FTGF Lesson 264 | Assessing The Printed History of the King James Text (1769 Became the Standard)

Summary: This teaching lesson examines the historical process by which Benjamin Blaney's 1769 Oxford edition of the King James Bible became recognized as the standard English text. The lesson explores both practical reasons (cost, effort, and institutional authority) and cultural shifts in attitudes toward the King James Bible during the late 18th century. Initially criticized for obsolete language, the King James Bible came to be revered as the pinnacle of English literature and religious authority. The lesson emphasizes that while the text has undergone editorial changes in spelling, punctuation, and grammar since 1611, these revisions did not alter the underlying translation. The instructor challenges modern claims that minor spelling variations constitute "corruptions" and argues that the King James Bible remains authoritative as God's Word in English without requiring knowledge of Hebrew and Greek.

Chapters
Chapter 1: Introduction and Course Overview
0:00 - 3:00
We review the previous lessons covering the printed history of the King James text from 1630 through 1769, acknowledging that an exhaustive study would require collating every edition ever printed.
Chapter 2: Why Blaney's 1769 Edition Became Standard
3:00 - 7:00
We examine scholarly explanations for why Blaney's 1769 Oxford text became the standard, including the massive cost and effort of revision, the quality of Blaney's work, and changing attitudes toward the King James Bible as literature.
Chapter 3: Historical Shift in Perception of the King James Text
7:00 - 13:00
We trace the dramatic change in public opinion about the King James Bible from the early 1700s when it was criticized as obsolete and uncouth, to the late 1700s when it became revered as majestic and sublime English prose.
Chapter 4: Practical Reasons for Standardization
13:00 - 18:00
We identify five practical and institutional reasons why the 1769 text became standard: standardization of inconsistencies, Oxford's prestige and influence, widespread printing and distribution, modernized readability, and long-term publishing inertia.
Chapter 5: Modern Implications and American Printing Variations
18:00 - 23:00
We discuss how the 1769 text remains essentially standard today, address controversies over spelling variations in American printings, and preview upcoming lessons on textual differences and how the Reformation text was later undermined.

Key Points:
The 1769 Blaney edition became standard because re-editing the entire text was a massive, costly undertaking that was deemed unnecessary.
Blaney's work improved upon F.S. Paris's 1762 edition and brought the text closer to contemporary 18th-century English standards.
Oxford University Press's institutional prestige and widespread distribution helped establish this edition as the standard.
Public attitudes toward the King James Bible shifted dramatically in the 1760s-1780s from viewing it as outdated to celebrating it as sublime English literature.
Jonathan Swift's 1712 proposal marked an early recognition of the King James Bible as a model of English style.
By the 1780s, attempts to create new translations were met with resistance, as the King James was seen as too sacred to alter.
American printers began Americanizing spellings (e.g., "thoroughly" instead of "throughly," "Savior" instead of "Saviour") shortly after printing Bibles in America.
The claim that spelling variations constitute textual "corruptions" is unfounded and would invalidate thousands of legitimate printings.
The 1769 text's dominance resulted from standardization and publishing influence rather than theological decree.
Most King James Bibles printed today are essentially the 1769 Blaney text, not the 1611 original.

PDF Notes
https://gracelifebiblechurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Lesson-263-Assessing-the-Printed-History-of-the-King-James-Text-Italics-Evaluation.pdf

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