First, I will begin with explaining the truth about the origins of the 1611 King James Bible.

King James was a Demon Hunter, his main interest was witches in particular. Once he took the throne of England, the word was out that now it was James who was the hunted. Through my research it is probable that the 'hit' was put out by the Vatican. Nonetheless, every witch, sorcerer, wizard and who knows what else was after King James. It was then that he began meeting with his knights in secret to translate and compile the 1611 Bible. These secret meetings with his knights who were all men led to the ridiculous rumors of King James being a homosexual.

He found out what the most powerful weapon against evil was and he ordered the original Aramaic and Greek texts be translated into English. Earlier he had compiled a book called Demonology, which was a guide for others who were interested in becoming warriors against evil.

The 1611 King James Version Bible is the DEMON HUNTER'S EDITION that is used against evil. This is why the 1611 is the version accepted in courts as 'evidence of law'. It is this version that was specifically created for the purpose of binding and banishing evil. Now we can dig into the true history of King James and the 1611 Bible.

· King James full name was James Charles Stuart; born June 19th at Edinburg Castle in Scotland.

· He was born to Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley in 1566. His father was murdered a year later after his birth in 1567. This led to James being crowned the king of Scotland at only 13 months old. He was at this time crowned James VI of Scotland and at age 12 he assumed power over the thrown.

· From the time of his youth, James was tutored in the languages of Greek, Latin, French, Italian, and Spanish. He was also a well learnt historian in his own right. It is also important to mention that he was learnt in arithmetic and cosmography (the study of maps) along with many other areas of learning.

· After ruling over Scotland for 36 years, James became the first ever king to rule over both England and Scotland when he became king of England in the year 1603. It was at his ascension to the throne of England that he became known as King James I; while in Scotland he was called King James the VI. This was due to the fact that he ascended to each of these thrones at two different time periods. While there were are ready 5 James's to rule over Scotland prior to King James the VI, James became the first to rule over England.

· He was the first king to sit on three different thrones at once (England, Scotland, and Ireland) and was responsible for uniting these three countries into what is called Great Britain. You would believe that an accomplishment as great as this would be taught in modern history.

· He was responsible for calling a decree for the translation of the Old and New Testament out of the original Hebrew and Greek tongues. This translation is known today as the King James Version 1611 Bible and is the most accurate translation of the Bible; simply because it correlates almost exactly with the Hebrew and Greek scrolls in which the Old and New Testament was written. King James had nothing to do with the actual translation of the Bible as far as hands on translating from one language to another. He instead hired 47 of the best scholars of his time who were skilled in Hebrew and Greek to translate the Holy Texts from one language to another.

King James was a staunch opponent against the establishment known as the Roman Catholic Church; making quotes such as "Rome is the Seat of the Antichrist." (--King James VI & I, A P) and "The Pope is Antichrist..." (--King James VI & I, Meditation Upon Revelation 20:7-10) and last but not least "The Scripture forbiddeth to worship the Image of any thing that God created..."

(--King James VI & I, A Premonition to All Most Mightie Monarches). Here we have listed just a few of many of the quotes of King James in reference to what he thought of the Roman Catholic Church (then know as the Papist). In fact, James authored many books exposing and opposing everything from the Roman Catholic Church to the Rosicrucian Order of witchcraft and sorcery that began to up rise while James was still on his throne. A collection of King James' writings can be found in a hard to find book named, The Workes of the Most High and Mightie Prince James. Now we can see why the Roman Catholic Church doesn't take any measures to protect the character of King James.

