Bodleian's Biblical tale at Easter

Starting Good Friday, the Bodleian is holding an exhibition that tells the story of the most frequently printed book in English language, the King James Bible. Exploring the political, religious and intellectual context of its time, the exhibition looks at the events and conditions that led to and shaped this translation enterprise. Commissioned by King James I of England and VI of Scotland (1566-1625), the translation was the outcome of the laborious efforts of 47 scholars located in Oxford, Cambridge and Westminster. Drawing on the Bodleian holdings, the rich resources of collegiate libraries from around the University of Oxford, and collections elsewhere, the exhibition specifically showcases the contribution of the Oxford translation committees, of which notable members were John Rainolds (President of Corpus Christi College), Henry Savile (Warden of Merton College) and Miles Smith (Corpus Christi and Brasenose Colleges). The King James translation of the Bible exerted considerable cultural and social influence in the seventeenth century, and it has become ubiquitous in English-speaking culture. The exhibition is a project organised by the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, in association with the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC, where some items from the Bodleian exhibition will be on display at the Folger's related exhibition in Autumn 2011. Manifold Greatness: Oxford and the Making of the King James Bible , in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible (1611), runs from 22 April to 4 September 2011 in the Exhibition Room, Bodleian Library.