King James Version

The King James Version or KJV, which is known in Britain as the Authorised Version, is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1611 by scholars of the Church of England. Considered a masterwork of medieval scholarship, the KJV has become the best selling book in the history of the world and, perhaps more than any other book or Bible translation, helped form modern Western civilization. The translation remains under perpetual crown copyright in the United Kingdom, but is in the public domain elsewhere.

Attributes of the KJV
The King James Version is translated from the Received Text, also known as the Textus Receptus. The version used by the translators was the 1550 edition of Stephanus. The Received Text is very similar to the Majority Text and Byzantine text type. The book of Revelation has differences from these texts as much of it was taken from the Latin Vulgate.

Issues with the KJV

 * Textual basis - see under New Testament Textual Criticism
 * Language
 * King James Only movement

Updates to the KJV

 * American Standard Version
 * Modern King James Version
 * New King James Version
 * Third Millennium Bible
 * 21st Century King James Version