Rating: 
Summary: Well-written Overview of the Jacobean Age
Review: A brisk, engrossing look at the circumstances surrounding the birth of the King James Bible. Readers expecting the inside story on the translation may be disappointed; "God's Secretaries" is more of a general overview of the period, with deft character sketches of the principal translators. This is unavoidable, since most of the documents relating to the day-to-day work of the translators have been lost. What the book lacks in detail, it compensates for with strong storytelling and a fine sense of history. Even though I enjoyed the book, Nicolson did not convince me that the translators added very much to the work of William Tyndale, the martyred 16th-century translator; nor did he convince me that the King James Bible remains the best available translation. At the end of the book, Nicolson quotes a few beautiful verses from Psalm 77 to demonstrate the superiority of the KJV. But other lines from the same psalm are either mistranslated or obscure. Here they are, with comparisons from more recent translations: KJV - my sore ran in the night and ceased not
NEW KING JAMES VERSION - my hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing KJV - thou holdest mine eyes waking
NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION - you keep my eyelids from closing KJV - I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High
NEW AMERICAN BIBLE - my sorrow is this, the right hand of the Most High has left us The King James Bible was great in its day, but newer translations are more accurate and more intelligible. Nevertheless, "God's Secretaries" shines a vivid light on a passionate, contradictory age.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting background but speculative in places.
Review: Adam Nicolson (author of Sea Room which this reviewer is unfamiliar with) combines historical investigation with a novelist's flair to produce a book which attempts to take the reader back to the time of the making of the King James Bible and to provide a deeper understanding of the events, personalities, and historical developments which contributed to this literary and spiritual masterpiece.
The majority of the author's treatment concerns the social, political, and ecclesiastical fabric of Jacobean England within which the translation of the King James Version (KJV) was undertaken. This is perhaps the most valuable contribution of the book which deals relatively less with the issues and technical process of the translation itself. For those translators for which historical records are still available, he undertakes each personality in turn, reviewing their education, political and ecclesiastical position, and their station in 17th century England, as well as their contribution to the translation process itself.
A particularly valuable contribution of the text is the understanding that the KJV translation occupied a position of reconciliation and mediation-eschewing the influences of both Roman Catholicism and Separatist Puritanism. This was due, in large part, to the ecclesiastical middle-ground occupied by the King and to the translator's commitment to operating as a committee, something which seems most unlikely, to the modern mind, to produce an enduring work (p. 69):
"Everything in the modern frame of mind, trained up on centuries of individualism, and on the overriding importance of individual freedoms, rebels against the idea. Joint committees know nothing of genius. They do not produce works of art. It is surely lonely martyrs who struggle for unacknowledged truths. Committees thrive on compromise and compromise produces fudge and muddle. Isn't the beautiful, we now think, to be identified with what is original, the previously unsaid, the unique vision of the individual mind? How can a joint enterprise of this sort produce anything valuable?"
The author helps us to understand how far our present age has come from the historical position within which the translators performed their task-changes which help explain the uniqueness of the KJV and why a work of its kind is unlikely to be produced in our own age.
Although the book is a valuable contribution to the subject of historical translation, and the KJV in particular, this reviewer has several reservations concerning the author's treatment of the subject.
Although the author exhibits great respect and admiration for the KJV as a literary and historical work, it is evident that he himself has never come to terms with the central issue of the text itself: the claims and identity of Jesus Christ. The author writes from the perspective of an uncommitted agnostic, "I am no atheist but I am no churchgoer" (p. 241). This works itself out in several ways. An underlying theme seems to be the thesis that none of the translators could possibly have been motivated by genuine altruism. Like most skeptics, the author majors in digging up and highlighting inconsistencies and impugning motivations behind the lives and work of the divines assigned to the translation. This is a questionable process when so little in the way of hard historical evidence is available-leaving the author in a similar position to that of an historical novelist, reading much between the lines which may not be factual. In the end, one is left wondering how the translation work was ever accomplished since it seems, according to this treatment, as if politics, academic vanity, and ecclesiastical maneuvering were the prime movers behind the work.
