I have had the privilege of reading a pre-publication copy of Leland Ryken’s forthcoming book, The Legacy of the King James Bible: Celebrating 400 Years of the Most Influential English Translation, which is due out from Crossway in January.
Too many people my age and younger will simply yawn at the 400th anniversary of the KJV next year. This is both sad and bad. Negative reactions often arise due to interactions with those who argue that the KJV is the only proper English translation. This is unfortunate. In spite of the misuse of the KJV by some, this translation has had an amazingly wide and deep impact for good on the world. The KJV is a good example of an instance where the church led the culture rather than chasing it. We do well to consider and appreciate what God has done and Ryken’s book will help you to do just that.
Dr. Ryken’s book is divided into four parts:
The King James Bible in Its Own Day
The King James Bible in History
The King James Bible as a Literary Masterpiece
The Literary Influence of the King James Bible
In these sections Ryken presents the setting in which the KJV was produced, traces its impact in history, language, culture and religion, and discusses its literary merits. Even though I talk about some of these things in my classes I was amazed to learn so much more about the impact of the KJV. In addition Ryken’s forthright style made it an enjoyable read.
Dr. Ryken will be presenting some of the information in this book when he participates in our upcoming conference “KJV400: Legacy & Impact”, September 15-17, 2011 here at Union University.
So I encourage you to get the book and consider attending this conference.