In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth, and the Earth was without... The King James Bible is an intensely political work and up until the 17th century translating the Bible into English was a dangerous act, done in secret and punishable by death.
Then in 1604, King James I of England authorised a new translation of the Bible with the intention to clarify religious differences, but also to solidify his power and Supremacy.
In so doing, he unintentionally democratised a book which for so long had been withheld from the masses.
He ended up creating the people's Bible.
The King James version, or the KJV, is considered one of the most influential books the Western world has ever known.
Its influence is partly the result of sheer volume, as more copies have been sold than any other book since its publication in 1611 - between 5 and 7 billion.
It contains a staggering 66 books, 1,189 chapters, and 800,000 words.
Regardless of one's belief, the KJV is a book of great poetic power, and its words and rhythms are still on our tongues and in our writings.
It has enriched the English language beyond measure, permeating everyday English and contemporary English idiom.
It has inspired writers like John Milton, Herman Melville, J. R. R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, William Blake, Emily Dickinson, Henry Miller, Chinua Achebe, Seamus Heaney, and Toni Morrison.
