http://tspwiki.com/index.php?title=1611
Here are some one liners...
The King James Bible is Published -- King James commissioned a new translation of the Bible without commentary. It is published this year and the lack of commentary becomes an interesting marketing decision.
One of the Greatest of the Great Becomes King -- King Gustav the 2nd Adolf takes the throne. He will perfect the strategy of combined arms and otherwise kick the snot out of anyone who looks at him sideways.
The King James Bible is Published
The English-reading public has been using the Geneva Bible, so-called because it was translated by several English bishops and scholars after escaping to Geneva to avoid punishment and death at the hands of Queen Mary the 1st. With illustrations and notes, the Geneva Bible was the first Study Bible, but its uneven translation style and Calvinist commentary has reduced its usefulness to the emerging Anglican Church 50 years later. King James the 1st called for a new translation from the original. This time the translators have produced a conservative translation with English phrasing that won't go out of style in 50 years and it omits the notes and commentary that the Anglican bishops found objectionable. Just from a marketing standpoint, when you include commentary you necessarily limit your audience because some people who might have agreed with your translation, will be put off by the opinion you include next to the main text depending on whose commentary you decide to include and whose commentary you leave out. Because of the decision to leave out ALL commentary, and the careful guidelines used in the translation, the King James Version of the Bible will remain in use across a wide readership into the modern day. [1]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
I think including commentary is important. When I was a teenager I read the Bible straight through and I could see why it kept people's interest but I didn't see anything in there that would "launch a thousand ships" so to speak. As an adult I read a Bible with extensive commentary in the footnotes. I didn't always agree with the commentary but the footnotes pointed to questions that I hadn't realized needed answering before. These scholars have been pouring over these texts for thousands of years. I'm interested in what they have to say whether I agree with them or not. Of course, some commentary is included to present a single point of view. (I'm Jewish and this certainly happens in Jewish circles.) So there is a place for a straight Bible translation without commentary and the texts should be re-translated every 20 years or so because the English language drifts over time. For example, where the King James Version reads "Thou shalt not kill" that was an accurate translation into the English of the 1600s. In modern English it should be rendered "Thou shalt not murder" because the word "kill" has changed its meaning over the last 400 years. It is because of these sort of misunderstandings that we need to tweak up our translations from time to time. [2] [3] [4]
I think including commentary is important. When I was a teenager I read the Bible straight through and I could see why it kept people's interest but I didn't see anything in there that would "launch a thousand ships" so to speak. As an adult I read a Bible with extensive commentary in the footnotes. I didn't always agree with the commentary but the footnotes pointed to questions that I hadn't realized needed answering before. These scholars have been pouring over these texts for thousands of years. I'm interested in what they have to say whether I agree with them or not. Of course, some commentary is included to present a single point of view. (I'm Jewish and this certainly happens in Jewish circles.) So there is a place for a straight Bible translation without commentary and the texts should be re-translated every 20 years or so because the English language drifts over time. For example, where the King James Version reads "Thou shalt not kill" that was an accurate translation into the English of the 1600s. In modern English it should be rendered "Thou shalt not murder" because the word "kill" has changed its meaning over the last 400 years. It is because of these sort of misunderstandings that we need to tweak up our translations from time to time. [2] [3] [4]
One of the Greatest of the Great Becomes King
The Swedish Empire starts today. Gustavus Adolphus is one of the greatest military strategists of all time and that man has just become the King of Sweden. If you'll recall, Sweden broke away from the Kalmar Union when the King of Denmark dealt unethically with Swedish rebel leaders during a truce and killed them all. One of the sons of those rebel leaders became the King of Sweden and from generation to generation the crown has finally come to King Gustav. He will be competent and he will know how to wield power, especially military power. He is known best for the strategy of combined arms where two or more types of combat arms are used together so that as your enemy tries to defend itself from one type of attack, it is left vulnerable to a different type of attack. For example: as you are beating the heck out of your opponent with cannon fire you mount a cavalry charge... which can be a little hard on the cavalry unless you do it right. King Gustav can do it right. [5] [6]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
King Gustav is going to have to do a lot of things right because we are getting close to the kick off of the 30 Years' War where 8 million people are going to die in various horrible ways. Civilians are not exempt. The King of Sweden is going to figure heavily in how that war turns out. If King Gustav had lived longer we'd be speaking Swedish right now, Europe would look a whole lot different than it does today and we'd all be drinking pale beer with unpronounceable names. I became interested in King Gustav after reading a science fiction novel entitled "1632" by Eric Flint in which the King is one of the main characters. The story is about an entire West Virginia coal mining town that is suddenly sent back in time to 1632 and dropped into the German countryside during the 30 Years' War. It's funny as heck and the King becomes a hero in the book so I'm pretty much pro-King Gustav now. [7] [8] [9]
King Gustav is going to have to do a lot of things right because we are getting close to the kick off of the 30 Years' War where 8 million people are going to die in various horrible ways. Civilians are not exempt. The King of Sweden is going to figure heavily in how that war turns out. If King Gustav had lived longer we'd be speaking Swedish right now, Europe would look a whole lot different than it does today and we'd all be drinking pale beer with unpronounceable names. I became interested in King Gustav after reading a science fiction novel entitled "1632" by Eric Flint in which the King is one of the main characters. The story is about an entire West Virginia coal mining town that is suddenly sent back in time to 1632 and dropped into the German countryside during the 30 Years' War. It's funny as heck and the King becomes a hero in the book so I'm pretty much pro-King Gustav now. [7] [8] [9]
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