Bible Version

          A good way to begin an argument among Christians is to talk about which version of the Bible to use. Here we go...

          Vanguard Education is not a King James only curriculum.
          Vanguard Education recommends that a King James Bible be used for the Bible class in the curriculum for the following educational reasons:

          The King James Bible is written in Elizabethan English. Over time, the grammar of a language degrades. Reading from a King James Bible daily is difficult at first, but it has the advantage of teaching the student the more complex grammar of Elizabethan English. As the student becomes familiar with Elizabethan English, this allows the student to learn the grammar of foreign languages more easily, allows the student to easily read Shakespeare and other English works from the more distant past, and allows the student to translate other languages into English with greater specificity.

          The Bible is frequently quoted or alluded to in English literature. Almost always it is the King James Bible that is quoted or alluded to. A familiarity with the wording of the King James Bible allows the student to more quickly and accurately recognize Biblical quotes and references when reading English literature.
          Quotations from the King James Bible are the most widely recognizable as Biblical quotes worldwide. Familiarity with the wording of the King James Bible allows the student to function in and generate quotes in this recognizable context.
          A reader can always convert the wording of the King James Bible into modern English if the hearer does not understand what a verse is saying. Going the other way, from modern English to Elizabethan English, is not possible without an intimate knowledge of the King James wording. In other words, if a person knows the King James, the person has both King James and modern wording to use. If the person only knows modern wording, that is all you get.
          The Geneva Bible, the King James Bible, and to a slightly lesser extent the New King James Bible, are more literal, word for word translations of the original Greek and Hebrew. Newer translations are more interpreted and paraphrased, to make it more understandable and to help it flow in the grammar of modern English. It is necessary for a student who learns any other language to be able to translate not only the words but the grammar into and out of that other language. Reading English with a more Greek and Hebrew grammatical structure prepares the child's mind to think in the grammatical structure of other languages.

          For these reasons, Vanguard Education recommends the use of the King James Bible in the Bible curriculum.

(1) Vanguard Bible course

(2) Bible version (You are on this page)

(3) Bible Reading: Things to Be Aware of

(4) Suggested Hymns with Bible Reading

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