The King James Bible at 400: Scripture, Statecraft, and the American Founding

Abstract

This short article addressed to a broader readership investigates the impact of the King James Bible upon the American founding. In order to show that impact, the article's first half portrays the political context for the formation of the King James, charts the influence of the Bible upon early modern political thought, and then sketches the impact of the KJV upon the rhetoric and political thought of the Founders. The essay is accompanied by a timeline.

Keywords: Authorized Version, King James Version, American Founding, Bible and political thought, religion and the founding, founders, Bible and intellectual history, Spinoza, Bible and constitution, Bible and democracy