Exhibition celebrates 400 years of the KJV

Senator Ursula Stephens officially opened the Bible Society's The Book that Changed the World exhibition in Parliament House, Canberra last Tuesday, May 24.

The exhibition commemorates the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible which was first published in 1611.

In opening the Canberra leg of the exhibition, Senator Stephens said, "You’ll find many translations of the Bible here: into Latin and Anglo-Saxon, Welsh and Russian, Chinese and even Indigenous languages.

"And they all have a story to tell: there are Bibles that came out in the First Fleet and some were found on the goldfields, the Bible the Russian Tsar gave to Governor Macquarie and the various Bibles, large and small, that have travelled with Aussie forces to war. And the commentary on them is so fascinating that I predict you’ll find yourself coming back again, for a further look and a bit more thought.

"As well as other languages, there are different English translations of the Bible here, old and new. And of course there’s a big King James Version, or 'Authorised Version', as it’s known. This version appeared in 1611, and for over 250 years it was, for all practical purposes, the only Bible in the English language…"


Rev Dr John Harris, curator of Bible Society Australia's Historic Bible Collection,  speaking at the Adelaide launch of the exhibition in April, described the "iconic King James Version of the Bible [as] the most influential book in the history of the world, published in uncountable millions and still read today, 400 years later."

Describing the breadth of the project undertaken by King James, Dr Harris said, "What James put together was the world’s greatest translation project:  54 of England’s greatest scholars in four teams, reporting to an overall editorial committee.  A mixed group, their combined strength was immense. They cared about accuracy, they cared about readability and they cared about the English language."

The Book that Changed the World exhibition featured at Adelaide University during April and will be at Parliament House, Canberra until June 28. From there it moves to Village Church Annandale (July 1-July 31;  Sydney (TBA) August 4-28; University of Wollongong September 1-28; Melbourne City Library October 2-28; Tasmanian State Library November 2-21; Launceston Library November 24-December 28 and Brisbane Square Library January 5 - February 28, 2012.

For more details of the exhibition and online version, click here .