What is the King James Version for Catholics?

The King James Version for Catholics is a new printing of the 1611

KJV Bible with the 1769 orthographic changes and with the

Deuterocanonical books placed among the other books of the Old

Testament in the order expected by Catholics. Like the 1610 Douay,

the three non-Canonical books will be placed in an appendix to the

Old Testament.

As published in England in 1611, the KJV included 80 books, which

correspond to, but are organized differently than the 76 books of the

1610 Douay.

The King James Version for Catholics will have all of these.

Anglicans have always used all of the books, but other Protestants

began printing editions of the KJV with only 66 books, omitting the

14 books in the KJV Apocrypha. With the transition to newer

translations in the 1950s and 1960s by Catholics and Anglicans, it

became more difficult to obtain complete versions of the KJV.

In a full, standard edition of the King James Bible there are 80

books: 39 Old Testament books accepted by Jews and Protestants, four

books that are deuterocanonical portions of Esther and Daniel, 7

deuterocanonical books, three books considered non-canonical but

published in the KJV and early editions of the Douay, and the 27

books of the New Testament.

The three non-canonical books are The Prayer of Manasses, and 2

additional books of Esdras. Though non-canonical, the Second Book of

Esdras (called the Fourth Book of Esdras in the pre-Tridentine

Vulgate) is heavily used in liturgical propers within the Church, and

the Prayer of Manasses has been used in the Liturgy of the Hours.

Why is this a King James Version for Catholics, and not a King James

Version – Catholic Edition, as with the RSV?

I am calling this the King James Version for Catholics rather than

the King James Version Catholic Edition because any attempt to make

significant modifications to the KJV would make it something

different and inauthentic.

The only changes other than placing the books in the familiar order

which I am planning are to follow the 2008 letter from the CDW,

written at Pope Benedict’s request, that asks that the Holy Name of

God, the Tetragrammaton, be rendered in English as “The Lord” rather

than “Jehovah”. Jews stopped pronouncing the Tetragrammaton during

the Second Temple Era, and early Christians also never attempted to

prounounce the Holy Name. This will only affect eight verses in the

entire KJV, and in each case a footnote will indicate the original

text.

In addition, there will be some small number of footnotes where the

text differs significantly from current understanding of the original

languages. But one of the features of the original KJV that made it

different from other translations being produced at the time was the

lack of marginal notes, which tended to being polemical attacks on

other translations.

So while an imprimatur might be nice, I will be happy if I am only

able to find an author more learned than myself to write a preface

discussing the proper place of the KJV in the life of the Ordinariate.

What prompted you to put the KJV for Catholics together?

Many people have asked for it. It is certainly an important part of

the patrimony. The King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer,

more than any other literary works, have formed the culture and the

consciences of the English speaking people for over 400 years.

What difficulties are there, if any, in working on any Scriptural

text in terms of Catholic approvals?

Approvals are not required for bibles. Only lectionaries, that is,

books containing the individual readings for use in the mass or at

the daily office, must be approved, and must follow the directives in

Liturgiam Authenticam. Catholics are free to read any translation of

the bible.

Many portions of the KJV have already received specific approval from

the CDF/CDW and are incorporated in “Divine Worship: The Missal.”

For example, the Last Gospel must be read from the Missal, and the

text is the KJV. Many of the minor propers and other scriptural texts

in the Missal are from the KJV.

What response have you had to the project so far?

Many members of the Ordinariate coming from the Anglican tradition

are enthusiastic. Others, who do not appreciate the more poetic

nature of the KJV, don’t understand why the Douay isn’t good enough.

There are also detractors who believe that the KJV is heretical or

claim that it is a polemic against the Church, but no one has yet

identified any passage that is in contradiction to Catholic doctrine.

One person adamantly claimed that the KJV translation of John 3:16 is

heretical, but that is one of the verses which has already received

official approval for use at mass, as one of the “Comfortable Words.”

When will the two-volume set be available for order?

Sooner, rather than later. I initially promised it by next summer,

but I hope to actually be able to release it in the Spring, or

earlier.

Do you have a website for it yet?

http://www.walsinghampublishing.com will refer you to Amazon where it will

be available with free Prime shipping. I expect the final price for

the two volumes purchased together to be under $39.99.