Rating: 
Summary: Great review of the history & impact of the Bible in English
Review: "In the Beginning" starts out slowly, giving a potted history of the beginnings of the Reformation. It picks up quickly however once the author gains his familiar territory of the Bible in English. The narrative then clips along at an interesting rate as it describes the history of the Bible both before the King James Version, the great work on the KJV translation itself, and the global impact of the KJV to this day.Fascinating bits of detail are scattered throughout the text. Eight sheets of Tyndale's original 1525 Cologne printing were discovered in 1834 and show Tyndale's heavy dependence on Luther's German Bible in his first translation attempts. "In the Beginning" does an outstanding job of exploring the creation and influence of the Geneva Bible - the market leader that the King James Version had to overtake. Ever wonder why the Apocrypha was dropped from most Protestant English Bibles? "In the Beginning" explains this post-KJV phenomenon in terms both religious and economic. A minor annoyance in the book is its tendency to repeat turns of phrase. A statement or quote in one paragraph can be immediately followed by the same statement or quote in a following paragraph. The text could stand a good scrubbing to rationalize these redundant references. Also missing were any biographies on the lesser known contributors to the KJV translation teams. The paucity of our historic knowledge about these translators may explain this omission. The best part of "In the Beginning" is its exploration of the KJV's impact on our language. Tyndale & the KJV translators did much to preserve the Hebrew phraseology and linguistic cadence of the Old Testament. The work delves into how English took both translated Hebrew phrases but also methods of sentence structure as its own. It explains why the KJV translators adhered to forms of English which were already archaic to them in 1611. The subsequent history of the King James Version's elevation to its consideration as one of the defining works of all English literature is told with both awe and humor. Much is made of the receiving generations' assumption that the KJV was THE Bible rather than a mere translation. This is an outstanding and very readable work of popular history. You will never hear or read the English language the same way after reading "In the Beginning".
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating, informative and important
Review: Although it's the most widely-read and best-selling book in history, surprisingly little is known about the King James Version of the bible by most of those who read it on a daily basis. As it turns out, millions of people who consider it to be the very word of God don't even realize that it's a translation rather than an original. Many of those who are familiar with its origins, and who heap praise on it as a peerless literary gem, are not aware that the original bible was written in the everyday language of the common working man, and that the elegance of the prose in the KJV was essentially a fortuitous accident rather than the intent of its translators. The translation was carried out at a crucial turning point in the English language, and the committees established by James I struggled continuously with which words they should use: those of the current day, even though they knew those words would soon be passé and possibly unintelligible to future generations, or the newer usages, which they couldn't be sure would last? As an example, the early 17th century word for the neuter possessive we know as "its" was "his." This has led not only to a number of puzzling passages but also to many that are tortured attempts to get around the problem: Rather than "Its height was twenty cubits," we get "The height was twenty cubits thereof," which we may think is elegant but not when that awkward construction appears three times in a single sentence describing the proper construction of an ark. IN THE BEGINNING, a splendidly readable account of how the KJV came to be, is filled with such fascinating tidbits, as well as more substantive and disturbing ones. Church authorities were bound and determined that bibles only be available in Latin, feeling (correctly) that their power arose at least to some extent from the inability of their congregations to understand the Book without assistance from clergy. But the Reformation that was sweeping Europe at the time was based in part on the belief that the bible should be available to all the people, in their own language (hence the term "vernacular bible"), just as the original was. (The Old Testament was in the Hebrew and Aramaic of farmers and laborers; same for the Greek of the New Testament.) This was no scholarly debate, either; William Tyndale was publicly strangled for writing an English version of the bible. One of the strengths of IN THE BEGINNING is how well it acquaints us with the power of the ruthless Middle Ages church and its inseparability from government. The role of politics in the structure of the KJV is explored, too, such as in the decision-making that led to the inclusion of the Gospel of John and the Apocrypha, neither of which was universally viewed as the word of God as were the other sections. Despite a good deal of maddening repetition that often makes the book sound like a committee report ("Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them"), it's a compelling and intriguing read, its scholarship exemplary and its conclusions well-grounded. Especially revealing are the comparisons among several translations of well-known passages, which demonstrate the extraordinary degree to which all-too-human, seemingly arbitrary decisions (the Greek word ekklesia was translated as "church" but was more closely akin to "congregation") crept into a work which, more than any other, shaped our language and culture. Because of that undeniable influence, IN THE BEGINNING is a must-read for anybody who thinks, even if they're non-Christians or non-believers altogether.
