The TRUSTY SERVANT

The TRUSTY SERVANT N O .112 NOVEMBER 2011 The Headmaster writes: John Harmar & the King James Bible The year 2011 marks the 400th anniversary of 1767; it was the same bible that had been be Arabic. Christianity, however, places a the publication of the King James Bible. During used by George Washington in 1789. high value on a translation. There have, of the month of September we opened the doors of These two bibles have become part of course, been many translations of the Bible School to 3,000 visitors, among them many America’s history, just as the KJB is part of in the 400 years since the KJB was first OWs, to show them an exceptionally America’s religious culture. published in 1611, but the KJB is highly interesting array of bibles and related scholarly valued even by those who use another The KJB, which is known in the UK as books held in the Fellows’ Library. Place of version. The reasons for this universal the Authorized Version, is the most honour in the respect vary. Some exhibition went to our admire its resonant first edition of the prose, which KJB, recently sometimes has the acquired by the rhythms of poetry: Warden & Fellows. when Adam says to The lavish catalogue God ‘she gave me of was prepared by Dr the tree and I did eat’ Geoffrey Day, (Genesis 3, 12), his Fellows’ Librarian, words are cast in a and Mr Paul Quarrie, iambic pentameter, scholar and bibliophile. the five-beat metre Here is the of Shakespeare and Headmaster’s address Milton. Others given to the School just believe that the prior to the exhibition’s translators of the opening. 17th century were divinely inspired. On 20 January But by any account, 2009 Barack Obama the history of the took the presidential KJB is the history of oath of office on a the most influential copy of the King James Bible published by celebrated book in the English-speaking book in the English language. OUP in 1853; it was the same bible that world. In other religious traditions it is the had been used by Abraham Lincoln in version of the sacred book in the original The printing history of the KJB may 1861. Similarly, a series of 20th century language that is honoured. In the Islamic sound dry, but it is important and, at times, presidents (Warren Harding, Dwight world, for example, many Muslims comical in the difficulties that arise in the Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter and George memorise the entire Koran, but often have printing of such a large book. These Bush Senior) chose to take their oath on only the vaguest idea of what the words problems can be illustrated by some of the a copy of the KJB published in London in mean, unless their first language happens to more memorable errors. In the first edition 1 T HE T RUSTY S ERVANT of the KJB, designed for private study Bible. The trouble was that there were so James I to chair a small committee of (1612) as opposed to reading aloud in many different editions of the bible printed scholars charged to work on the translation church, Psalm 119, 161 read ‘Printers have that a definitive text was not finally settled of the four Gospels, the Acts of the persecuted me without a cause’; ‘printers’ until English spelling and grammar were Apostles and the Book of Revelation, was a misprint for ‘princes’. The 1631 standardised; this was achieved with the which together form the bulk of the New edition, now known as the Wicked Bible, KJB printing of 1769 and that is essentially Testament. He worked upstairs in the made adultery compulsory by omitting ‘not’ the edition that has been used in churches Warden’s Lodgings in the room we now call in Exodus 20, 14, which read ‘Thou shalt ever since (not the text of 1611). the Warden Harmar Room, which contains commit adultery’. The printers were heavily the many books he bequeathed to the John Harmar (1555-1613) was born in fined, but in 1641 the same press printed an Fellows’ Library. This includes a unique Newbury and in 1569 was enrolled at edition in which they omitted ‘no’ in collection of foreign-language bibles. John Winchester. In 1572 he became a Scholar Revelation 2, 1, which read ‘And there was Harmar died on 11 October 1613, three of New College, Oxford. He graduated in more sea’. The problem with negatives years before William Shakespeare. 