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Host an exhibit “teaser” event one to two months before the exhibit arrives to generate interest—possible events include lectures, films, and readings from the King James Bible or works inspired by the King James Bible.
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Sponsor a One Book, One Community program during the exhibit using a book listed in the resources section.
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Develop a rare book exhibit or a related exhibit about the evolution of the Bible.
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Many families record key events in personal copies of the King James Bible. Create displays of family bibles or other appropriate items from local collections along with content that examines the local influence of the King James Bible.
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Host a concert featuring compositions based on texts from the King James Bible, such as Handel’s Messiah.
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Host a program about the reception of the King James Bible, with a focus on the relationship and history of other bible translations. Consider comparing passages from the King James Bible with the same lines from earlier English Bibles in order to illuminate the translators’ process. Visit http://www.manifoldgreatness.org/index.php/making/compare-translations/ for ideas.
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Readings by community members, including local celebrities and journalists, of sermons or public speeches influenced by the language of the King James Bible. Have a historian on hand to interpret them and put them in context.
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A program focused on the role of the King James Bible in shaping English language and literature, including poems, novels, and other writings.
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Host a scholarly panel discussion about the modern cultural influences of the King James Bible. How does the King James Bible influence American public life on a day-to-day basis? For example, authors and poets allude to Bible passages, composers have set its words to music, visual artists are inspired by its phrases, famous speeches have quoted from the Bible, and the Bible has influenced the everyday language of English speakers.
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A program focused on the role of the King James Bible in the Civil Rights Movement.
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About four dozen translators – some of the best scholars in England – produced the King James Bible. How did these translators accomplish this task? What do we know about the day-to-day work of translation? How can today’s translators relate to the experiences and difficulties encountered by the translators of the King James Bible?
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A program focused on the enormous undertaking of printing the King James Bible in 1611. What was it like to work in a printshop in 1611? How were books printed in the early 1600s, and how were errors caught (or missed)? What was the process for illustrating the Bible? What tools and information were needed to make illustrations? Visit http://www.manifoldgreatness.org/index.php/making/printing-the-book/ for details.
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A program in which libraries read a popular work by an author influenced by the language and style of the King James Bible. Possible texts include: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck; Absalom, Absalom by William Faulkner; and The Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison.