Rewrite to mark 400 years of Bible

IT IS history's No 1 bestseller, a book first conceived in Scotland which went on to shape the modern world.

But after billions of sales that put even Harry Potter in the shade, the King James Bible is about to be rewritten as part of 400th anniversary celebrations.

The Scottish Bible Society is staging a roadshow which will visiting towns and cities throughout the country to ask people to write two verses of the Bible in their own hand.

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Arranged in conjunction with its sister societies in England and Wales, the tour will steer clear of churches, and instead set up in busy public places.

With more than 33,000 verses to get through, Fiona McDonald, the organisation's director of national ministries, hopes the project will involve more than 16,000 people.

"The germ of the idea for the Authorised Edition was formed in Scotland and when it was published, it changed parts of the world. The anniversary is a way to encourage people to look at the Bible in a fresh way.

"The roadshow is something that hasn't been done before, and we're going to be setting up wherever people hang out, from streets to shopping centres and car parks," she said. "We don't want to be hiding in church buildings."

The results are likely to be published online.

The idea for the text for the authorised version came from James VI of Scotland, shortly before he acceded as King of England and Ireland in 1603. From tentative discussions at a Fife church emerged a book now credited with greater influence than Shakespeare for spreading English around the globe.

Also marking the anniversary will be the King James Bible Trust which is co-ordinating events the world over.

The idea for the translation began in May 1601, two years before James' accession, when he attended the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in Burntisland, Fife, and proposed a new version of the Bible in English.

The Rev Dr Stephen Holmes, senior lecturer in systematic theology at the University of St Andrews, said the King James Bible was an "inescapable reference point for British culture".