King James Bible exhibit on display at UTB-TSC

By Travis M. Whitehead

Twhitehead@brownsvilleherald.com

Brownsville is the only city in Texas where a traveling exhibit of the King James Bible will be displayed.

The exhibition, "Manifold Greatness: Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible," will  be on display until Feb. 15 at the Oliveira Memorial Library at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College.

"I personally feel like the reason it got selected was because of the South Texas region," said Milagro Hernandez, events and exhibits coordinator for UTB-TSC libraries. She compared the King James Bible to the Reina Valera version in Spanish, which she said is commonly used here.

Hernandez said visitors already have viewed the exhibit and found it impressive.

"They were really happy that we actually got selected to have this exhibit, that they were able to learn more about the origin of the King James Bible," Hernandez said. "We have a lot of people that are strong in their faith and wanting to be more educated. …"

The exhibit, which began touring last year, marks the 400th anniversary of the printing of the King James Bible. Three copies of the display are touring 40 venues across the United States through next year.

The display includes 14 graphic panels printed onto seven double-sided banners.

"It kind of gives you the dramatic history of the book, how it was made … its influence on English and American literature, and its multifaceted impact on culture and society," Hernandez said.

The exhibit was organized by the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington and the American Library Association Public Programs Office.

It is based on an exhibition of the same name developed by the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Bodleian Library, Oxford University.

"The fascinating history and influence of the King James Bible will interest many viewers of the traveling exhibit," says the American Library Association web site, "resulting in a new understanding of the book’s social, cultural, literary and religious influence over four centuries."

Hernandez said more English versions, such as the New International Version, have been printed to keep up with the changing vernacular of the language. Still, she admires the King James version.

"It’s known to be the main one," she said. "You know you think, ‘Oh, no, only Protestants use this version.’ No, I mean Catholics use this version, a lot of different religions use this version."

Hernandez said information she received about the exhibit refers to the King James version’s impact on such works as the book "Pilgrim’s Progress" and Handel’s musical composition "Messiah." It also mentions that Apollo 8 astronauts read from the King James version as they orbited the moon and how Bible passages used in the movie "A Charlie Brown Christmas" came from this version.