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Examining the Lies of the King James Attackers
As we pick up where we left off in article #4 we have to deal with the statement “but King James was a homosexual” That article closed with this question So, was King James a homosexual, or more importantly, does any of this mater in the arguments over the Bible? This is really two questions in one, and in my estimation the second one is grossly more important than the first but let me deal with them in order.
First, was King James a Homosexual? Seeing how many who attack the Bible like to bring this up I guess it really does need to be answered. I personally think that the second part of the question really does away with the first but let’s talk about the first part of the question anyway. The short answer to this question is a simple “I don’t know” King James died in 1625 in England and I was born in 1967 in Florida. There is a span of 343 years and several thousand miles that separate those two events. A simple Google search on this subject yields 336,000 results. As you begin to read these and/or pick up books on the subject you will find about an equal number of people who will say he was and he wasn’t.
To further illustrate this point, allow me to quote two men, both solid King James supporters, both familiar with the subject who take opposing views of this issue. First up is Dr. Sam Gipp an Independent Baptist Evangelist. In his book The Answer Book (which is available for reading online by clicking here) said the following about the issue:
Question #3
QUESTION: I have been told that King James was a homosexual. Is this true?
ANSWER: No.
EXPLANATION:
King James I of England, who authorized the translation of the now famous King
James Bible, was considered by many to be one of the greatest, if not the
greatest, monarchs that England has ever seen.
Through his wisdom and determination he united the warring tribes of Scotland
into a unified nation, and then joined England and Scotland to form the
foundation for what is now known as the British Empire.
At a time when only the churches of England possessed the Bible in English,
King James' desire was that the common people should have the Bible in their
native tongue. Thus, in 1603, King James called 54 of history's most learned men
together to accomplish this great task. At a time when the leaders of the world
wished to keep their subjects in spiritual ignorance, King James offered his
subjects the greatest gift that he could give them. Their own copy of the Word
of God in English.
James, who was fluent in Latin, Greek, and French, and schooled in Italian
and Spanish even wrote a tract entitled "Counterblast to Tobacco",which was
written to help thwart the use of tobacco in England.
Such a man was sure to have enemies. One such man, Anthony Weldon, had to be
excluded from the court. Weldon swore vengeance. It was not until 1650,
twenty-five years after the death of James that Weldon saw his chance. He
wrote a paper calling James a homosexual. Obviously, James, being dead, was in
no condition to defend himself.
The report was largely ignored since there were still enough people alive
who knew it wasn't true. In fact, it lay dormant for years, until recently when
it was picked up by Christians who hoped that vilifying King James, would
tarnish the Bible that bears his name so that Christians would turn away from
God's book to a more "modern" translation.
It seems though, that Weldon's false account is being once again largely
ignored by the majority of Christianity with the exception of those with an
ulterior motive, such as its author had.
It might also be mentioned here that the Roman Catholic Church was so desperate
to keep the true Bible out of the hands of the English people that it attempted
to kill King James and all of Parliament in 1605.
In 1605 a Roman Catholic by the name of Guy Fawkes, under the direction of a
Jesuit priest by the name of Henry Garnet, was found in the basement of
Parliament with thirty-six barrels of gunpowder which he was to use to blow up
King James and the entire Parliament. After killing the king, they planned on
imprisoning his children, re-establishing England as a state loyal to the Pope
and kill all who resisted. Needless to say, the perfect English Bible would have
been one of the plot's victims. Fawkes and Garnet and eight other conspirators
were caught and hanged.
It seems that those who work so hard to discredit the character of King James
join an unholy lot.