Rating: 
Summary: In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible
Review: A very complete historical analysis of the New King James Bible's impact on society, McGrath's work traces the path of the scriptures from their Latin and Greek origins through numerous translations, revealing its historical struggles and triumphs. McGrath has really gone out of his way to help the reader understand the historical context of each step the scriptures went through in their voyage through the centuries. Thorough, yet easy to understand, McGrath's "In the Beginning..." is entertaining in presentation and insightful in content.
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Summary: Thorough, complete, and quite witty as well
Review: Alister McGrath has a gift for clarity of expression and unbiased treatment of the theological thought and history of any era of which he writes. In the Beginning, unlike his more scholarly works, makes the periods surrounding that of the King James Bible very accessible, even to those who have little knowledge of the time. His highly readable, often hilarious, style provides a very easily understood, very comprehensive treatment of both the theology and politics of the High Middle Ages and Reformation times.
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Summary: "A Fascinating Story, Finely Told"
Review: Alister McGrath's "In the Beginning" is a magisterial account of the King James Bible's fascinating story. In it, a wealth of background information will be found which ultimately and thoroughly lays the foundation for his treatment of the Bible's formation, completion, and rise to triumph. But this work is certainly not a one-sided approach, merely telling the story of a bible. McGrath's detailed coverage of the religious, political, and economical factors, from Gutenberg's press to the Colonization of America, sheds enormous light upon how the King James Bible actually "changed a nation, a language, and a culture." The reader will find, on top of this, an artful and detailed analysis of the King James Bible as a literary text. And in dissecting the text, the author blends impartial criticism with will well grounded praise and gives the reader all the ups and downs of the text as a translation and as English prose. Overall, it may be said that McGrath presents his information in an equitable fashion and charms the reader with his well-researched narrative and flowing prose. The only argument contrary to the point addressed above is that he failed to rise above religious bigotry; he denies the fact that the Douay Rheims version of the Bible had any influence upon the KJV; he has nothing good to say about St Jerome's Latin Vulgate; and he reduces St Thomas More to nothing more than a foul-mouthed heretic hunter. With that said, it must be noted that McGrath's work is most likely the best study of its kind. Also included in this work is a bevy of illustrations, helpful charts, and an appendix, which provides a comparison of all the historical English translations. This work is a definite recommendation.
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Summary: Book Review
Review: Alister Mcrath's hisorical review of the origin of the King James Bible is a good account of this important book. I learned much from this reading. I had no idea of the extensive process and evolution this translation went through. Also, I was not aware of the extreme controversy surrounding it throughout Europe. My only complaint concerning this work would be that Mcgrath repeated himself quite often. Many of his points seemed to saying the same thing. Mcgrath did extensive research to be able to write this book, but I do believe he was trying to fill space in several places throughout the book. All in all, the book was very informative and opened my eyes to what really occured in bringing this influential book to life.
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Summary: Amazing historical timeline of how the KJV was written!
Review: Allister McGrath did an amazing job of combining historical detail with modern Christianity. The book was able to trace the King James Bible back to its earliest origin and beginning. It showed how various events throughout history aided in carving the path for the King James Version of the Bible. I was extremely surprised at how many details and events were major factors in the shaping of the KJV. I give this book a five star rating because McGrath made a potentially boring timeline of historical jumble, into an exciting way to see the way one of the world's most influential books was written.
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Summary: And we fetched a compass...
