Early eighteenth century literary critics thought the King James Bible had "all the disadvantages of an old prose translation." But from the 1760s on criticism became increasingly favorable. In the nineteenth century it swelled into a chorus of praise for "the noblest monument of English prose." This volume traces how that reversal of opinion came about. The story of the development of modern literary discussion of the Bible in general is told also, showing not only how criticism has shaped understanding of the Bible but how the Bible has shaped literary criticism.

David Norton has recently re-edited the King James Bible for Cambridge University and this book arises from his intensive work on that project. He reveals here how the text of the most important Bible in the English language was made, and how it was changed by printers and editors until it became the text we know today in 1769. Using material as diverse as the manuscripts of the original translators, and the results of extensive computer collation of electronically held texts, Norton has produced a scholarly edition of the King James Bible that will restore the authority of the 1611...

A History of the English Bible as Literature (revised and condensed from the author's acclaimed History of the Bible as Literature CUP, 1993) explores five hundred years of religious and literary ideas. At its heart is the story of how the King James Bible went from being mocked as English writing to being "unsurpassed in the entire range of literature." It studies the Bible translators, writers such as Milton and Bunyan who contributed so much to our sense of the Bible, and a fascinating range of critics and commentators.

A History of the English Bible as Literature (revised and condensed from the author's acclaimed History of the Bible as Literature CUP, 1993) explores five hundred years of religious and literary ideas. At its heart is the story of how the King James Bible went from being mocked as English writing to being "unsurpassed in the entire range of literature." It studies the Bible translators, writers such as Milton and Bunyan who contributed so much to our sense of the Bible, and a fascinating range of critics and commentators.

Early eighteenth century literary critics thought the King James Bible had "all the disadvantages of an old prose translation." But from the 1760s on criticism became increasingly favorable. In the nineteenth century it swelled into a chorus of praise for "the noblest monument of English prose." This volume traces how that reversal of opinion came about. The story of the development of modern literary discussion of the Bible in general is told also, showing not only how criticism has shaped understanding of the Bible but how the Bible has shaped literary criticism.