The title page to the 1611 first edition of the authorized
version of the Bible.

The King James Bible, the most famous version of the world’s
most influential book, was published on this day in history,
May 2, 1611.         

"The King James, or Authorized, Version of the Bible remains
the most widely published text in the English language,"
according to the British Library. 

Commissioned by King James I of England in 1604, it is famed
for its artfully written versions of Old and New Testament tales;
its success bringing the Word of God to English-speaking
commoners; and its influence on the American colonies. 

The 80 books of the King James Version include 39 books of
the Old Testament, 14 books of Apocrypha, and the 27 books
of the New Testament.

Portrait of King James I of England (1566-1625). Found in the collection of National Museum Stockholm.

In Dayton, Tennessee, the so-called Scopes Monkey Trial began
with John Thomas Scopes, a young high school science teacher,
accused of teaching evolution in violation of a Tennessee state
law.

The law, which had been passed in March, made it a misdemeanor
punishable by fine to “teach any theory that denies the story of the
Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead
that man has descended from a lower order of animals.” With local
businessman George Rappleyea, Scopes had conspired to get
charged with this violation, and after his arrest the pair enlisted
the aid of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to organized
a defense.

Hearing of this coordinated attack on Christian fundamentalism,
William Jennings Bryan, the three-time Democratic presidential
candidate and a fundamentalist hero, volunteered to assist the
prosecution. Soon after, the great attorney Clarence Darrow
agreed to join the ACLU in the defense, and the stage was set
for one of the most famous trials in U.S. history

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(FOXNEWS) – It took more than three decades, but this lost Bible has
finally been returned to its owner.

About 36 years ago, Lori DeVoll was working as a flight attendant when
she found the small Bible had been left behind on a seat, according to
Fresno, Calif., television station KMPH FOX26.

At the time, she was traveling a lot, so she “tucked it away somewhere
and forgot about it” — until earlier this year, she told the station.

DeVoll and her husband moved from Colorado to Fresno earlier this year
and according to KMPH, she found the lost Bible in a box of keepsakes
after the move.

DeVoll said she”I found the little Bible and I remembered there was an
address in it, it was a Fresno address.”

(Fox News) – Turkey officials found an ancient Bible believed to be 1,200 years
old in a dramatic operation.  

The ancient text is in a frail condition, made of leather with gold lettering, and religious symbols and motifs appear on the pages. The Bible is 34 pages long
and has a cross and a star of David inside the book.

According to a Turkey news station, police recovered the ancient Bible as part
of an anti-smuggling operation on Monday in the city of Kayapınar, hours away from Syria. Police say three suspects were caught while trying to sell it in a
shoe store (below).

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