We can now move on to some of the allegations that are used to defame King James. We will use only research to prove whether these allegations were either Myth or Truth; opposed to using our own feelings as a way to place a label on another human beign:

1. "King James was a white homosexual": This is probably the most prominent of all accusations against the character of King James. Yet, very little to no one has actually researched this accusation to find out if it was true or not. So the question is… is this Myth or Truth? First and foremost, we would like to establish the fact that King James was not a Caucasian in any way shape or form. In fact, many of the rulers of Europe from about 193 A.D. to about the mid to late 16th century were people of color. This period is documented in modern history as the "Dark Ages", in which the descendents of the Israelites ruled over Europe for over 1000 years. This is why this time is tactically referred to as the "Dark Ages". Modern historians try to evade this fact by stating that the Dark Ages was a period in Europe in which no history was recorded; neither were there any new achievements in and politically, culturally, or economically. You have to remember that this is these are the same institutions that claim that they can find proof of life as far as 1 Billion years ago; yet, they have a hard time figuring out something as simple as to who was in power during this 1000 year period of history. Many so called scholars would like to refute this fact but can't. One of the reasons is that there can be found within the coats of arms and artwork of many European countries the images of black royalty.

Now for the second half of the accusation concerning King James being a homosexual. Where and how did this understanding come from; and is there any substantial proof showing this to be true? The answer to this question goes back to the year 1650, 25 years after the death of King James. The author of this allegation is Sir Anthony Weldon, a 17th century courtier and politician who had a personal vendetta against James. In his book titled, The Court and Character of King James, Weldon paints a portrait in which James is portrayed as an unhygienic, lazy homosexual. The question is why did Sir Weldon wait for 25 years until after James's death when he could no longer defend himself to bring forth this slanderous information? Sir Anthony Weldon along with other authors of his time such as Francis Osborne (another guy who had a person problem with King James) are continually used by historians as reliable resources on the life of King James. Yet, both of these authors were known for composing hostile information against the King for their personal reasons. People lose their common sense and look over the fact that King James had a wife in which they bore 9 children together. Her name was Anne of Denmark. This was James's only wife and the married in the year of 1589. The idea of King James being a white homosexual can be officially dismissed as a myth.

2. "King James had sex with his mother":

Here is another widely used statement that has been used to slander the name of King James. Let's examine this statement to see if it holds any validity. Firstly, King James was raised by neither his mother nor father. His father, Lord Darnley, was mysteriously murdered while James was still an infant. This took place in the year 1566. His mother, Mary Queen of Scots, had to surrender her throne a year later in the year 1567 after being suspected of being involved in the murder of James' father. After this, she was married James Hepburn, the 4th Earl of Bothwell. Hepburn was thought by many to be behind the death of Mary's former husband Lord Darnley. After being temporally arrested, Mary tried to regain the throne as the Queen of England. After unsuccessfully doing so, she fled to England seeking protection from her cousin Elizabeth I who was then Queen of England. After Mary was accused of trying to assume Elizabeth's throne, she was then imprisoned for 19 years until the year 1587 when she was then executed. If anyone can do basic math, they will notice that there is no possible way that King James had a chance to sleep with his mother.

King James born: 1565

Father murder: 1566

Mother dethroned and imprisoned temporarily: 1567

Mother again arrested for 19 years: 1568

Mother executed: 1587

King James was only two years old when his mother fled away and was eventually imprisoned. As we can see, another accusation against King James can be labeled as a myth.

3. "King James tampered with the Bible":

Last but not least, another allegation against King James is that he was responsible for tampering with the Bible. First and foremost, you have to understand that King James was only the sponsor of the 1611 translation and not the actual translator. Secondly, there was a spiritual reason behind why King James called for the translation of the Bible out of the Hebrew and Greek tongues. In fact, this translation was prophesied in the Bible itself:

Isa 28:11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

The scriptures state in Isaiah 28 that with a stammering lip and in another tongue, the Most High would speak to His people. At the time that Isaiah receive this prophecy, the Most High's people were speaking Hebrew. So why would the Most High need to speak to His people in another language? The answer to this question can be found in Deuteronomy the 28th chapter:

Deu 28:49 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;

The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth: One of the curses that would befall the children of Israel for disobeying the Most High's law was that they would be taken into captivity by nation who is represented by the eagle. What nation is this referring to:

Oba 1:1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.; Oba 1:4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.

The nation being represented as the eagle in Deut. 28 is the nation of Edom who is the father of the pure blood Caucasians. It was out of Edom that both the Grecians and Romans descended; two nations whose national emblem was the eagle. America (whose emblem is also the eagle) is an extension of the Greco-Roman Empire. They were responsible for enslaving the children of Israel (primarily Judah).

A nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand: When our people were taken from the shores of West Africa, with the exception of a few learned men, had long forgotten their original native tongue which was Hebrew. It was under our captivity in America that we were totally separated from our Hebrew tongue. King James understood who he was and who his people were. He also knew who the enemies of his people were and with that in mind, he had our Original Sacred Texts translated into the language that would be given to us by our oppressors. This fact can and will be proven with the King James Epistle Dedicatory, which is contained in the front of most King James Version Bibles.

Before we bring forth this information, we would first like to prove that King James had nothing to do with any mistranslation that may have happened with the Bible over time. This information can be found in the Zondervan Bible Dictionary:

When you go to the definition for Bible you will see that the definition is broken down into subdivisions. One of the subdivisions is King James Version. When you read this definition, it explains the following:

"In the course of time, slight alterations were made, especially in spelling, to conform to changing usage, but these were all done piecemeal by private enterprise".

The Zondervan Bible Dictionary admits that there have been slight changes to the Bible; yet, these slight changes were not performed by King James but instead by private enterprise. A private enterprise is basically defined as a business or system controlled by private individuals for profit, instead of government or its agencies. We know that the biggest culprits behind private enterprise are the Jewish Zionist a.k.a. the Synagogue of Satan. They were behind adding the name Jehovah in the Bible when the Most High told Moses in Exodus 3:14 that His name is I Am. This is just one of the many examples of how they tampered with our book. Yet, they continually try to place this blame on King James. Without further ado, here is the Epistle Dedicatory of King James the VI with the reason behind his translation of the Bible in 1611:

TO THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTY PRINCE

JAMES,

BY THE GRACE OF GOD

KING OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, AND IRELAND, DEFENDER OF THE FAITH, &C., /P

The Translators of the Bible wish Grace, Mercy and Peace, through JESUS CHRIST, our Lord.

____________

G REAT and manifold were the blessings, most dread Sovereign, which Almighty God, the Father of all mercies, bestowed upon us the people of England, when first he sent Your Majesty's Royal Person to rule and reign over us. For whereas it was the expectation of many, who wished not well unto our Sion, that upon the setting of that bright Occidental Star, Queen Elizabeth of most happy memory, some thick and palpable clouds of darkness would so have overshadowed this Land, that men should have been in doubt which way they were to walk; and that it should hardly be known, who was to direct the unsettled State; the appearance of your Majesty, as the Sun in his strength, instantly dispelled those supposed and surmised mists, and gave unto all that were well affected exceeding cause of comfort; especially when we beheld the Government established in Your Highness, and Your hopeful Seed, by an undoubted Title, and this also accompanied with peace and tranquillity at home and abroad.

But among all our joys, there was no one that more filled our hearts, than the blessed continuance of the preaching of God's sacred Word among us; which is that inestimable treasure, which excelleth all the riches of the earth; because the fruit thereof extendeth itself, not only to the time spent in this transitory world, but directeth and disposeth men unto that eternal happiness which is above in heaven.

Then not to suffer this to fall to the ground, but rather to take it up, and to continue it in that state, wherein the famous Predecessor of Your Highness did leave it: nay, to go forward with the confidence and resolution of a Man in maintaining the truth of Christ, and propagating it far and near, is that which hath so bound and firmly knit the hearts of all Your Majesty's loyal and religious people unto You, that Your very name is precious among them: their eye doth behold You with comfort, and they bless You in their hearts, as that sanctified

Person who, under God, is the immediate Author of their true happiness. And this their contentment doth not diminish or decay, but every day increaseth and taketh strength, when they observe, that the zeal of Your Majesty toward the house of God doth not slack or go backward, but is more and more kindled, manifesting itself abroad in the farthest parts of Christendom, by writing in defence of the Truth, (which hath given such a blow unto that man of sin, as will not be healed,) and every day at home, by religious and learned discourse, by frequenting the house of God, by hearing the Word preached, by cherishing the Teachers thereof, by caring for the Church, as a most tender and loving nursing Father.

There are infinite arguments of this right christian and religious affection in Your Majesty; but none is more forcible to declare it to others than the vehement and perpetuated desire of accomplishing and publishing of this work, which now with all humility we present unto Your Majesty. For when Your Highness had once out of deep judgment apprehended how convenient it was, that out of the Original Sacred Tongues, together with comparing of the labours, both in our own, and other foreign Languages, of many worthy men who went before us, there should be one more exact Translation of the holy Scriptures into the English Tongue; Your Majesty did never desist to urge and to excite those to whom it was commended, that the work might be hastened, and that the business might be expedited in so decent a manner, as a matter of such importance might justly require.

And now at last, by the mercy of God, and the continuance of our labours, it being brought unto such a conclusion, as that we have great hopes that the Church of England shall reap good fruit thereby; we hold it our duty to offer it to Your Majesty, not only as to our King and Sovereign, but as to the principal Mover and Author of the work: humbly craving of Your most Sacred Majesty, that since things of this quality have ever been subject to the censures of illmeaning and discontented persons, it may receive approbation and patronage from so learned and judicious a Prince as Your Highness is, whose allowance and acceptance of our labours shall more honour and encourage us, than all the calumniations and hard interpretations of other men shall dismay us. So that if, on the one side, we shall be traduced by Popish Persons at home or abroad, who therefore will malign us, because we are poor instruments to make God's holy Truth to be yet more and more known unto the people, whom they desire still to keep in ignorance and darkness; or if, on the other side, we shall be maligned by self-conceited Brethren, who run their own ways, and give liking unto nothing, but what is framed by themselves, and hammered on their anvil; we may rest secure, supported within by truth and innocency of a good conscience, having walked the ways of simplicity and integrity, as before the Lord; and sustained without by the powerful protection of Your Majesty's grace and favour, which will ever give countenance to honest and christian endeavours against bitter censures and uncharitable imputations.

The Lord of heaven and earth bless Your Majesty with many and happy days, that, as his heavenly hand hath enriched Your Highness with many singular and extraordinary graces, so You may be the wonder of the world in this latter age

for happiness and true felicity, to the honour of that great GOD, and the good of his Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour.

For whereas it was the expectation of many, who wished not well unto our Sion:

This proves that King James knew exactly who and where he descended from. He understood that at this time that there were people who wished to enforce evil upon the people of Sion (Zion). Who are the people of Zion:

Psa 149:2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

James understood that he was of the seed of Israel.

Especially when we beheld the Government established in Your Highness, and Your hopeful Seed: Once again James is making a reference to the chosen people of the Most High by making mention of God's "hopeful Seed". This again shows that King James knew that he was of the people of Israel.

Then not to suffer this to fall to the ground, but rather to take it up, and to continue it in that state, wherein the famous Predecessor of Your Highness did leave it: This was the purpose for King James translating the Bible in 1611. He states that it was done so that the sacred records of the children of Israel would not be suffered to fall to the ground. The Most High put it on James' spirit to make sure that the records of the Hebrew would continue in the same state in which they were found. James knew that this was important for the fact that he saw the eventual fall of his people with the resurgence of the Idumean powers in Europe. This time is known in modern history as the Renaissance Period.

Nay, to go forward with the confidence and resolution of a Man in maintaining the truth of Christ: James ordered this translation to maintain the truth of Christ in the earth. Almost 400 years after his translation, you can still go into the Bible in order to seek the truth of Christ while at the same time expose the lies of mainstream religion.

And propagating it far and near, is that which hath so bound and firmly knit the hearts of all Your Majesty's loyal and religious people unto You, that Your very name is precious among them: James' understood how important it was to help maintain the truth of the Most High and His name in the earth.

When they observe, that the zeal of Your Majesty toward the house of God doth not slack or go backward, but is more and more kindled, manifesting itself abroad in the farthest parts of Christendom, by writing in defence of the Truth, (which hath given such a blow unto that man of sin, as will not be healed,): This shows that King James knew exactly behind the takedown of his people. He makes a reference to the man of sin that is mentioned in 2Thess. 2:3:

2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition

That man of sin/son of perdition (sin) is Amalek, the father of our modern day Jewish nation. James knew that it was this seed that would eventually overtake the power that our people established in Europe for over 1000 years. It was the Jewish powers through the help of Oliver Cromwell that were behind the beheading of James' second son, King Charles I of England. No soon as they removed any traces regarding the reign of colored people in Europe, they begin setting up their own kings over thrones in Europe under the same names (Hence: modern day Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles) to make you believe that they were in power the whole time.

For when Your Highness had once out of deep judgment apprehended how convenient it was, that out of the Original Sacred Tongues, together with comparing of the labours, both in our own, and other foreign Languages, of many worthy men who went before us, there should be one more exact Translation of the holy Scriptures into the English Tongue: This is what separates the King James Version Bible from any other translation. The King James Version is translated directly from the Original Sacred Tongues in which the Old and New Testament were written.

That since things of this quality have ever been subject to the censures of illmeaning and discontented persons, it may receive approbation and patronage from so learned and judicious a Prince as Your Highness is: The same way that truth is censored in our modern day media and learning institutions, the same was done during the time of King James to keep truth from getting to the people.

So that if, on the one side, we shall be traduced by Popish Persons at home or abroad, who therefore will malign us, because we are poor instruments to make God's holy Truth to be yet more and more known unto the people, whom they desire still to keep in ignorance and darkness; Once again, James is showing exactly who is enemies are. This time he makes reference to 'Popish Persons". What exactly does Popish Mean:

popish adj. having to do with popery; characteristic of the Roman Catholic Church: a hostile term

Traduced means to be slandered or vilified. James understood that his zealousness for truth would cause his name to eventually be slandered and vilified by one of his biggest foes known as the Roman Catholic Church.

On the other side, we shall be maligned by self-conceited Brethren, who run their own ways, and give liking unto nothing, but what is framed by themselves, and hammered on their anvil; James also understood that he could be betrayed by those of his own brethren who were only concerned with their well being and were willing to sell him out for the right price.

We may rest secure, supported within by truth and innocency of a good conscience, having walked the ways of simplicity and integrity, as before the Lord; and sustained without by the powerful protection of Your Majesty's grace and favour, which will ever give countenance to honest and christian endeavours against bitter censures and uncharitable imputations: James was willing to promote the truth of the Most High and even through the attempts of censorship and false allegations against his character.

James I considered himself to be an intellect. In particular James saw himself as an expert on witchcraft, which was still an issue in Stuart England in so far as many did not share the same views as James.

The idea of black and witch witches can be traced back to Roman times. However in the sixteenth century a new Christian theory developed based on Christian theology, canon law and philosophical ideas. This theory was that a witch had made a deliberate pact with the devil – almost a form of a personal arrangement – but that a witch did not act alone. Therefore if one witch existed in a locality, there had to be more. This led to a shift in the persecution of witches. Whereas a village may have punished an individual in the past, now the Christian witch theory demanded that more be found within one locality. This resulted in many arrests for witchcraft as the difference between white and black witchcraft effectively ended. The authorities of the time believed that even healing had to be as a result of pact with the devil – so white witches were also persecuted. The arrest of one ‘witch’ almost certainly led to more arrests as torture was allowed to be used on suspects to find out the names of other witches within a locality.

There are no accurate figures for the arrest and punishment of witches in the early seventeenth century – which could indicate poor record keeping or simply that so many were arrested that records were never updated.

The wholesale persecution of witches started in Scotland in 1590 when James VI was king – the future James I of England. Witchcraft had been a criminal offence in Scotland prior to 1590 but action against suspected witches was limited. However after 1590 and in the last thirteen years of the reign of James, Scotland fully accepted the Christian witch theory so that when one witch was found, others were hunted out. Prior to 1590, it seems that witchcraft was seen as a minor issue by those in power. In 1583, the General Assembly complained that witchcraft carried no punishment despite being outlawed in 1563. Why did this change in 1590?

The issue may well have been James himself. James was well known to adopt a topical issue of the time and to develop an ‘expert’ knowledge of it. Prior to 1590 no Scottish theologian, philosopher or lawyer had shown any real interest in the whole idea of witchcraft and therefore to James it was not a fashionable topic. Some of the writings of James before 1590 do make reference to Satan and devils. However, Christina Larner views these as references to the Roman Catholic Church or to Catholic Spain – a common practice at this time.

Why is 1590 a key year? The year saw the start of a series of trials for treason. Three hundred witches were accused of gathering to plot the murder of James. It is known that James had a morbid fear of violent death. Therefore these trials were of especial interest to him and he suddenly developed a very keen interest in demonology and witchcraft.

Evidence for the ‘crimes’ remain patchy at best. Witches were accused of attempting to drown James by calling up a storm while he was at sea with his new wife. Other charges include trying to kill James by melting a wax effigy of him. They were also accused of performing perverted rituals in a church in Berwick – though it is not clear what this had to do specifically with trying to kill the king. However, it did point the way to witchcraft and it is thought that over one hundred witches were actually put on trial. It is said that a large number were executed but there is accurate no figure for this.

While the witches were accused of classic witchcraft, the main issue as far as James was concerned was the plan to murder him – treason. The trials also had a major political aspect as there was an attempt to incriminate Earl Bothwell in the proceedings. One theory put forward is that the whole story was a plot made up by those nobles in Scotland who wanted to devalue the standing of Bothwell within Scotland – and expand theirs. However, this can not be proven.

Why did James become interested in the Christian witch theory – that witches worked in groups and had made a pact with the devil? It almost certainly occurred in 1589 when he visited Denmark to meet his future wife. It was in Denmark that James met a number of intellectuals and philosophers including the astronomer Tycho Brahe. Witches were actively hunted out in Denmark where the theory of a demonic pact had been widely accepted. The king’s journey back to Scotland proved to be a very rough and stormy one and one ship was lost. Witches were blamed – working in both Scotland and Denmark. When the Danish court made a reciprocal visit to Scotland in 1590, the topic of witchcraft and sorcery may well have been a topic of conversation.

When he became king of England in 1603, James claimed never to have been responsible for pushing ahead with persecutions of witches. However, the evidence suggests differently. In 1591 he showed a particular interest in the trial of Mary Napier – arrested for consulting a witch and linked to treasonable activity. She claimed to be pregnant at the time of her arrest. Despite the 1563 law outlawing witchcraft, no one had ever been arrested in Scotland for consulting a witch. Yet James wrote to the court ordering them to find out if she was pregnant or not and that if she was not, she should be burned. That Napier was a friend of Bothwell’s also indicates that James was willing to use witchcraft for political ends. The court acquitted Napier – much to the anger of James.

In 1597, James felt sufficiently knowledgeable about witchcraft that he wrote “Daemononlogie”. This was an eighty page book that expounded his views on the topic and it was meant to add to the intellectual debate that was going on within Europe about witchcraft. The book has three sections on magic, sorcery and witchcraft and one on spirits and ghosts. Having produced this book, James decided to end the standing commission that had been established to hunt out witches. However, the persecution did not end. By the time he left for England in 1603, witches were still being arrested and of those arrested, half were executed. Between 1603 and 1625, there were about twenty witchcraft trials a year in Scotland – nearly 450 in total. Half of the accused were found guilty and executed.

However, in England James found a very different environment. The whole issue of demonic behaviour – the Christian witch theory – had never been readily accepted in England and James was quick to lose his self-imposed expert tag on witchcraft. He viewed England as a more civilised society where intellectuals discussed issues of a philosophical nature – but that did not include witchcraft. For James, any association with the topic was seen as a potential embarrassment. Prosecutions for witchcraft did occur in England while he was king – such as in Lancashire in 1612. However, the trials were covered in such detail by the press of the day that they gave the impression that such events were common when they were not. Midway through the reign of James in England, people could tell jokes about witchcraft – something no one would have done in Scotland in the 1590’s when the thinking of James dominated policy. There was a 1604 Witchcraft Act which some believed was more harsh that the law introduced under Elizabeth I. However, only one clause in it was more draconian and that was execution for the first offence of raising evil spirits. However, it was never used in the reign of James and seems to have been only used once in 1645.

For James, witches hinted at a less than sophisticated society. In England he believed he was in a country where he could best show off his intellectual ability – but the topics did not include witchcraft or demonology.

The Authorized Version - seven years hard labour

The centrepiece of this exhibition is a first edition (in two impressions) of

the most popular and influential English Bible translation of all time, the

King James Bible or Authorized Version. Produced in 1611 at

the request of James VII (1566-1625) in 1604 to improve existing English

translations, it eventually reigned supreme in the English speaking world until

the late-nineteenth century. Yet it remains many people's favourite up to the

present.

The written divine Word in English

The aim of the exhibition is to illustrate the building blocks and context of

the publication of the King James Bible, and so the huge textual

resources and language skills involved. Two major Reformation principles were at

work. First: that the revelation of the Word of God was at its most authentic in

the languages in which it was originally written down, Hebrew, Aramaic, and

Greek. Therefore, these texts need to be recovered, accessible and studied.

Secondly: that all ordinary people, male and female, have (by reading or by

hearing) a divinely given right of access to these ‘divine oracles’ translated

into their own tongues.

Farewell to the 1200 year-old Latin Bible

It followed that in Reformation churches the traditional Bible of the Church

since c. AD 400, the Latin Vulgate, was discarded. This was because

Latin was no longer the language of the people anywhere, and many scholars

regarded its text as defective and outdated in places.

The Bible in the original and other languages

Displayed are samples of resources that the forty-seven translators of the

King James Bible used, for example, editions of Latin Bibles, Hebrew

Bibles, and Greek New Testaments. Accompanying this are examples of various

English translations before 1611, including a pre-Reformation one and a

contemporary Catholic rival version. The King James team also consulted other

modern language translations, like Martin Luther’s epochal German New

Testament (1522), shown here too.

The Bible in the languages of Scotland

The exhibition also highlights English Bibles that were used and later

published in Scotland, such as the Geneva Bible and the King James

Bible in diverse formats. In addition, important versions of the Scriptures

in the Gaelic languages can be seen. In addition there are examples of belated

efforts to offer portions of the Bible rendered into the Scots language.

Witchcraft in a Nutshell

Witchcraft persecutions began during Elizabeth I's reign - around 1563, which was actually much later than other areas of Europe... Witch hunts in southern France and Switzerland began as early as the 14th century.

In early modern tradition, witches were stereotypically women. The common belief was that these women would make a diabolical pact with evil spirits and appeal to their intervention. They would reject Jesus and the holy sacraments, and take part in "the Witch's Sabbath" - a parody of the mass and sacraments. By paying honor to the 'Prince of Darkness,' they would in turn receive preternatural powers - thereby becoming evil.

Folklore said that the 'Devil's Mark' would appear on the new witch's skin like a brand, to signify that the evil pact had been made. It was said during Elizabeth I's reign that the devil's mark had been spotted on Anne Boleyn - though this has been popularly seen as a cruel and unwarranted slam against her.

Interestingly, the reasons for a woman to make a pact with the devil were varied - people believed that women, in their frustrations and struggles, would appeal to the devil in order to gain powers to deal with infertility, fear for her children's well-being, or revenge against a lover.

Although witch persecutions were not really in effect until 1563, the use of witchcraft had been deemed as heresy by Pope Innocent VIII in 1484. From then until about 1750, roughly 200,000 witches were tortured, burnt, and hung across Western Europe.

What was a Witch like?

Witches were frequently characterized as being ugly and old women. (Though in Anne Boleyn's case, people were apparently willing to overlook those characteristics when they called her a witch). They were typically described as "crone-like," with snaggle teeth, sunken cheeks, and hairy lips. Not a pretty picture, and certainly similar to how we picture witches today! Also, if they were the owner of a cat, they were all the more likely to be considered a witch - that's right, even in the early modern period, cats were considered a sign of witchcraft. For that reason, most cats during the Tudor period in England were burnt or otherwise destroyed because of the fear that they would attract evil. As sad as that is, I find it interesting - we hear frequently about how kings and queens kept pets such as dogs and monkeys...but never cats.

Witch Persecutions

Witch persecutions were not a pretty thing. Similar to your average 16th century execution methods, the witches were handled cruelly and harshly, and were typically put under some kind of awful torture to gain a confession of their craft and other witches in the village. 'Thumb screws' and 'leg irons' seem to be the most common forms of torture used on the witches, and they usually resulted in a confession - This, of course, would have been taken as proof that witchcraft really did exist in England, because a woman being tortured would confess it! Whether it was said out of pain and agony or not, it certainly gave witch-hunters cause to continue looking and persecuting... and it only increased the fear of evil and the devil!

1645-1646 marks a short period of time when 'witch fever' gripped England hard. A man named Matthew Hopkins, a renowned witch finder, had 68 people put to death in Bury St. Edmunds and 19 people hung in Chelmsford in a single day. He was given exorbitant amounts of money for touring England and ridding towns and villages of evil witches. The grateful townsfolk would do anything and pay any price to rid their homes of the devil's influence! Because of this, many people lost their lives.

Hopkins' main 'tool' to discover witches during this period was by using a needle and poking/prodding a wart, mole, or insect bite to see if the woman felt any pain. If she didn't, it was 'solid proof' that the mark was indeed the devil's mark! There could be no question that she was a witch and would have to be executed! However, his 'needle' was no needle at all. It was a 3 inch spike that retracted into the spring-loaded handle so the women would not feel a thing.

Witch Testing

Other witch tests included the swimming test. Mary Sutton of Bedford was tossed into a river with her thumbs tied to her opposite big toes. If she floated, she was guilty; if she sank, she was innocent. Either way she would die! Poor Mary Sutton floated, and was therefore burnt.

In August 1612, King James I (who was famously terrified of witchcraft), ordered that the Pendle Witches (three generations of a family), should be marched through the streets of Lancaster all together and hanged.

In fact, King James I was so fearful of witchcraft and the threat of evil, that he advocated a book called Daemonologia - published in Edinburgh in 1567. This was a guide telling his subjects how to detect witchcraft and how to protect themselves from it. His writings included descriptions of the devil's mark, the swimming test, and the fact that a witch cannot shed tears!

Witchcraft Statistics & Facts

From April 1661-Autumn 1662, 600 witches were found - 100 were executed.

Mother Samuel, from Huntingdonshire, was tortured into confessing to the death of Lady Cromwell in 1590. She, her daughter, and her husband were all hanged and their naked bodies were left there for onlookers to see.

In 1616, nine witches were hanged at Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, England, for causing epilepsy in a boy.

Major Thomas Weir was strangled and burnt for witchcraft in 1670 [at age 70] for incest and bestiality. His sister, Jean, was hanged for similar crimes.

Margaret Aikens, a 16th century Scottish woman was known as "The Great Witch of Balver." She said she could detect other witches, and under supervision, she was taken around the world for that purpose.

Jane Wenham was the last person in England to be convicted of witchcraft. This was in 1712.

Witchcraft continued...

During James I's reign, the 'new world' of America was discovered - and unsurprisingly, witch hunting continued there. The Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts in 1692 stemmed from King James' fear of witches - and that fear continued through his son Charles I, and all the way throughout the Stuart dynasty. Witches were no longer the subject of folklore and medieval myths - they were a real, tangible representation of the devil. They could inflict diseases on people, spoil crops, bring about bad weather, and perform other unspeakable and detestable acts of devil's work. Witches and witchcraft were a scary reality of the 16th and 17th centuries in England. Even to this day the history of witches remains something of a mystery.

For information regarding the whereabouts and deeds of MODERN witches and sorcerors, check out my ebook called "Pharmakeia" located at my online store.