EARLY ENGLISH VERSIONS OF THE BIBLE

The King James Version of the Bible was not the first English language translation. The first English version was translated by John Wycliffe in 1395 a.d., 216 years before the King James Version. Besides the Original Language texts and the Latin Vulgate, there were five English versions in existence when the translators prepared the King James Version in 1611 a.d.. The King James Version commonly used today is not the ORIGINAL King James Version, but an updated version (second revision, 1850); in fact, there were three versions of the King James Version altogether. There are two excellent revisions after the 1850, which are excellent renditions of the Scriptures into English. The Revised Version (1885) is in English English and the American Standard Version (1901) is in American English. John Wesley made his own translation of the New Testament (1755) which is included for the purpose of comparison. Modern versions in English have value only as they relate to the veracity of the older versions. While there is much controversy as to the acceptability of modern versions, it is good to keep in mind that languages change over time and just because something is old does not mean that it is the best translation--and neither does it mean that something new is better than the old!