Scribe Project honoring the KJB's 400th Anniversary

2011 is the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible (KJB). The significance of the KJB can't be overestimated. Many of us memorized parts of it as children--a testament to its staying power. It was born of King James' desire to have a unified translation.  His mother, Mary Queen of Scots, had been Roman Catholic. He succeeded Elizabeth, agreeing to rule as a Protestant; it was an era in great need of unity. Advances in printing made it possible to copy and distribute the KJV widely. It turned out to be both a religious and literary masterpiece.

 

To mark the occasion,we at BPC along with Northside, Christiansburg, and Roanoke Valley, are each making a hand-written copy of one of the Gospels. In honor of our time and place (and the extraordinary discoveries of the 20th century that have made much of the KLV inaccurate) we are going to hand-copy the best English translation of our day and time, the New Revised Standard Version.

 

We here at BPC are copying The Gospel According to Luke, because it has the largest number of words. We've set up a table in the Gathering Space with a Bible, parchment-colored paper, and a good pen--with a turkey feather attached to help you not walk off with it (and add an old-fashioned feel). Whenever you're in the building, you can copy a few verses of Luke. Include the verse numbers, so the next person to sit down will know where to begin. Place the provided sticky note (with arrow) in the Bible to help the next person find his or her place. Children are welcome to participate.

 

Keep it Fun! We are not worrying about mistakes or perfect hand-writing. If you make a mistake, cross it out and continue. If you feel moved to add an illustration, or a fancy looking letter at the start of a paragraph, go for it. Just remember that all the material stays right where it is--no taking pages home.

 

When we get finished (and we are not worrying about when that happens, either) we will get our "books" spiral-bound. The churches will exchange copies, so we can see each others' work and mimic what the original churches did in exchanging gospels and letters. We might have a joint worship service around "Words and the Word" in the new year.

So the next time you come to church, look for the Scribe's Corner in the Gathering Space. Copy a few verses and think about those who did the work of bearing witness so long ago.