Church History · 1881 to 1885

The Revised Version: The First Big Update to the King James

The Revised Version was the first official update of the King James Bible. Scholars from Britain, with American partners, used older Greek manuscripts like Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus. The New Testament came out in 1881, the Old Testament in 1885, and the Apocrypha separately in 1895.

Read it in the Bible: Matthew 24:35 1 John 5:7-8 Mark 16:9-20 Isaiah 40:8

The Revised Version, often called the RV or English Revised Version, was the first official revision of the King James Bible. The Church of England's Convocation of Canterbury launched the project in 1870. More than 50 British scholars worked on it, with an American committee helping by mail. The New Testament came out in May 1881, the Old Testament in 1885, and the Apocrypha separately in 1895. Its biggest change was not the English but the Greek behind it. The revisers used manuscripts far older than the ones the King James translators had, especially Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus from the 300s.

Why Was the King James Bible Revised?

By the 1800s, the King James Version had been the Bible of English speakers for over 250 years. People loved it. But two things had changed. First, English had changed, and some words no longer meant what they did in 1611. Second, scholars had found Greek manuscripts much older than the ones Erasmus used for his Greek New Testament in 1516, which the King James translators relied on.

Codex Alexandrinus had reached England in 1627. Tischendorf brought Codex Sinaiticus to light in 1844 and 1859. Codex Vaticanus, kept in the Vatican Library, was finally published in usable editions. These copies were over a thousand years older than most of the manuscripts behind the King James text. Many scholars felt it was time for an update.

Who Translated the Revised Version?

In 1870 the Convocation of Canterbury voted to revise the Authorized Version. Two companies were formed, one for the Old Testament and one for the New. They included scholars from several churches, not just Anglicans. Two of the most famous New Testament revisers were Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort, Cambridge professors who had spent nearly 30 years preparing a new Greek text.

An American committee, organized with help from the church historian Philip Schaff, began work in 1872. The Americans reviewed drafts and sent suggestions across the Atlantic. The British kept final say, and many American preferences went into an appendix. The Americans agreed not to publish their own edition for a number of years. That agreement later produced the American Standard Version of 1901.

What Was the Westcott and Hort Greek Text?

Westcott and Hort published their Greek New Testament in 1881, the same year as the Revised New Testament. They argued that Vaticanus and Sinaiticus usually preserve the earliest wording, and that the later Byzantine manuscripts behind the King James text often had smoothed or added words. Their text was not identical to the one the revisers used, but it shaped the work heavily.

Because of this, the Revised Version made changes readers noticed. The long version of 1 John 5:7, about the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit in heaven, was left out because it is missing from almost all Greek manuscripts. The last twelve verses of Mark were set apart with a note. The story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8 was marked as not part of the earliest copies. Modern Bibles, including The Owner's Manual, still flag these passages in brackets.

How Was the Revised Version Received?

The excitement was huge. When the New Testament was released in May 1881, readers rushed to buy it. Reports say about three million copies sold in its first year, and two Chicago newspapers printed the entire New Testament within days of copies reaching America.

But many readers did not like it. The revisers changed thousands of small words, and the familiar rhythm of the King James was broken in places. The preacher Charles Spurgeon is often quoted as saying it was strong in Greek but weak in English. The scholar John Burgon attacked its Greek text in a book called The Revision Revised in 1883. He argued that the church had used the traditional text for centuries and that God had preserved it. That argument is still at the heart of the King James Only debate today.

In the end, the Revised Version never replaced the King James in most churches. But it changed Bible translation forever, because almost every major translation since has followed its approach of starting from the oldest manuscripts.

How Does the Revised Version Connect to Bibles Today?

The family tree is easy to trace. The Revised Version led to the American Standard Version in 1901. The ASV led to the Revised Standard Version in 1952 and the New American Standard Bible in 1971. The ESV grew from the RSV. The Berean Standard Bible, the base text of The Owner's Manual, also works from the modern critical Greek text that grew out of this period. You can read more on the King James Bible page and the American Standard Version page on this site.

Why It Matters for You Today

The Revised Version came from a simple conviction: if older and better copies of God's Word are found, we should use them. That is not a threat to the Bible. It is a way of honoring it. The differences between manuscripts are mostly small, and no major teaching of the faith depends on a disputed verse.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. Matthew 24:35

Whether you read the King James, the RV or a modern translation, you are reading the Word that has been faithfully passed down for two thousand years.

Get Nate's Highlighting Guide Free

Free. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Questions People Ask

What is the Revised Version of the Bible?

The Revised Version is a British revision of the King James Bible. Its New Testament came out in 1881 and its Old Testament in 1885, with the Apocrypha in 1895. It was the first official update to the KJV and was based on older Greek manuscripts.

Why was the Revised Version controversial?

It changed many familiar words and used a Greek text based on older manuscripts like Sinaiticus and Vaticanus. Critics like John Burgon argued the traditional text was better. Some verses, like the long form of 1 John 5:7, were removed or marked.

Did Westcott and Hort translate the Revised Version?

They were two of the New Testament revisers, not the only translators. They also published their own Greek New Testament in 1881, which strongly shaped the revision. More than 50 scholars worked on the project.

What Bibles came from the Revised Version?

The American Standard Version of 1901 was its American edition. The ASV led to the RSV and the NASB, and the RSV led to the ESV. Most modern translations follow its approach of using the oldest manuscripts.

Sources

← Mary Baker Eddy and Christian Science The American Standard Version →

See the whole Church History