Nowe the workes of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adulterie, fornication, vncleannesse, lasciuiousnesse, Idolatrie, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Enuyings, murthers, drunkennesse, reuellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I haue also tolde you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherite the kingdome of God. (Galatians 5:19-21; KJV1611)

Is The 1611 Bible The Only Authorized Version?

The tower of Babel was where God created the multi-national, multi-language world, where each society would identify itself by culture and speech. Before the flood, all humanity spoke one language. The identity of that language is unknown. After God confused the tongues of those at Babel, the world became a different place where many thousands of languages would evolve. English is not an ancient language, having only formed in the past six hundred years to early modern English. None of the ancient texts were written in English as it did not exist.

When the Old Testament was complete, it was primarily written in Hebrew and a few sections in Aramaic (Chaldean). The New Testament is the best-preserved book of antiquity and was written in Koine Greek. While presently a dead language, Koine Greek was the most widely known language in the days of Jesus and the early church. As a Jew, Jesus and His apostles would have spoken Hebrew. Greek and Latin were also used, as seen when Pilate affixed the titulus on the cross of Jesus. For clarification, Jesus and the disciples did not speak English – it did not exist. The New Testament books were written in Greek. None of the original copies of the books are preserved, but there are thousands of manuscripts.

Through the centuries since the first century, the written word of God has guided men to His will. The Lord never had a single version of manuscripts that was a singular testimony of the divine word. When the scriptures were taken to different lands, the word would be translated into that language. The Ethiopian eunuch had a scroll of Isaiah he was reading when Philip joined him. After he was baptized, the eunuch returned to his home in Ethiopia, and a clear assumption would be for anyone to read the scroll, it would need to be translated. It would not have been English. Through the years, the completed revealed word of God was found in the Vulgate Bible but suppressed by the Roman Catholic Church.

Men like John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, and Miles Coverdale translated the Bible into English. The Great Bible was printed in 1539, and the Geneva Bible in 1560. In 1611, King James of England ordered a revision of the Bishop’s Bible completed by 47 of England’s best scholars. It would be forty years before the 1611 version would overtake the Geneva Bible in popularity. Other versions have since added to our knowledge of the early manuscripts. These Bibles were in the English text as the British Empire spread English worldwide.

The King James Version is called the “Authorized Version” because it was authorized by King James, not King Jesus. Nothing is inherently wrong with the King James Version, but the language is more archaic. Words are used in the KJV that are unfamiliar to the modern man. Newer versions like the New King James have attempted to elevate the ancient words to a modern understanding. The KJV translators refused to translate the Greek “baptize” to the English word “immersion,” instead transliterating the word to “baptism.” Acts 12:3 includes the word “Easter,” which is not in any manuscripts.

Some suggest the King James 1611 Version is the only version God will accept. The problem with their position is Jesus did not speak English. There were many translations of scripture from the early church until 1611, and to suggest the 1611 version is the only authorized version eliminates any version before 1611. How can man know what to do to be saved if God cannot give him a Bible to read and understand? When translating the scriptures into Spanish, the translators do not go to an English version of the KJV 1611 to translate. True scholars go to the manuscripts for translation of scripture. Many manuscripts are confidently used to determine the text. The KJV 1611 version is not that manuscript.

God is powerful enough to create the universe. Can one expect that God is not powerful to provide all humanity with the completed revelation of His word? Critics of those who use versions other than KJV 1611 indict God as a failure to keep the preserved word from the first century. The truth has been on earth for more than two thousand years. Care must be taken to select a good translation that uses the manuscripts for their textual foundation. While the KJV 1611 is a good version, it is not the only authorized version.