A Wondrous Adventure

As I read Mr. Sagan’s words, the first book that comes to my mind is The Bible. Certainly, there is no other book I can think of that is more befitting this quotation. God and his believers are speaking timelessly to us through the Bible. Their words, through ancient storytellers, transport us through thousands of years of historical events. We are introduced, as small Sunday schoolers, to numerous and varied characters with stories that take us on journeys we have never imagined. Every genre is presented in The Bible with every rating humans have invented.

Imagine the headlines and story (if there were newspapers) after the whale swallowed Jonah…

Sailors See Gigantic Fish Swallow Man, Then Spit Him Back Out!

Survivors of a ship nearly lost in a perilous storm at sea relate a harrowing, almost unbelievable story of tragedy and miraculous recovery. One of their shipmates, Jonah, professing to have been the cause of the storm, which tossed their ship like a toy suddenly, jumps, or is thrown, overboard into the gigantic yawning mouth of a monstrous fish. Jonah and the huge fish disappear under the crashing waves. At this point, just as suddenly as the storm has begun, it ends, and the battered ship makes it to shore safely. “You can’t imagine our shock and surprise,” reported Aaron, one the sailors. “We leaned over the sides searching for Jonah, but we saw nothing of him or the great fish. We were dazed. “ Unable to estimate to this reporter just how much time passed, the gaping jaws of the horrible fish again appeared and spit out Jonah, landing him back on dry land, seemingly unharmed. “I thought I was inside the thing for days,” the now heroic Jonah stated. “I remember traveling down the esophagus into the roiling stomach and wondering how I was able to breathe and why didn’t it hurt. I was terrified. I did the only thing I could do…I prayed and promised to be obedient to God.”


Today, as a result of this ancient story, sailors often use the term “Jonah” to apply to any person on board a ship who brings bad luck.

Depending upon one’s point of view, the stories in the Bible may be taken literally or allegorically, but the genealogical aspect of the first few books of the Old Testament is historical in nature. The poetry in Psalms and Song of Solomon is inspirational and unequalled, in my opinion, in any other literature.

Even people who profess not to be religious cannot argue with the moral lessons learned through parables in the Bible. The story of Rachel and Jacob is a good example of what everyone has heard many times, “What goes around comes around.” Jacob previously having deceived his brother, Esau, later is tricked into marrying Rachel’s older sister even though it is Rachel he loves. Isn’t it astonishing that a story in a book written thousands of years ago continues to apply to our lives today? Who hasn’t wondered, “What did I do to deserve this?” We hardly ever think to ask this question, though, if the “this” is something good.

Since we, on this site, are primarily writers, Carl Sagan’s quotation originally made me think of the Bible for its many stories to faraway lands, but, then, I wondered how the most popular version today, The King James, got published? I decided to investigate the publisher himself, King James I.

He was born in 1566 at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland and died in 1625. The King James Version of the Holy Bible was published in 1611 during his reign as King of England.

Although baptized a Catholic, James was brought up as a God-fearing Scottish Presbyterian and was not exempt from beatings for misbehavior. He had numerous tutors who taught him a lifelong passion for literature and learning. At thirteen months of age he became King of Scotland. In 1589, he married Anne of Denmark with whom he had eight children but only three lived past infancy. In 1601, James became King of England as the successor to Queen Elizabeth I. Although Elizabeth had no children of her own, James, a cousin, was her closest living relative.

James was a scholarly king and wrote several books. He spoke Greek, Latin and French and studied Spanish and Italian. He ruled during the era of Shakespeare, Donne, Jonson and Bacon. Unfortunately, someone of importance gave him the “handle” of “The wisest fool of Christendom” and that became synonymous with his name.

One particular item of interest I had not read before was that James was bisexual. It seems he had numerous close male friends. These friends were a particular problem for his Calvinist Presbyterian tutors, and later for those preparing him to become King of England and thus, leader of the Church of England. Close associates were actually “exiled from his presence” is how the historians put it. Later on in his reign, this “problem” again reasserted itself.

In 1604, basically to confirm the divine right of kings to rule, James provided the funding and convened the council of scholars leading to the publication of the most well known version of the Bible. The Old Testament was translated from Hebrew while the New Testament was translated from Greek. Previously, several versions were issued but none was made official. Much of the King James Version came from the Tyndale translation minus the margin notes (reputedly calling the Pope the anti-Christ). Completed in 1611, the King James Version led the way for all English-speaking people to have easy access to the messages in the Bible. It took away much of the mystery and power held to that date by the officials of the Church.

During much of his term as King, James was at odds with Parliament. On February 8, 1622, James dissolved the English Parliament as he had done several times before. They had criticized his proposed marriage of his son Charles (the future Charles I, King of England) to Princess Maria Anna of Spain. James believed kings were next to God because they had the power of life and death over their subjects. They should never be criticized. Stating the divine right of kings, James believed no one should argue about the decisions made by a king.

James mistakenly thought an alliance with Spain would keep England and Spain at peace, but upon learning the marriage was not possible unless Charles converted to Catholicism, war was eventually inevitable.

During the last year of his life, James retained little power. He was often ill, suffered a stroke and, significantly weakened, died of an attack of dysentery on March 27, 1625. During his reign, the colonies of Jamestown and Plymouth were founded in the New World. But, of course, James is most remembered for “his” version of The Bible.


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