Check your attic. You’ll never know what you’ll find. The vicar of St. Gile’s Parish Church in Wrexham, in the Church of Wales found a first edition of the King James Bible.
The Rev Dr Jason Bray stumbled upon it as he was taking stock at St Giles Parish Church in Wrexham town centre.
He said: “We basically found it when we were going through the cupboards.
“We didn’t know it was a first edition, but we sent photographs to the National Library of Wales and they confirmed that it was, dating back to 1611.
“It has been authenticated, and as far as we know, has always been here.”
He added: “King James wanted everybody to use the same Bible and have it put in all the churches. What he was trying to do was create some sort of uniformity.”
The Bible is an important find for the church as it is one of just a few copies of the first edition of the authorised Bible, which set guidelines not just for Christian worship in the English language, but also for the English language itself.
It was printed in London by Robert Barker, printers to King James I, who commissioned the Bible’s translation at Hampton Court in 1604.
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I wish disagreements could be expressed without sarcasm. Have we forgotten that this is even possible? It is so discouraging to so many. It reminds me of that thoroughly theologically sound band, U2, who sang, “Yeah, I’d break bread and wine if there was a church I could receive in, ’cause I need it now….” I think I am reaching the tipping point.
how neat…the KJV of The Bible and the 1928 BCP
It’s a wonderful gift bringing politics into everything. Neither the article or my comment had anything about 1928 BCP. However, safe your energy – the new prayer book process is sure to need it. In the meantime, the subject of old books is one of the many things that really makes life enjoyable.
And DO have a enjoyable life. 🙂
What a fun thing to find. A beautiful translation for its English, but one without problems due to source material. And certainly an interesting historical story around the issues of the Church of England at the time. But really – what a fun thing to find hidden away. Hopefully, someone looks up what facts can be found about this copy. I wonder how many other copies of this edition have survived….