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Professor Ron Cox Presents “The King James Bible in North American Churches Today”

Ronald Cox, associate professor of religion, will present a lecture titled, “The King James Bible in North American Churches Today,” on Thursday, Sept. 20, as the closing lecture of the Pepperdine Libraries’ “Manifold Greatness” exhibition about the historic tome. The lecture will begin at 4 p.m. in Payson Library, Malibu. 

Cox will tell the story of how the King James Bible has ceased to be the bible of choice among North American English speakers. The lecture will include a discussion of the democratization of the Bible through more accessible translations, as well as the consequences of the dethroning of the King James Version in North American churches.

Cox received his Ph.D. in Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity from the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of the book, By the Same Word: Creation and Salvation in Hellenistic Judaism and Early Christianity, and his published essays and book chapters include "The New Testament Preaches the Psalms: Problems and Possibilities" in Performing the Psalms: And the World Imagined in Scripture (Chalice Press, 2005), and "The Bible in the Hands of an Angry God: A Sermon on Hebrews 4:12-13" in Preaching Hebrews (ACU Press, 2003).

"Manifold Greatness: The Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible" is a traveling exhibition that celebrates the 400 years since the first printing of the historic tome. Based in Payson Library, Malibu, until September 21, the exhibit will contain high-quality reproductions of rare and historic books, manuscripts, and works of art from the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Bodleian Library collections, combined with interpretive text and related images. Read more about the exhibition here.

For more information, contact Ken LaZebnik at (310) 506-6785 or visit the Pepperdine Libraries website.