Lineage of the King James Bible

Compiled by Dr. Ken Matto

The King James Bible has a very Godly lineage dating back to the original autographs and has been transmitted to us through the ages without corruption because God promised that His Word would be preserved by Himself so subsequent generations of Christians would have the same authoritative words as the Early Church. Below are the names of the earlier versions of which the King James Bible drew its incorruption from.

If you have a pastor in your church that discards the King James Bible as inferior to other Bible Translations, then he has been seriously deceived.  If the KJB was inferior would God have used it to literally evangelize the world?

THE OLD TESTAMENT

The Masoretic Text

1524-25 Bomberg Edition of the Masoretic Text also known as the Ben Chayyim Text

THE NEW TESTAMENT

All dates are Anno Domini (A.D.)

30-95------------Original Autographs

95-150----------Greek Vulgate (Copy of Originals)

120---------------The Waldensian Bible

150---------------The Peshitta (Syrian Copy)

150-400--------Papyrus Readings of the Receptus

157--------------The Italic Bible - From the Old Latin Vulgate used in Northern Italy

157--------------The Old Latin Vulgate

177--------------The Gallic Bible

350--------------The Gothic Version of Ulfilas

350-400-------The Textus Receptus is Dominant Text

400--------------Augustine favors Textus Receptus

400--------------The Armenian Bible (Translated by Mesrob)

400--------------The Old Syriac

450--------------The Palestinian Syriac Version

450-1450------Byzantine Text Dominant (Textus Receptus)

508--------------Philoxenian - by Chorepiscopos Polycarp, who commissioned by Philoxenos of Mabbug

500-1500------Uncial Readings of Receptus (Codices)

616--------------Harclean Syriac (Translated by Thomas of Harqel - Revision of 508 Philoxenian)

864--------------Slavonic

1100-1300----The Latin Bible of the Waldensians (History goes back as far as the 2nd century as people of the Vaudoix Valley)

1160------------The Romaunt Version (Waldensian)

1300-1500----The Latin Bible of the Albigenses

1382-1550----The Latin Bible of the Lollards

1384------------The Wycliffe Bible

1516------------Erasmus's First Edition Greek New Testament

1522------------Erasmus's Third Edition Published

1522-1534----Martin Luther's German Bible (1)

1525------------Tyndale Version

1534------------Tyndale's Amended Version

1534------------Colinaeus' Receptus

1535------------Coverdale Version

1535------------Lefevre's French Bible

1537------------Olivetan's French Bible

1537------------Matthew's Bible (John Rogers Printer)

1539------------Taverner's Bible

1539------------The Great Bible

1541------------Swedish Upsala Bible by Laurentius

1550------------Stephanus Receptus (St. Stephen's Text)

1550------------Danish Christian III Bible

1558------------Biestken's Dutch Work

1560------------The Geneva Bible

1565------------Theodore Beza's Receptus

1568------------The Bishop's Bible

1569------------Spanish Translation by Cassiodoro de Reyna

1587------------Geneva Bible ("Imprinted at London by Christopher Barker, Printer to the Qveenes Maiestie. 1587. Cum priuilegio." )

1598------------Theodore Beza's Text

1602------------Czech Version

1607------------Diodati Italian Version

1611------------The King James Bible with Apocrypha between Old and New Testament

1613------------The King James Bible (Apocrypha Removed) (2)

1769------------4th update of the English Language in the King James Bible

We have in our possession today the 4th update of the King James Bible. It was done to update the English language only. No translation work was done.

(1) Out of the Bible which was translated by Martin Luther came True Bibles in the following languages: Russian, French, Norwegian, Spanish, Italian, Bulgarian, Rumanian, Swiss, Swedish, Austrian and Czech Bibles.

(2) Out of the 1611 KJV came a Bible in the following languages: Chinese, Burmese, Malayan, Japanese, Persian, Arabic, Hebrew, American and many others.

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