, including the first edition of Erasmus’ New Testament in Greek (1516);
• Early printed vernacular translations in a variety of languages such as the first edition of Luther’s German Bible, as well as the first complete Bible in Icelandic; • Translations intended for missions, such as Gospel editions in Maori and Mohawk; and • Documents showing the drive towards modern English translations for the 20th century.
Admission to the exhibition is by pre-booking only at www.lambethpalacelibrary.org or by telephone 0871 230 1107.
Lambeth Palace Library also opened its doors to the general public in 2010 to celebrate 400 years since its foundation.