The author also evidences a lack of familiarity with the essential message of the Bible. In an otherwise insightful exchange between one of the translators and a jailed Puritan Separatist, their discussion concerning the Holy Spirit, Who only indwells believers, is mistaken for the spirit of man, common to all men (p. 91).
Also typical of an unbeliever, he is highly critical of basic Calvinist teachings-as if they were the creation of Calvin when in fact they simply reflect teachings basic to the Biblical text (p. 229 cf. Romans 9; 13):
"Calvinist Christianity is inherently fissive. Its emphasis on the primacy of a vengeful God constantly throws into doubt the validity of worldly government, and its repeated emphasis on the difference between the elect, who would be saved, and the rest, who would be damned, is no basis on which to found a nation. These radically disruptive ideas are the repeated threnody of the Geneva Bible, . . "
Yet such basic Biblical teaching was the basis for Calvin's Geneva and the Puritan experiment which resulted in one of the greatest nations in our own time (the United States).
Lastly, numerous comments throughout the text betray the author's disregard for the reliability of the Biblical text itself.
Assuming the reader is able to keep these biases of the author in mind, there is much valuable material to be found in the work-especially in relation to understanding the thought patterns and social influences of the 17th century which made the King James Version of the Bible the popular translation and cornerstone of western civilization that history has shown it to be.
We could not agree more with the author when he asserts that an English translation with the combined grandeur, literary beauty, accuracy, and enduring value of the KJV is no longer possible to produce-the historical factors which made it possible no longer exist.
Rating: 
Summary: A highly readable account with many levels of insight
Review: Adam Nicolson's account of the re-translation of the Bible from Latin, Greek and Hebrew texts is a surprisingly riveting tale. The narrative--how more than 50 Translators managed to complete the task on-time and with a surprisingly uniform "voice"--would be an accomplishment in itself. But he adds much more: There's a wonderful social commentary on life at the Jacobean court and the astounding contrasts within King James's personality. Throughout the book, Nicholson weaves in interesting character sketches of the diverse group who came together for this monumental task. He adds concise discussions of the doctrinal issues that were separating the Puritans from the established Church of England, and many protestants will recognize the same issues we see today in discussions of "high church versus low church." For many bible readers, the Christmas story can only be told in the language of the King James. "God's Secretaries" shows how the placement of a single word can change the rhyhthm of a sentence from poetry to prose. Nicholson even dares to show the errors that the Translators made. The King James is beautiful, yes, but imperfect as any Sunday morning lay reader who has tried to make sense of "He who was sin who knew no sin" knows. This book will make a wonderful gift for any Epsicopalian, or someone with an interest in popular history of the British Reformation. Then borrow it to read yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Popular history that informs without rigor
Review: Currently, I'm trying to reform my Christianity after a substantial period away from the church and gospel music. I picked up a friend's copy of this book hoping to demystify the circumstances surrounding the King James Bible, the translation of choice for many black americans. This book introduced me to the subject and was worth my time, but I suspect there may be better works on the subject.
The initial historical context was very helpful for me. Understanding that this book was created by a new Scottish king of England to unify his kingdom and further solidify his throne is a major insight for me. The paradox of James with his consuming personality and foreign influences generating this project is powerfully stated. The irony of a man like Lancelot Andrewes, who evaded serving the poor and sick during the plague on London, serving as a chief translator pricks the balloon that these were holy infallible men who had nothing but the unadulterated word of God as their guide. Nicholson makes it clear that this was both a religious and a political project, a sharp contrast to the earlier translation by the martyr Tyndale.
Nicholson admits late in the book that he is not a churchgoer and his interests in the work seem to be more poetic than spiritual. Several specific examples highlight what he feels to be the vastly superior word choices of translators in comparison to both earlier and later translations. He does seem to do a good job of capturing the regalness of the translation.
As someone who has read more thorough historical works, I wanted a more thorough job of fleshing out the history. Several times in the book, Nicholson will find one historical reference that allows him to speculate on the biographical motivations of the translators. At times, Nicholson seemed to oscillate between a series of biographical portraits which may be interesting but divert away from his subject and a meditation on the beauty of the text. He makes a case for how the majesty of the King James Bible parallelled the architectural excess of Jacobean England as well that I was unconvinced by. I wanted more historical details so that I could devise some of my own interpretations to how this book and its authors affect the Bible in practice. Only in the last few pages does he describe what happened to the Bible once it was created.
