Playwright – We are steeped in the idioms and phrases of the King James Version
Yesterday “The Guardian” carried a lengthy and interesting article by David Edgar whose play about the making of the King James Bible will premiere in the RSC’s Swan Theatre at Stratford in the autumn.
The introduction to the article reads: “In trying to sum up the unique genius of the King James Bible, you need go no further than its opening words. As Adam Nicolson points out in his book on the translation, Power and Glory (now republished as When God Spoke English), the 1611 version rings subtle but marvellous changes on the most popular preceding version, which goes like this: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the waters.”
“The King James translators noticed an extra word in the original Hebrew – literally translated as “surface” – and inserted it twice. So the second sentence becomes: “And the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” As Nicolson argues, “face” is a simple, plain English monosyllable, but it also has a resonant double meaning. Simon Schama noted at the beginning of Radio 4’s all-day programme of readings from the Bible that the word “face” implies “mirror”, God’s face reflected in his creation, which reflects itself back on him. It is a wonderful example of the brilliance of a translation that has never been bettered, before or since.”
David Edgar’s play about the making of the King James Bible, Written on the Heart, will premiere in the RSC’s Swan Theatre at Stratford in the autumn. Join him and guests for a panel discussion entitled The Word for All Time: Is the King James Bible Really So Special? on Wednesday 9 March (Ash Wednesday), at Stationers’ Hall, London.
Edgar’s article is available at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/feb/19/bible-king-james-version-david-edgar