PP> The Bible is full of lies. Especially the King James
PP> Version. It was transalted for a fornicating monarch
PP> who was known to have an incestuous relationship with
PP> his mother and two sisters. The translation was done
PP> for him by two monks he had imprisoned and who had
PP> to perform oral copulation for the amusement of the
PP> King's consort.

Not quite. The King James' Version of the Bible was published in 1611, which was mainly based on revisions of William Tyndale's translation of the Bible. (published in 1525)

Tyndale's translation was mainly promted by the Reformation movement in Germany of Martin Luther; who published his own version of the bible, in German, in 1534. Tyndale's version of the Bible was based on transcripts of Erasmus and other Greek scholars and was comprised of a complete text of the New Testament (published in 1525) and the Pentateuch (published in 1530). After Tyndale published and released his version of the Bible in England he was persecuted by Christians and was forced to move from England to Hamburg, and later to Cologne, and Worms. In 1536 he was prosecuted for illegally translating the Bible into the common vernaculer and found guilty of heresy. He was sentenced to be burned at the stake on Oct 6, 1536, however the executioner first tied him to the stake and then strangled him with his bare hands. His final words before being strangled were "God, please open the eyes of the King!" He was then burned at the stake. Prior to the time of his death he was working on a complete translation of the Old Testament, which was never completed.

Prior to any English translations of the Bible, the Latin Vulgate was considered the principle text, which was compiled around 400 AD based on a translation by Jerome of Bethlehem. In 1380 Jno. Wycliff translated a version of the New Testament based on the Latin Vulgate.

The KJV was published in order to provide a common text of the Bible to be used in Presbyterian Churches in Scotland and Episcopal Churches in England. Prior to this the Church of England had adopted the Bishops Bible (published in 1568), which was based on the Geneva Bible (published in 1560) which was based on the Great Bible (published in 1539), which was compiled by Miles Coverdale, which was based on Tyndale's Bible. Miles Coverdale had been a close friend and associate of William Tyndale. At Tyndale's death, Coverdale was given charge of his manuscripts which he had used in conjunction with the Latin Vulgate to publish his own version in 1535 dedicated to King Henry the VIII. Each of the texts that were published after Tyndale's, used his either in whole or in part in conjunction with each later version. The King James Version was compiled by 47 scholars, which was mainly comprised of the Bishops Bible checked against Greek and Hebrew.

I find it quite curious that the Church was so eager to receive a revised version of Tyndale's Bible, when authorized by the King, although 75 years earlier they had sentenced the man to death for publishing it. Additionally it is another striking testimonial to the bloody history of the Christian faith which is replete with such attrocities that are committed in the "name of God" and the purity of the faith. Not only is their religion stained with the blood of millions, but the book that they hold so dear, the King James Version of the Bible, is also stained with the blood of William Tyndale.

As to the authenticity of the text, various chapters and verses were added to the "original" Greek text in 1236 by Cardianl Caro and in 1551 by Robert Stephens, which are indicated by the use of italics. These additions were added in to complete the sense of the work. Everything else is based on copies of so-called "original transcripts."

Sources:

Thompson Chain Reference Bible (Cyclopedia) New King James Bible (Translator's notes) Amplified Translation of the Holy Bible (Publisher's Forward) Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible (Preface) H. H. Haley's Bible Handbook

Rick Vanderzwaag