I feel this book, while helpful, was confused between a historical meditation on the Bible and a choppy biography of the interpreters. I learned a great deal, but I will probably find other books on the subject more helpful. For a popular audience, this readable book may be a good introduction, but I suspect there's better stuff out there.
[3 stars]
Rating:
Summary: The Beauty of Words Evoking the Beauty of The Word
Review: God's Secretaries is a beautiful evocation of the making of the King James Bible, considered by many to be the most compelling version of the Bible ever published. Nicolson makes a powerful argument in support of this assertion. Nicolson's passion for the King James Bible permeates this work. It must be no easy task to use prose to describe a book that is held in such high regard. I think Nicolson has pulled this task off with grace and ease. The first portion of the book puts the process of translation into the context of the early Jacobean era. Nicolson traces the end of the Elizabethan era and the ascension of James I (James VI of Scotland) to the throne of England in 1603. There were numerous issues of state and theology (the two are inexorably mixed) that James needed to navigate. James I, was the head of the English church (referred to here as the Anglican church) that operated on a theological level that was betwixt and between Catholicism and the `purer' (for wont of a better adjective) Protestantism of Calvin and Luther (to name two) that had spread like wildfire across the continent and had made serious inroads into English religious life. Those Protestants were referred to as nonconformists in England because their practice did not conform to the Anglican tradition. Nicolson does an admirable job of setting out the doctrinal and political justifications for this tripartite divide. At its most superficial level, Catholicism because of its focus on the religious dominance of Rome and the Pope served to lessen the authority of the crown because it split the allegiance of the faithful and belied the critical notion that the King's authority flowed directly from God without reference to or reliance on the Pope. The differences between nonconformists and Anglicans were more doctrinal but those differences were as politically laden, if not more so, than those with the Catholic Church. Specifically, the centerpiece of the Anglican Church was the Altar. The idea of the `ceremony' of Christianity took pride of place. There was also a clear hierarchy in the form of the King, Archbishops, and Priests tasked with reading and interpreting God's words. By contrast, the centerpiece of the nonconformist rite was the pulpit. The idea of the word of God took pride of place. Further, nonconformists believed that the individual had the ability to understand the word of God and that the individual could have a personal relationship with God without the guidance of Bishops, Archbishops, or the King. The difference in focus was a direct and immediate threat to the King's authority. If an individual could derive divine guidance without recourse to the church or King the very need for a King and that King's divine right to rule, would be (and was) called into question. Nicolson devotes the rest of his book to the creation of the King James Bible by a committee of generally unknown churchmen and scholars. Split into groups and assigned different books of the Old and New Testaments the translators (as they were known) were provided with earlier versions (specifically the Geneva and Tyndale versions) and tasked with creating a new, `improved' version. The translators included both Anglicans and nonconformists. Nicolson provides compelling reasons why this committee was so constructed. It seems clear that James I intended to co-opt a certain moderate segment of the nonconformist tradition and in so doing render them and their flocks less likely to challenge to the authority of royal rule. If successful such a co-option would make his reign less vulnerable from that side of the religious divide. Nicolson infers that the creation of a universally accepted version of the Bible would mitigate doctrinal differences making a ceremony out of the word itself. Focusing more attention on the `word' might appease some nonconformists. Creating a version rich and rife with meaning also had certain ceremonial aspects that might appease the Anglican powers that feared undue focus on the word. It was an admirable goal even if the bloody civil war that followed a mere 30 years or so from its publication proved the attempt futile. The most important element of the book for me lies with Nicolson's unrelenting love for the words created by this `great commission'. Nicolson does acknowledge that much of the core text of the King James Bible is freely adopted from the Tyndale version. He does show, however, how the change of only one or two words can turn "those words into a tangible experience" that enhances the beauty and power of the previous text. Nicolson is also not averse to castigating contemporary versions of the Bible that denude the language of meaning for the sake of making it a bit easier to read. Nicolson cites T.S. Eliot's admonition of the New English Bible that it "astonishes in its combination of the vulgar, the trivial, and the pedantic." Nicolson does seem more kindly disposed to James I than may be warranted. He notes James' profligate spending and sensual appetite only in passing. However, my impression was that the beauty and power of the Bible prepared at his direction and published under his name covered a multitude of sins and that James' other actions were not particularly relevant to the creation of `his' Bible.
