James Baquet

    Today’s “famous person” is not a person at all. It’s a book.

    The King James Version of the Bible (commonly called the KJV) was published in 1611, a few years before Shakespeare died, and when Rembrandt and Thomas Browne were just boys. With Shakespeare’s collected works it stands as a monument of English language and literature. This was the earliest phase of modern English, and laid the foundation for the language we speak today.

    But who was King James? Here’s a little historical background.

    England’s King Henry the Eighth (Henry VIII) had a daughter, Mary, with his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. But Henry and Catherine were unable to produce a male heir. The Pope refused to annul the marriage, so Henry separated the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church.

    With Catherine safely put away, Henry married Anne Boleyn, and they had a daughter, Elizabeth. Anne was later accused of treason, and executed. Henry then married Jane Seymour, who at last produced a son, Edward. (After Jane died, Henry married three more times trying to ensure his succession, but had no more children.)

    When Henry died in 1547, his son became Edward VI. But he was a sickly boy, and died in 1553 at age 15. His sister Mary became Mary I, known as “Bloody Mary” for her brutal policies toward non-Catholics. Finally, Henry’s second daughter became Elizabeth I, one of England’s greatest monarchs.

    But when Elizabeth died in 1603, there was no one to inherit the throne. So her cousin, who was the king of Scotland, became James I of England. This “Union of the Crowns” paved the way for what we call the “United Kingdom” today.

    King James authorized the translation of the Bible that we call after him; we sometimes also call it “The Authorized Version.” It is considered to be the most widely printed book in history.

    Some of the many phrases introduced by the KJV: a broken heart; a sign of the times; to see eye to eye; to go the extra mile; the letter of the law; to put words in someone’s mouth; to wash one’s hands of the matter.

    Vocabulary

    Which word above means:

    1. action against the government

    2. leader of the Roman Catholic Church

    3. an important example of something

    4. end a contract, including marriage

    5. rulers; kings and queens

    6. person who receives someone’s goods (or power) after that person’s death

    7. made something possible

    8. process of passing on power

    9. receive the goods (or power) of one who has died