Imagining the End of the World: The Eschatological Language of The King James Bible and its Influences

Michael's thesis entitled Imagining the End of the World: The Eschatological Language of The King James Bible and its Influences espouses the ways in which The King James Bible has inspired certain imaginings of Christian theology, since its publishing in 1611 CE. The KJV translation was commissioned as an ultimate, authoritative Biblical translation, and in lockstep with the English language, it became the primary text for Christian devotion throughout the English-speaking world. The King James Bible possesses a unique language that is a direct product of its time. Its language, combined the breadth and depth of its influence and the popularity of the protestant reformation in Europe and North America, has had significant, lasting influence on the ways in which Christian theologians, scholars and devotees imagine the scenes depicted in the scriptures. Michael's thesis specifically adresses the ways in which the language and linguistic styling of the KJB and William Tyndale have influenced modern eschatological imagining and shaped how Christian scholars perceive the end of the world. Furthermore, and more generally, the theory put forth by this dissertation will seek to explain why certain elements of Christian eschatological theory has evolved as they have, while re-evaluating the ways in which current Christian theology perceives the end of the world.