Celebrating 400 years of the King James Bible

COLERAINE Borough Council is delighted to announce the opening of an exhibition entitled ‘Celebrating 400 years of the King James Bible’, to be curated with Wilbert Patterson, in Coleraine Town Hall from Thursday.
By The Newsroom
Published 3rd Apr 2012, 08:10 BST

Sarah Carson, Collections Access Officer, Coleraine Museum, explained: “In 1604, King James set a task to 48 scholars – to create a Bible which would be accepted by all. In order to do this they were to consult and translate the existing ancient Bibles into English.

v “This revised version took seven years to complete, including the cross check of draft versions, reviews and amendments. Robert Barker, printer to the King, published the Bible in1611, and since then it is estimated to have sold a staggering one billion copies, making it the best selling English book in the world.

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“Unconsciously, for many, the text has slipped into our everyday vocabulary with phrases like, ‘in the twinkling of an eye’, ‘a sign of the times’, ‘to go from strength to strength’, ‘skin of your teeth’ or ‘to put words into someone’s mouth. All these sayings originate from the 12,000 words that make up the text of the King James Version of the Bible.

“The exhibition comprises of beautiful facsimiles and fascinating original Bibles from Wilbert Patterson’s collection and from the Coleraine Museum Collection. In age, they range from a facsimile of the oldest bible in the World - Codex Sinaiticus – “The Book of Sinai” (AD 350), to the King James Bible given to soldiers fighting in WWII (1939 – 1945).”

The remarkable history of the Bible will also be explored in an entertaining talk by Wilbert Patterson, to be held in Coleraine Town Hall on Thursday, April 12 at 7pm; all welcome and free to those attending.

The making of the King James Bible is considered through two film screenings - ‘KJB – The book that changed the World’ on Saturday, April 14 at 2pm and ‘KJV – The Making of the King James Bible’ on Saturday, April 21 at 2pm, both in Coleraine Town Hall.

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Spaces are limited for both the talk and film screenings, please book your place by contacting leisure services – [email protected] or 02870347234. The exhibition runs until April 28 and will be open Monday to Saturday 11am – 4pm, excluding public holidays.