The State Bibles

The State Bibles is the first extended comparative study of two key bible translations of the early modern period – the King James Version (1611) and the Dutch Statenvertaling (1637). It connects editorial decisions and theological emphases with contemporary retellings of biblical-political narratives, including chapters drawing on David, Naboth, and Esther. The KJV had an underappreciated influence on shaping the Dutch translation, which can be recovered through a comparison of their editorial practices, scriptural transmission, and religio-political contexts. Despite the translations’ ambition to project a definitive Christian Truth, the texts themselves resonate to the aims, fears, and tensions in both nations’ history. In turn, adaptations into literary or polemic texts repeated or rejected the translation choices and glosses of the state-authorised bibles, informing our understanding of the bibles’ reception, the influence of other traditions, and the infinite adaptability of the bible narratives. Many such adaptations remain understudied, but can unlock how authors responded to contemporary crises, and the tools available to them to express their ideas. Crucially, this is a transnational story, exploiting a striking ‘Anglo-Dutch Moment’ in how sacred texts were commissioned, translated, produced, illustrated, studied, revised, performed, criticised, and endorsed.