All Saints Church

HOOSICK, NEW YORK


 


 

 

News

All Saints Church to host Choral Evensong in Celebration of King James Bible


Often called “the book that changed the world”, the King James Bible is 400 years old this year. The Tibbits Festival at All Saints Church will celebrate the occasion with a Choral Evensong on Saturday, August 6, 2011 at 5:00 PM.


The Choral Evensong service will employ the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, will feature readings from the King James Bible, and will include hymns and anthems which illuminate the Word through music. Christopher Uhl is the director/conductor, and Dan Foster is the organist, with the Tibbits Festival Choir singing, and Fr. Gary Strubel presiding over, the liturgy.


While there had been other English language translations of the bible before the King James Version (or “KJV”), most of these previous editions were found to be flawed in various ways. It was King James I of England, himself a biblical scholar, who commissioned 47 Anglican theologians to create a new translation. Six years later, on June 5th, 1611, the first copies of their work rolled off the presses.


Translating directly from the original Hebrew and Greek, the committee stayed true to the authentic turns of phrase, and used simple language that was considered archaic even to 17th century readers. This resulted in poetic verses that seemed as timeless and majestic at the time they were published as they do today.


It was the King James version of the bible that missionaries and colonists brought with them to every corner of the world; it is the standard for English-speaking protestants everywhere.


It was the KJV that coined hundreds of phrases we use in our everyday speech: “to fall flat on his face” (Num. 22:31), “a man after his own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14), “the land of the living” (Job 28:13), “to pour out one’s heart” (Ps. 62:8), “sour grapes” (Ezek. 18:2), “pride goes before a fall” (Prov. 16:18), “like a lamb to the slaughter” (Isa. 53:7), “the salt of the earth” (Matt. 5:13), “a thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7), “to give up the ghost” (John 19:30), and “the powers that be” (Rom. 13:1).


And it was the KJV that was incorporated into the lectionary of the Church of England’s 1662 Book of Common Prayer, versions of which are used by Anglicans and Episcopalians the world over.


The Tibbits Festival at All Saints Church produces events that celebrate the founders and the foundations of the parish. The event is free and all are welcome. All Saints Church is located on Route 7 in Hoosick, NY.