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…"