After reading that it is easy to say, that settles it, clearly King James was not a homosexual. But before we write the whole thing off lets read some of what Dr. Craig H. Lampe, International Director of the World Bible Society and authority on the King James Bible (check out some of his websites: www.greatsite.com, www.1611-king-james-bible.com, and www.king-james-version-bible.com) While these two men would agree on many things, they are on opposite sides of this coin. Dr. Lampe wrote the following:
'Queen James'
One area of the life of King James that for many years remained clouded in controversy was allegations that James was homosexual. As James did father several children by Anne of Denmark, it is actually more accurate to say that he was allegedly a bi-sexual. While his close relationships with a number of men were noted, earlier historians questioned their sexual nature, however, few modern historians cast any doubt on the King's bisexuality and the fact that his sexuality and choice of male partners both as King of Scotland then later in London as King of England were the subject of gossip from the city taverns to the Privy Council. His relationship as a teenager with fellow teenager Esmé Stuart, Earl of Lennox was criticized by Scottish Church leaders, who were part of a conspiracy to keep the young King and the young French courtier apart, as the relationship was improper to say the least. Lennox, facing threats of death, was forced to leave Scotland.
In the 1580s, King James openly kissed Francis Stewart Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell. Contemporary sources clearly hinted their relationship was a sexual one. When James inherited the English throne from Queen Elizabeth I in 1603, it was openly joked of the new English monarch in London that “Elizabeth was King: now James is Queen!” If there is still any doubt, it should be noted that George Villiers, also held an intimate relationship with King James, about which King James himself was quite open. King James called Villiers his “wife” and called himself Villiers' “husband”! King James died in 1625 of gout and senility. He is buried in the Henry VII chapel in Westminster Abbey, with one of his favorite male suitors on his right, and another on his left. Note: Read this comment in its context by clicking here
So what is a Bible believer to do? The critics say King James was a homosexual, even within our own circles there is some question and division on the subject. Was he or wasn’t he? Truthfully I am forced to say I don’t know. As I said above the second part of the question is far more important than the first.
Second, Does this Matter in arguments over the Bible? The short answer here is no, but let me explain further.
1) King James Authorized the translation but had nothing to do with the process of translation. The King James Bible is also known as the Authorized Version because it was authorized by King James. The King was not on the translation committee, he did not have anything to do with the work, he simply authorized or commissioned the translation. Unlike the many open and proud Homosexuals who have done work on many of the modern Bibles, Even if he was a homosexual (and the jury is still out on that) King James had nothing to do with the translation and wording of the Bible that bears his name.
2) The King James Bible was not called the King James Bible until over 275 years after his death. Read the Title page of any good King James Bible and you will realize that the words King James do not appear. Typically you will read “The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testaments translated out of the original tongues and with the former translations diligently compared and revised by His Majesty’s special command. Appointed to be read in churches” For the longest time our Bible was simply known as the Holy Bible, but in the early 1900’s things changed.
3) Why Identification is necessary. With the Bible or anything else, Identification is only needed when the waters become muddied. Let me explain. We as independent Baptists believe that our line runs all the way back to the time of Christ and the churches of the New Testament, however there is not one church in the New Testament identified as a Baptist Church. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, the church at Philippi and so on. Imagine how confusing that would be today. After the establishment of New Testament churches before long false religion crept in and false churches were started. It became necessary to further identify which church was being referred to, so we began to further label churches.
4) The same thing became necessary with the Bible. When our King James Bibles rolled off the presses in 1611 it was simply the Holy Bible. All through the 1700’s and 1800’s it was still simply the Holy Bible. In the late 1800’s things began to change and new and updated Bibles began to be printed (1890-Darby’s New Testament, 1895- English Revised Version 1898-Young’s Literal Translation, 1901-American Standard Version, and on it went) Once the flood of Bible Versions began, it was no longer sufficient to refer to the Holy Bible, and further identification became necessary. Since the 1611 translation of the Bible was Authorized by King James, our Bible became known as the King James Bible, the Authorized Version or even the Authorized King James Bible.
So, was King James a homosexual? Truthfully I don’t know. Can this be used to discredit our Bible? I don’t see how. King James had nothing to do with the translation work and our Bible didn’t even bear his name until almost 300 years after his death. Another lie of the attackers has been laid to rest.