Resources and Exhibits/Events

In the Library

Use the GRACE Custom Search for "Bibles" to explore the many translations and versions that are available in the library.

Lectures on the Graduate Theological Union Website

"A New Garb for the Jewish Soul": The 1917 JPS Bible in the Light of the King James Bible. Naomi Seidman, Koret Professor of Jewish Culture and Director of the Center for Jewish Studies, provides a lively commentary on the influence of the King James Bible on the 1917 Jewish Publication Society Bible translation, October 3, 2011.

As part of our Sacred Text series in February 2010, Robert Alter talks about Translating the Hebrew Bible: The Challenges and the Pleasures . Alter is Assistant Professor, Thomas E. Bertelsen, Jr. Chair of Art History and Religion Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature, University of California at Berkeley. Also, see his comments on "On the Eloquence of the King James Bible."

Online

King James Bible Online
Easily locate a favorite verse online. Please note that the 1769 version is the text that carried over into modern times.

On Eagles' Wings: The King James Bible Turns 400, July 08-October 16, 2011
Museum of Biblical Art

Manifold Greatness: The Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible
Folger Shakespeare Library
Online exhibit includes video interviews and audio presentations. Physical exhibit travels to US : Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC, September 23, 2011, through January 15, 2012; Harry Ransom Center, Austin, TX, February 28, 2012, through July 1, 2012.

Hallelujah! At Age 400, King James Bible Still Reigns, by Barbara Bradley Hagerty
National Public Radio
Broadcast includes musical renditions and remarks on use as literature.

KJV400 - Celebrating the Legacy of the Bible - 400 Years of the King James Bible
Thomas Nelson Publishing
Includes documentary History of the King James Bible, other videos, podcasts, and related resources.

King James Bible Trust
Charity founded to celebrate the 400th anniversary. Multiple resources on the site.

Books (recent)

Manifold greatness : the making of the King James Bible, edited by Helen Moore and Julian Reid
BS186.M36 2011

Begat: the King James Bible and the English language, David Crystal
BS537.C79 2010

Scapegoats, shambles and shibboleths : the Queen's English from the King James Bible, Martin Manser
PE1574.M266 2009

The King James Bible : a short history from Tyndale to today , David Norton
BS186.N66 2010

The King James Bible after 400 years : literary, linguistic, and cultural influences, edited by Hannibal Hamlin, Norman W. Jones.
BS186.K56 2010

Documentaries

King James Bible: The Book That Changed The World (2011) BBC.
Includes elaborate live-action reenactments of how the version came to be, along with on-location footage of important biblical landmarks. Some episodes are online; it is also available for rent (Netflix) or purchase.

Plays

Written on the Heart, David Edgar
Royal Shakespeare Theater, Swan Theatre
27 October 2011 - 10 March 2012

Exhibit credits

Curator, Clay-Edward Dixon, Head of Collection Development,
Bonnie Jo Cullinson, Conservator
Lucinda Glenn, Archivist
Online exhibit by David J. Stiver, Reference Librarian

Many thanks to Naomi Seidman for her lecture on "A New Garb for the Jewish Soul": The 1917 JPS Bible in the Light of the King James Bible, October 3, 2011.

We greatly appreciate the assistance of Michael Petersen in lending materials from the Rare Book Collection of San Francisco Theological Seminary and of Aaron Brody for lending materials from the Howell Bible Collection, Pacific School of Religion. Obtained in the 1950s, the Howell Bible Collection is known world-wide and was a featured exhibit at the Temple of Religion and Tower of Peace, 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition.