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King James Bible: Queen marks 400th anniversary

The Archbishop of Canterbury has paid tribute to the King James Bible at a service to mark its 400th anniversary.

Dr Rowan Williams said the text was "extraordinary" and of "abiding importance".

The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales also attended the service at Westminster Abbey.

The translation was ordered by James I in 1604 to help forge unity between religious factions.

The final editing of the "Authorised Version" of the King James Bible was completed in the Jerusalem Chamber of the Abbey in 1611.

Dr Williams told the congregation that the seventeenth century translators would have been "baffled and embarrassed" by the idea of a perfect translation of the Bible....

Read entire article at BBC