KJV

Ten ways for

schools to celebrate

400 years of the

King James’ Bible

In 2011 there will be national celebrations to mark the first printing of a new Bible in English. Until the mid-1500s, attempts to give ordinary Christian people access to an English-language Bible had resulted in severe punishment. Finally, in 1611, came an officially approved version, which became known as the King James, or Authorised, Version.

This Bible was the size and weight of a heavy briefcase, but its physical size was nothing compared to the huge influence it has been on the English language, on literature, art and society over the last 400 years. It remains the most-printed work in English in the world.

Although not in regular use in most schools or churches, this Bible should be given recognition because of the influence it has had.

In 1614 James I awarded a charter to Bury St Edmunds and it became a self-governing borough. In gratitude the authorities had his portrait painted (see picture) and hung in the Guildhall. 1. Research the story of the King James’ or Authorised Bible. Create a display of amazing facts, or an illustrated timeline, to inform pupils, teachers, parents and visitors about its important place in history. Start your research at any of these websites: http://kjv400.co.uk http://www.barnabasinschools.org.uk/2011 http://www.kingjamesbibletrust.org http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/
2. Discuss with staff the possibility of a cross-curricular theme day on the Bible in school. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre will celebrate 400 years of the King James Bible by hosting a 70 hour cover-to-cover reading from Palm Sunday to Easter Monday 2011. 20 actors will take part in this “unstaged” event, a rare opportunity to “experience one of the most significant pieces of world literature in its entirety”.
3. Record a chapter of the Authorised Bible on ‘you-tube’ to add to the attempt to record the whole KJV Bible on you-tube in 2011. Find the details here: http://www.kingjamesbibletrust.org However, like the Globe, you may also like to hold a Bible reading marathon, maybe trying to read the gospels of Matthew or Luke rather than the whole Bible, and possibly as a sponsored event for charity.
4. Use http://www.phrases.org.uk/index.html to find out some of these phrases and carry out a survey to find out who knows what they mean and which are the most familiar. Display your results. The King James’ or Authorised Version of the Bible has been hugely influential in the development of the English language, ranking with Shakespeare and the Oxford English Dictionary. Many phrases from its text are still commonplace.
If you tried to guess who was the best-selling artist of all time, you might say Van Gogh or Picasso. The truth is rather surprising: the world's bestseller is a Swiss religious artist, Annie Vallotton. She created the illustrations for the popular ‘Good News’ Bible, often used in schools. 5. Become Bible artists. Find out more about Annie Vallotton. See how she illustrated a Bible book such as Jonah or Ruth. Read the text in Authorised and Good News Bibles; you can access these at www.biblegateway.com. Design your own illustrations to go with the stories. Award prizes for the best results or enter them for the NATRE ‘Art in Heaven’ competition 2011. Entries need to be in by the end of July. See www.natre.org.uk/spiritedarts/
Royal Mail will mark the 400th anniversary of the publication of the Authorised King James Version of the Bible with a special stamp set during 2011. There has been a suggestion that these will be nativity scenes inspired by verses from the King James Bible. The stamp shown was issued in 1999 to commemorate the KJV as part of the millennium celebrations. 6. Design a Christmas card or stamp using a phrase from the KJV text of the nativity stories (Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2). Include the phrase on the card or stamp.
Open the Book’ is a national project to tell Bible stories to a new generation. It has been a roaring success around the country with teams of local church-goers dressing up, making props and going into schools to tell stories from the Lion Storyteller Bible. Suffolk has around 60 teams already and Norwich and Ely are offering training events this year.. 2011 is a good year to improve the school’s knowledge of Bible Stories in assemblies – both children and adults 7. Contact your Diocesean Education Team if you have an Open the Book team already, compare an Open the Book assembly with how it is told in the KJV. Try acting it out using the older language. Interview your OTB team about why the Bible is important to them. Watch out for details of an Open the Book spectacular performance at Bury Cathedral on Saturday June 11th when the whole Storyteller Bible will be performed alongside KJV readings.	‘
You can now look at a digital reproduction of the King James Bible as it appeared when it was published in 1611. Read and search this Version on www.kingjamesbibletrust.org. 8. Give a literacy week to the use of text from the KJV, taking for example, the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke (10:25-37) or maybe Psalm 23: The Lord is my shepherd. Practise reading the text and checking unfamiliar vocabulary and phrasing. Try to put the story / poem into modern English and compare with more modern texts e.g. Good News Bible or The Message. For older pupils, try reading the actual text from the digitised version of the original KJV (see above).
Barnabas in schools have a new workshop for children which explores what sort of book the Bible is, the types of stories it tells, and how different stories can be 'true'. Through drama, storytelling and music, pupils explore the significance of the stories for themselves and for Christians, uncover the struggle to translate the book into English, and about its impact on so many aspects of UK life. It's active, enjoyable and educational! More information, including details of a INSET, a teacher's handbook and DVD, is found at www.barnabasinschools.org.uk/2011 9. Bring KS2 children at one of our three cathedrals or look out for local Barnabas training days http://www.churchschoolseast.org.uk/courses.htm Or visit the Barnabas website for lots of ideas of things to do in RE lessons and Collective Worship to cele brate 2011. http://www.barnabasinschools.org.uk/5421
The King James Bible enabled millions to hear or read the Bible in their own language as well as taking a formative role in developing that language over time. Bible Society exists because millions still lack the Bible in a language they can understand, in a form they can use or at a price they can afford. Christians across the world want the Bible in their heart language rather than a second or third tongue and others want to share the Christian story with their neighbours. Bible Society is involved in translation work and also other ways of communicating the Bible message e.g. Braille. 10. Make a collection of Bibles. See who owns the oldest. Contact the local church to see if you can borrow, or go to see, a large King James Bible or ask if anyone has a large Family Bible that could be borrowed as a centrepiece for the display. Buy one or two in other languages: www.biblesociety.org.uk/ Find out if a local church holds ‘Bible Sunday’. Hold a school ‘Bible Monday’. Watch video material of Bibles in new languages e.g. the reindeer herders of Finmark, on the Bible Society website. Carry out a sponsored ‘read’ to help someone have the Bible in their own language for the first time in thanks for an English Bible.