HISTORY: THE ENGLISH BIBLE
WHO GAVE US
THE KJV?
LESSON 1: WE SET THE STAGE
Our story starts in England in the 16th century.
It was the time of the greatest upheaval in the history of the Christian faith.
While the Roman Catholic Church had held absolute authoritarian control over
the minds and faith of believers for over 1000 years, times were changing. In
1517 a humble German monk had the courage to question some of the actions of
his church. His name was Martin Luther and he was so upset by the corruption
and worldliness in the Roman Church that he nailed to the door of the
"church" in Wittenberg 95 subjects he was willing to debate. The most
important issue was the way money was being raised to pay for the construction
of the great cathedrals. John Tetzel, a priest, was traveling through Germany
selling indulgences. These papers would forgive the buyer of a sin that they
had not yet committed. If you wanted to commit adultery you could be forgiven
before hand, as long as you had the cash. Luther was a loyal Catholic priest
who only wanted to change the things he believed to be wrong, not to leave his
church or to start something new. However, when the head of your church claims
to receive his authority from apostolic succession and can speak for God, questioning
his actions was the same as questioning God.
The Catholic Church had a great and powerful
ally in England. King Henry VIII, a staunch Catholic, who was appalled by the
actions of Luther and the resulting challenges to the authority of the Pope.
His response was to write a book called "On The Seven Sacraments"
against Luther and the growing number of reformers. The Pope at the time was
Leo X who appreciated Henry's support so much that he proclaimed him "The
Defender Of The Faith." Even to this day when the English monarch is
introduced at formal occasions their titles are announced and "Defender Of
The Faith" is included.
Our story takes a turn not on religious issues
but with Henry's personal life. His marriage to Katherine of Aragon was a
political arrangement as are most royal unions. What part her looks may have
played in these events (we know he divorced another wife because he said she
was ugly) must be left to the mind of Henry but he claimed to be upset that she
had not given him a son. The truth is that he had an eye for the ladies. The
exact number of his affairs is unknown but the number of illegitimate children
he fathered make us believe it was a way of life. He was married 6 times, four
were annulled and two wives were beheaded. One of the women he was sleeping
with was Anne Boleyn, a beautiful young Lady in Waiting to the Queen. (He had
previously sired an illegitimate child with her sister.) It seems that this was
more than an affair; he fell in love with Anne, and appealed to Rome for his
marriage to be annulled so that he could marry Anne. Henry had every reason to
believe that his request would be granted. The Roman Catholic Church was in
turmoil and was even making concessions to the reformers. For example they now
allowed priests to marry. They needed all the support they could get and the
faithful in England were an important part. What he did not count on was that
Rome was trying to clean up some of the corruption and had selected a new Pope
who had moral standards. When Henry petitioned for his divorce Pope Clement VII
said no!
What arrogance, said Henry! Sure Clement was the
Pope, the head of the Universal Church and God on earth, but he was Henry VIII,
the King of England! Hadn't Pope Leo X called him the Defender Of The Faith?
Was this any way to repay him for keeping England in the fold? Didn't the Pope
understand that a prince to succeed him was more important than the churches
doctrine on divorce? Well, he would show him! He would simply separate the
church in England from the authority of Rome. And that was what he did. He had
parliament proclaim that it was now the Church of England and he was the head.
Now this is where many fail to understand history. The Church of England was
not and is not a protestant church. It is Catholic in tradition,
doctrine and worship. Henry's desire to make Anne his queen was the only issue.
It is officially the Anglican (i.e. English) Catholic Church with the English
monarch as the Supreme Governor of the Church as opposed to the Roman Catholic
Church who has the Pope as its head. Both churches are Catholic, only the boss
is different. This can be seen in the problems Henry had with his last wife
Catherine Parr. Catherine was a Protestant while Henry maintained he was
Catholic. They fought over religious issues constantly. While most protestant
preachers ignore this fact the members of the Anglican Communion understand it
quite well. In fact, there is an Episcopal (the name was changed in America
after the Revolutionary War when anything English, especially the King became
unpopular) priest in our town who wears a polo shirt with this embroidery, "I
Am Anglican Catholic."
However, the move to independence from Rome was
not without violent consequences. Henry VIII was succeeded by his son Edward
and then by his daughter Mary in 1553. She was the second daughter of Henry and
Catherine of Aragon. Mary I was Roman Catholic (remember the Pope had supported
her mother and refused to give Henry a divorce) and returned the English church
to the authority of the Pope. While she was always in poor health and had a
short reign many books and movies have been made about this period of English
history. Why? Because Mary I was better known as Bloody Mary. She began a
persecution against Protestants that lasted almost 4 years. During this time
she executed over 300 religious dissenters with 283 burned at the stake. She
killed many of the brightest minds in England including Thomas Cranmer, the
Archbishop of Canterbury. Mary was so unpopular with her subjects that a
nursery rhyme was written about her. Maybe you know it: "Mary, Mary Quite
Contrary." The "cockle shells" was a symbol of the pilgrimage to
the shrine of Saint James in Spain and the "pretty maids all in a row"
were nuns!
When she died in 1558 her sister Elizabeth, the
only child of Henry and Anne Boleyn, followed her. Elizabeth I was not a Roman
Catholic (you know why) and returned the church to English control in 1559.
Confusing, isn't it? She did not believe that the teachings of the Roman Church
were wrong, don't forget they were the same in tradition, doctrine and worship,
but it was one of allegiance and political power. In fact, during the Northern
Rebellion in 1569 Pope Pius V joined the rebels by excommunicating Elizabeth. This
ended her policy of toleration and began a persecution of her Roman Catholic
enemies. When Ireland rebelled in 1580 Pope Gregory XIII even sent troops to
their aid. Because of England's conflict with Rome her reign was one of
constant war. There were wars with France, Spain, Scotland, Ireland and
unending plots and rebellions. In spite of this she was just as popular with
the people as her sister had been hated. The most important legacy of Elizabeth
I was to make the Anglican Catholic Church forever free from the control of
Rome. When she died in 1603 her cousin King James VI of Scotland became James
I, King of England. Yes, he is the one whose name may be on your English Bible,
The King James Version.