Rating:
Summary: The Beauty of Words Evoking the Beauty of The Word
Review: God's Secretaries is a beautiful evocation of the making of the King James Bible, considered by many to be the most compelling version of the Bible ever published. Nicolson makes a powerful argument in support of this assertion. Nicolson's passion for the King James Bible permeates this work. It must be no easy task to use prose to describe a book that is held in such high regard. I think Nicolson has pulled this task off with grace and ease. The first portion of the book puts the process of translation into the context of the early Jacobean era. Nicolson traces the end of the Elizabethan era and the ascension of James I (James VI of Scotland) to the throne of England in 1603. There were numerous issues of state and theology (the two are inexorably mixed) that James needed to navigate. James I, was the head of the English church (referred to here as the Anglican church) that operated on a theological level that was betwixt and between Catholicism and the 'purer' (for wont of a better adjective) Protestantism of Calvin and Luther (to name two) that had spread like wildfire across the continent and had made serious inroads into English religious life. Those Protestants were referred to as nonconformists in England because their practice did not conform to the Anglican tradition. Nicolson does an admirable job of setting out the doctrinal and political justifications for this tripartite divide. At its most superficial level, Catholicism because of its focus on the religious dominance of Rome and the Pope served to lessen the authority of the crown because it split the allegiance of the faithful and belied the critical notion that the King's authority flowed directly from God without reference to or reliance on the Pope. The differences between nonconformists and Anglicans were more doctrinal but those differences were as politically laden, if not more so, than those with the Catholic Church. Specifically, the centerpiece of the Anglican Church was the Altar. The idea of the 'ceremony' of Christianity took pride of place. There was also a clear hierarchy in the form of the King, Archbishops, and Priests tasked with reading and interpreting God's words. By contrast, the centerpiece of the nonconformist rite was the pulpit. The idea of the word of God took pride of place. Further, nonconformists believed that the individual had the ability to understand the word of God and that the individual could have a personal relationship with God without the guidance of Bishops, Archbishops, or the King. The difference in focus was a direct and immediate threat to the King's authority. If an individual could derive divine guidance without recourse to the church or King the very need for a King and that King's divine right to rule, would be (and was) called into question. Nicolson devotes the rest of his book to the creation of the King James Bible by a committee of generally unknown churchmen and scholars. Split into groups and assigned different books of the Old and New Testaments the translators (as they were known) were provided with earlier versions (specifically the Geneva and Tyndale versions) and tasked with creating a new, 'improved' version. The translators included both Anglicans and nonconformists. Nicolson provides compelling reasons why this committee was so constructed. It seems clear that James I intended to co-opt a certain moderate segment of the nonconformist tradition and in so doing render them and their flocks less likely to challenge to the authority of royal rule. If successful such a co-option would make his reign less vulnerable from that side of the religious divide. Nicolson infers that the creation of a universally accepted version of the Bible would mitigate doctrinal differences making a ceremony out of the word itself. Focusing more attention on the 'word' might appease some nonconformists. Creating a version rich and rife with meaning also had certain ceremonial aspects that might appease the Anglican powers that feared undue focus on the word. It was an admirable goal even if the bloody civil war that followed a mere 30 years or so from its publication proved the attempt futile. The most important element of the book for me lies with Nicolson's unrelenting love for the words created by this 'great commission'. Nicolson does acknowledge that much of the core text of the King James Bible is freely adopted from the Tyndale version. He does show, however, how the change of only one or two words can turn "those words into a tangible experience" that enhances the beauty and power of the previous text. Nicolson is also not averse to castigating contemporary versions of the Bible that denude the language of meaning for the sake of making it a bit easier to read. Nicolson cites T.S. Eliot's admonition of the New English Bible that it "astonishes in its combination of the vulgar, the trivial, and the pedantic." Nicolson does seem more kindly disposed to James I than may be warranted. He notes James' profligate spending and sensual appetite only in passing. However, my impression was that the beauty and power of the Bible prepared at his direction and published under his name covered a multitude of sins and that James' other actions were not particularly relevant to the creation of 'his' Bible.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Non-scholarly Treatment
Review: Having read McGrath's work as well as Bobrick's, I looked forward to reading Nicolson's take on the translating of the King James Version of the Bible.
