Make Over

Surprise! I decided to do a make over on my blog. While mostly cosmetic I did add one feature. You'll find it on the right side of the screen titled "Books I'm Reading." I've listed two I'm reading right now. Both are related to Church History. I promise to also add novels--my guilty pleasure.

God's Secretaries is a fascinating book about the men who were the Translators (in those days they always capitalized the word) for James I, King of England following Elizabeth I. A little backgroud might help here. During Elizabeth's reign, the Puritan movement began in England. The Puritans were not all the same; in fact there were three distinct parties or groups.

Two groups could be called Non-Separatists. One group, by far the larger group, were those who favored keeping the episcopacy and reforming the liturgies, rites and customs to remove most of what was considered "popish." The second Non-Separatist group was composed of those who wanted liturgical reform as did the first, but much more sweeping. Plus, they wanted to adopt a Presbyterian form of government which would eliminate the bishops. This group eventually came to power under Oliver Cromwell and managed to eliminate bishops--and kings--for a time. Unfortunately there was also a Civil War involved before things got back on track.

The third group were the Separatists. These included those who eventually became Congregationalists, along with some Baptists. It was members of this group that we know as the Pilgrims, those who came to American in the early 17th century.

I say all that to say that when James came to power, the Puritans made a bid for reform and it was the Presbyterians who were leading the charge. James gave them a polite hearing, but had no intention of reforming the Church. He'd had a bad experience with Presbyterians in Scotland where he was king and didn't intend to repeat the problem. He appeased them by promising a revision of the Great Bible in English that had been produced under Henry VIII. This book is about his keeping that promise.

The Translators were a fascinating bunch of men--some very pious, some very flawed, but all very dedicated to the task and highly qualified to do the work. Using the Tyndale version on which the Great Bible was based and carefully reviewing all the available Greek and Hebrew manuscripts of the time, they completed their work in just a few years. This is considered to be the first translation done by a committee. All previous ones were the work of a single person, perhaps with a helper or two. Almost all subsequent translations have been done by committee which allows for more rigorous checks and balances. It's a very readable book and offers great insights into the process and the men behind it.

I've only just begun the other book, so perhaps more later.

Peace,

Jerry+