Islington reads the Bible, 9–12 June 2011 in support of Islington Giving
Hundreds of Islingtonians will come together over Pentecost week to read the Bible from cover to cover, in public. It will take over 80 hours, with readers continuing through the night to read the most famous book ever written. Ranging from schoolchildren, businessmen and women, church groups, people of faith and of none, will read the King James Bible the most famous literary work of all time.
The reading will start at 10am on Thursday 9 June and finish at 8pm on Sunday 12 June.
As a community we want to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the first publication of the King James Bible, and to raise funds for Islington Giving, which aims to raise £3million in 3 years to fight poverty and to create opportunities in Islington.
Most of the reading will be undertaken by organised groups, but passers-by are welcome to join in. Some readers may read just a few verses; others, especially in the middle of the night, may read several chapters.
-Ends-
Notes for editors
- The King James Bible was first published in 1611 by command of King James I, so that everybody could hear the Bible read in a language they could understand. While it was produced by a large committee of scholars, much of it was based closely on William Tyndale’s translation from 80 years earlier.
People treasure the Authorised Version, as it is also known, for many reasons. It may be the version that nurtured their Christian faith. Or they may treasure the language of the King James Bible, which has had such an influence on English down the centuries. Hundreds of phrases from the Bible are still in common use, such as: salt of the earth, two-edged sword, fly in the ointment, the skin of your teeth, signs of the times, chariots of fire, no peace for the wicked, my brother’s keeper, and the animals went in two by two.
Others recognise the importance of the King James Bible in the development of many aspects of our national life. The Ten Commandments provided much of the basis of our early law. Many of the stories are reworked or drawn on in modern art and literature: examples include Leonard Cohen’s hit song Hallelujah, the film The Lion King, C S Lewis’ books for children The Chronicles of Narnia, the novel and film The Da Vinci Code, and Damien Hirst’s sculpture The Golden Calf.
The King James Bible has also had political effects. Its teaching empowered early social reformers such as Elizabeth Fry, working to improve prisons, and Octavia Hill, helping to clear slums. It helped many groups, such as slaves and suffragettes, to prove that they were equal in God’s eyes. And the theme of civil rights leader Martin Luther King’s famous speech “I have a dream” is a direct quotation from the Book of Isaiah.
- Islington Giving is a coalition of local charities that has come together to address some of the problems caused by Islington being the eighth most deprived borough in England. The founder members include the Cripplegate Foundation and Richard Cloudesley’s Charity, both of which have been working in Islington since long before the King James Bible was published. The chief purposes to which the money raised by Islington Giving will be put include:
- investing in young people and creating opportunities for them;
- tackling poverty by outreach projects to those most in need;
- confronting isolation, particularly among those with mental health problems, and
- encouraging local people to volunteer to help with these programmes.
Rather than collecting for Islington Giving on the street, those who take part in the reading next week will be asked to encourage all their friends to donate online. Many Islington churches will give the collections they take on Pentecost Sunday to Islington Giving.
- Islington Giving has been cited as a positive model of giving in the Government’s recent White Paper on giving, which can be found at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/giving-white-paper.pdf
- There is a (possibly tenuous) connection between Islington and the King James Bible. Before William Tyndale, whose Bible translation was the basis of much of the King James Bible, was forced into exile in the early 16th century, he spent a short time in London. Some of that time may have been in Islington, as marked by the name of the primary school in Upper Street.
- The main photo opportunity will be at the launch of the reading at 10am on Thursday, 9 June by the side of Islington Green, near Waterstone’s bookshop. Jack Morris of the Business Design Centre and Kristina Glenn, Director of Cripplegate will be attending. Photos can also be taken throughout the three and a half days of reading.
For more information, contact: Sam Hyde, Islington Giving
M 07791 974768
Richard Nicholson, St Mary’s Church
T 020 7359 8803
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