Review: As a latecomer to Christianity, I always hated the KJV. I would get enormously frustrated with people who said it was the "only acceptable translation" (Why the English 1611 translation? Why not the Italian 1730 translation, or the Ugandan 1978 translation?) Those who say the language in the King James is special and more respectful seem to be ignorant of the fact that "thou" is the familiar form of the pronoun "you". In other words, if you call God "thou" you can't call your dog "you". Passages such as "we fetched a compass" (Acts 28:13), which has nothing to do with finding a navigational tool but means the subjects walked from place to place in a circle, throw everyone off. So as you can imagine, I was surprised to be educated and entertained by "In the Beginning". McGrath doesn't write a humdrum chronology of how the book came to be. He engages us in an enlivened discussion of the times in which King James and the Tudors reigned. His book does a great job of mining some of the natural irony inherent in not only government and religion, but religion and religion, butting heads. James VI/I (he became I of England while VI of Scotland) was handed a rough job. He knew that avoiding a vernacular text was impossible. But if he sided with the Anglican church and endorsed the currently used Bishop's Bible, the Puritans, who were gaining strength and who preferred Jean Calvin's Geneva Bible, would refuse it, putting James in a precarious position. What would be the punishment for someone who read the "wrong" Bible, unapproved by the King's church? Should they be hanged, as translaters who failed to abide by the monarch's wishes had in the past? On the other hand, how could he allow a translation (the Geneva) whose footnotes were highly politicized, advocating revolution and abolishment of the monarchy? Thus James' decision to establish a new committee to produce a new English version from available Hebrew and Greek texts was a shrewd political move. Although it apparently was not good enough to satisfy the Puritans, who packed up all their Geneva Bibles and took them to America a few years later, the new Bible soon became known as the preferrable contemporary version. "In the Beginning" highlights much more. How the invention of the printing press impacted Bible translation. Luther's mass produced German bible. How Calvin came to write the Geneva Bible in the first place. James' personality, including his ambiguous sexuality. I came away with a definite appreciation for the KJV, as well as for the man who authorized it, who turned the embers of civil war into an opportunity for the making of a masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: And we fetched a compass...
Review: As a latecomer to Christianity, I always hated the KJV. I would get enormously frustrated with people who said it was the "only acceptable translation" (Why the English 1611 translation? Why not the Italian 1730 translation, or the Ugandan 1978 translation?) Those who say the language in the King James is special and more respectful seem to be ignorant of the fact that "thou" is the familiar form of the pronoun "you". In other words, if you call God "thou" you can't call your dog "you". Passages such as "we fetched a compass" (Acts 28:13), which has nothing to do with finding a navigational tool but means the subjects walked from place to place in a circle, throw everyone off. So as you can imagine, I was surprised to be educated and entertained by "In the Beginning". McGrath doesn't write a humdrum chronology of how the book came to be. He engages us in an enlivened discussion of the times in which King James and the Tudors reigned. His book does a great job of mining some of the natural irony inherent in not only government and religion, but religion and religion, butting heads. James VI/I (he became I of England while VI of Scotland) was handed a rough job. He knew that avoiding a vernacular text was impossible. But if he sided with the Anglican church and endorsed the currently used Bishop's Bible, the Puritans, who were gaining strength and who preferred Jean Calvin's Geneva Bible, would refuse it, putting James in a precarious position. What would be the punishment for someone who read the "wrong" Bible, unapproved by the King's church? Should they be hanged, as translaters who failed to abide by the monarch's wishes had in the past? On the other hand, how could he allow a translation (the Geneva) whose footnotes were highly politicized, advocating revolution and abolishment of the monarchy? Thus James' decision to establish a new committee to produce a new English version from available Hebrew and Greek texts was a shrewd political move. Although it apparently was not good enough to satisfy the Puritans, who packed up all their Geneva Bibles and took them to America a few years later, the new Bible soon became known as the preferrable contemporary version. "In the Beginning" highlights much more. How the invention of the printing press impacted Bible translation. Luther's mass produced German bible. How Calvin came to write the Geneva Bible in the first place. James' personality, including his ambiguous sexuality. I came away with a definite appreciation for the KJV, as well as for the man who authorized it, who turned the embers of civil war into an opportunity for the making of a masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: No Christian Should Be Without This Book
Review: At a time when Protestant Christians are engaged in a battle over the Bible, specifically which version is the "real one", a good, conscise history of the one translation that many feel is the only one is an invaluable asset to all Christians. Without marginalizing the King James Version at all, and in fact praising it rather highly in his conclusion, McGrath shows the struggles that resulted in the publication of this great translation made from several good ones. While telling this story, though, McGrath does more. He tells the story of William Tyndale and his ground-breaking Bible. He tells the story of James I's betrayal of the Puritans, who thought they had a friend in this new King. He tells the story of the rise of English as an actual language. He connects the Reformation taking place in Europe. And then he shows how all these events impacted the development of the KJV. This book is a great read, either in search of information or just as a casual, free-reading book. I also recommend Bobrick's Wide As the Waters. Both books cover the same ground, but from different perspectives.
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