You’ve seen the book – we've read the words!  In 2011, Holy Trinity Church Aldershot held a Bible reading marathon to celebrate the publication of the first authorised English version of the Bible, 400 years ago.

From Monday 28th March, members of Holy Trinity Church at the bottom of Victoria Road, Aldershot, publicly read the whole Bible in a 6-day marathon, from 9 am to 9 pm each day.  The Bible has over 1200 pages of stories, poetry, history, wisdom and teaching, including accounts of the life and death of Jesus, and it is estimated that it will take 6 days to read right through from Genesis to Revelation.  Members of the public were invited to share in the 400th anniversary by dropping in at any time to listen to part of the reading and to take advantage of this rare opportunity.

The Vicar, George Newton, said ”The Bible provides the foundation for Christian understanding and belief.  It is amazing how, after all these many centuries, the words of the Bible still have an authority and power.  I have lost count of the number of people I've met who have been impacted and had their lives changed, because of an encounter with God through the Bible.”

The King James Version of the Bible, first published in 1611, is the most widely published text in the English language and has had a huge influence on how we say things today.  The images of the “fly in the ointment”, “Armageddon,” “love of money as the root of all evil,” “turning the other cheek”, and “going the extra mile” all come from the Bible.  If “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”, you may be “led like a lamb to the slaughter”.  And in a town from which so many have died in wars, the Bible teaches us that “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

The Rev’d Newton added “Some of the English used in 1611 is a little difficult to understand today, so the reading at Holy Trinity will be from a more recent translation.  The original translators wanted everyone to understand what the Bible says, and would have welcomed the newer versions available in modern English today.  Come and hear the words of this best-selling book live at Holy Trinity during the week of 28th March.” 

Notes:

1. The earlier part of the Bible (the Old Testament) was originally written in Hebrew, whilst the New Testament, which begins with the birth of Jesus Christ, was written in Greek.  In the Middle Ages churches in Western Europe used a Latin translation of the Bible, which only educated people could understand.  The King James Version was not the first translation of the Bible into English and it drew on some of the earlier attempts.  Its importance lies in the fact that it was the only version “authorised” to be read in churches and therefore superseded all older versions.  Because around 50 scholars worked on it, it was also a more accurate translation of the original text.
2. The reading in Holy Trinity church will use the New International Version of the Bible.  This is a widely used modern translation, which retains the meaning of the old version, but avoids old fashioned wording such as “thee” and “thou”.