The title of this booklet is taken from the Book of Proverbs and the idea of the ‘ancient landmark’ is used to define the King James Version of the Bible. Originally printed in 1931 under the title “Why I abide by the Authorized Version” this is a short scholarly analysis of the Revised Version of the Bible published in 1881 and prepared by a committee of scholars under the leadership of two Anglican Bishops Westcott and Hort. Some might regard the matter of Bible translations as a dead issue and of little account, there have been so many translations and paraphrases produced in the English Language this past hundred years or so and the language of the Old King James seems so ‘old fashioned’ to the ear, why bother with all this stuff? However, the thoughtful reader of this small work will be struck by the underlying motivations that appear to have governed those compiling the text commonly used for the most popular versions available today and casts doubt on its reliability too. Were the translators biased, were they faithful to the cardinal doctrines of the church or were they on a subtle mission to undermine the ancient truth? There are a number of books in print that have been written more recently, some are in favor of the Revised text and others oppose it deeply. These matters and arguments seem perennial but there is necessity for us consider them. Anyone reading this little book and taking serious note of its information and observations will at least decide to use several versions of the Bible as they read rather than just use their favorite modern translation. It is to be expected that the Bible, the word of God should be undermined and attacked in various and subtle ways, we are alerted to this fact by this author and his labors in this tiny volume are helpful.
