God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible

303 Pages·2003·5.08 MB·English

by  Adam Nicolson

.
J K
G O D ’ S
S E C R E T A R I E S
The Making of the King James Bible
A D A M N I C O L S O N
K J

CONTENTS
PREFACE xi
1 A poore man now arrived at the Land of
Promise 1
2 The multitudes of people covered the beautie
of the fields 20
3 He sate among graue, learned and reuerend
men 42
4 Faire and softly goeth far 62
5 I am for the medium in all things 84
6 The danger never dreamt of, that is the danger 105
7 O lett me bosome thee, lett me preserve thee
next to my heart 117
8 We have twice and thrice so much scope for
oure earthlie peregrination... 137
9 When we do luxuriate and grow riotous
in the gallantnesse of this world 147
10 True Religion is in no way a gargalisme only 173
11 The grace of the fashion of it 198
12 Hath God forgotten to be gracious?
hath he in anger shut vp his tender mercies? 216
v
god’s secretaries
Appendices
A The Sixteenth-century Bible 247
B The Six Companies of Translators 251
C Chronology 261
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 265
INDEX 273
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CREDITS
COVER
COPYRIGHT
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
vi
Praise for God’s Secretaries
“The King James Bible is the greatest work ever written
in English, period... The story of how it came into being
has been told many times — told, that is, to such extent
as it can be told... So few documents have survived this
labor — apart, of course, from the translation itself —
that piecing together the tale is at least as much a matter
of intelligent guesswork as of hard research. This is what
Adam Nicolson has done, and he has done it extraordi-
narily well. In fewer than 250 pages ... God’s Secretaries
places the King James Version in historical context,
brings vividly to life many of those who worked on it ...
gives a plausible account of how the task was accom-
plished, and conveys in Nicolson’s own passionate prose
the full grandeur of the translation.”
— Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post
“How the King James Bible came about is the theme of
Adam Nicolson’s fine book, God’s Secretaries. It is a
popular book as popular books used to be, a breeze rather
than a scholarly sweat, but humanely erudite, elegantly
written, passionately felt...”
— James Wood, The New Yorker
“This scrupulously elegant account of the creation of
what four centuries of history has confirmed is the finest
English-language work of all time is entirely true to its
subject: Adam Nicolson’s lapidary prose is masterly, his
measured account both as readable as the curious demand
and as dignified as the story deserves.”
—Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman
“Mr. Nicolson vividly describes the historical moment ...
[and] makes that far-away world fresh for today’s read-
ers. And he makes the King James Bible seem all the
more remarkable — for being the product of a divided
age, when grudging cooperation led to a masterpiece of
faith and purpose.”
— The Wall Street Journal
“The King James Bible: Its effect on our vernacular and
literature is probably as deep and as lasting as that of its
near contemporary, the canon of William Shakespeare
himself... Adam Nicolson’s re-creation of [the world of
the King James Bible] is beyond praise. In God’s
Secretarieshe brings off a brilliant freehand portrait.”
— Christopher Hitchens, The New York Times Book Review
“Nicolson tells the King James Version’s story so well
that God’s Secretaries may prove to be the King James
Version’s indispensable companion for years to come.”
— Booklist, starred review
“God’s Secretaries is readily accessible to the informed
reader. Its emphasis on background social influences
makes the King James Version and its era come alive.
Recommended for public libraries.”
— Library Journal
GOD’S SECRETARIES