1577 and became a Fellow. He was a gifted cropped up again in 1653, when another linguist and in particular a brilliant Greek The KJB is not the only famous book printer omitted the second negative in I scholar. In 1585 he became Regius associated with Winchester College, but Corinthians 6, 9, which read ‘Know ye not Professor of Greek at Oxford and was it is certainly the most famous, and even if that the unrighteous shall inherit the responsible for the first Greek book printed the name John Harmar is relatively kingdom of God?’ From negatives we move at Oxford, the sermons of St John unknown to the world at large, the uneasily to murderers. A bible of 1795 Chrysostom. From 1588 to 1595 he was translation work carried out by Harmar rendered Mark 7, 27 as ‘Let the children Headmaster of Winchester, and then he and his committee has been heard and first be killed’ when in fact Jesus has asked became Warden. And this is where he loved by millions and millions of people that they be filled (that is fed). Similarly, in became a lasting influence beyond any throughout the English-speaking world a bible of 1801, the murmurers of Jude 16 other writer in English, even Shakespeare. for the past 400 years. ■ became murderers, and so that edition of In 1604 John Harmar was assigned by King the KJB became known as the Murderers’ Meg Brodhurst Meg’s funeral took place in St. Michael’s How well qualified she was for the task of Church, Winchester College on 4th July helping him to manage all this! Born just 2011. This address, one of two made at the before Eton Match in Meadow House, the service, was delivered by Tommy Cookson daughter of a future President of MCC; (I, 1955-60), former don, Housemaster and brought up in Furley’s, where her father was Headmaster. Housemaster; a Wren well enough thought of to be posted to Mountbatten’s South East It is a touching story that Robin Asia Headquarters during the Second Brodhurst has told us of Podge and Meg’s World War – she had all the qualifications wedding in the Cathedral and of their for dealing capably with whatever a holding hands across Rufus’ tomb on their Boarding House and the larger Winchester way back from the altar, as if nothing in community of some 600 people could their lives was ever going to separate them. throw at her. The fact that they chose to marry in the Cathedral instead of merely in Chapel Everyone who knew them thought of suggests another thought: Meg wasn’t just them as a team. Podge-and-Meg, or just as marrying Podge: she was marrying his job - often Meg-and-Podge, were a composite coach of the First Cricket X1 and one of figure. If he was the Housemaster, she was the finer amateur cricketers of his the quiet and capable figure standing just generation; a man soon to be Housemaster behind him who enabled him to enjoy his of Beloe’s; and a man whose network of job because he knew that together they friends and acquaintances was enormous. could manage any crisis. They came into 2 T HE T RUSTY S ERVANT Beloe’s at very short notice and in very ‘Hullo, you don’t know who I am - I’m Sen difficult circumstances, with the sudden Hen’. departure of Podge’s predecessor. Their How well one understands why John youngest child, Tom, had just been born Thorn, newly arrived as Headmaster, asked with cystic fibrosis and his health was the the Brodhursts to do an extra year in Beloe’s source of constant anxiety; Rob and Sally before he chose their successor. When the were aged 2 and 4. It is said that Meg idea was put to Meg, her response was: interviewed candidates for matron from her ‘Only if you buy me a washing-up machine’. nursing home bed. More generally, it was a He did buy her one, and it was always period, still, of some post-war austerity, referred to as ‘John Thorn’. And how well when commodities and staff were hard to one can imagine the effect of the dreadful get. Nevertheless, within two years of their coincidence during that final extra year of arrival in Beloe’s, things were going so well Tom’s declining health and the tragic injury that Marcus Hampton, my Housemaster in to a member of the House, a brilliant Hopper’s, got a letter from a prospective athlete who never fully recovered. Such an parent saying, ‘I had thought of putting accumulation of bad luck could have down my son for Beloe’s but I think it more damaged any relationship, but for Podge prudent to enter him for a less distinguished and Meg it made their marriage, if possible, House. (Marcus, who was not used to closer. One can see Meg, mistress of the getting letters of this sort, retorted ‘I trust by uncomplicated integrity’. She just did, situation in public but grieving in private, “distinguished” you mean “notorious”’.) always, what the situation required.

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