Each of the three have a different emphasis: McGrath focuses on the theological aspects, with a look at the history of the age, Bobrick looks more at the history and the results of the translation of the Bible into English in general rather than focusing on just the King James. Nicolson looks more at the individuals involved in the translation process, and the cultural environment that produced the KJV.
Nicolson does an outstanding job of pointing out the warts in the lives of each translator that he discusses. He also points out the contradictions in their lives, showing people of remarkable piety and humility who were quite willing to parlay their ecclesiastical positions into lucrative political and social positions. This was not an age of "Be ye separate". It was a majestic age, and that fact is shown in the language of the King James Bible.
This is not a book that will address the current KJVOnly controversy, which I was relieved to discover. It is simply a very accessable work that highlights the personalities and culture that produced a work that, in spite of it's deficiencies and archaic language (even then!) has served the church of Christ quite ably for the past four hundred years. Along with the two works I mention at the beginning of this review, this book makes a good contribution to the modern literature on the subject, and will serve as a good introduction for those who are just beginning their reading on this fascinating subject.
Rating:
Summary: Give us this day our daily "Read"....
Review: I enjoyed this book very, very much. At times, it is not an easy read but I don't seek out books that won't give challenge. That's not to say it's a very difficult book to get through---certainly not---but there are some pages that require some concentration. It reads a bit like a PBS documentary as there are numerous "asides" injected by the writer.
The book gave me some new insight into the mentality of the time---a time which has great importance to our own American history.
And, in the end, I was actually a little sorry to have it over.
In all, very enjoyable! Forget what that nitwit "English Major" had to say. The book is excellent.
Lancha
Rating:
Summary: Bible translation as the product of a time
Review: I finally heard a term used to describe books such as this and the Michelangelo book I mentioned a few weeks ago -- a micro-history. This books use a particular historical figure or event to illuminate the period. This book was mentioned in some publication, I can't remember which, and I added it to my growing collection of books to get from the library. The reign of King James I was tumultuous and filled with political and religious fighting. James sought to use a new translation of the Bible to help bridge the growing gap between the traditional Chruch of England and the growing number of Puritan's who sought a simpler, purer and less Roman Catholic religion. Instead, the disclusion of many, more radical Puritan leaders seems to have only pushed the country close to the Civil War that would occur a few decades later. Thime time period is important for American's, as the persecution of Purtains in England led directly to their arrival in America. Already, at the very beginning of its history, America was filled with radicals not content with the status quo in England. Given a choice of surrender to the traditional dogma, imprisonment or exile, they chose to leave their home and create a new life based on their own beliefs. Even in America, though, the thought of religious freedom was a moot point. Just like James and his bishops in England, they demanded strict adherence to their religious beliefs. God's Secretaries is an illuminating story of an often-ignored period of history and the creation of one of the most well-known translations of the Bible in the world today. In time, even the Puritans began to use the translation as their own official text, despite their exclusion during its development.
Rating:
Summary: A Monumental Project Reveals an Age
Review: It was to be the Bible for everyone. James, the sixth in Scotland and the first in England, viewed it as an opportunity to unify his kingdom. To create this translation - a project many consider to be the greatest work of English prose - he assembled about 50 scholars to do the work. Despite their individual failings - drink, ambition, self-promotion, obsequiousness, greed and pedantry-they labored together for seven years to give the first Stuart king his translation. It is a text, which for all of its failings, is without equal. Its language drips with potency and sensitivity. The English language had just reached its age of maturity. This translation reflected the times - boisterous, subtle, majestic, nuisanced and musical. King James' Bible reflects the Jacobean England. This book relates not only the translation's tale, but also the England of Shakespeare, Bacon, the plague and the Gunpowder plot. It is insightful read into the greatest monument of those times.
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