The Ashland Theological Seminary is planning to make 2011 a year of biblical proportions by celebrating the King James Bible’s translation into English 400 years ago.

In a press release, Seminary President Dr. John Shultz said the anniversary of this long-published version of the Bible, first translated to English in 1611, is worthy of celebration.

“In honor of this significant milestone, Ashland Theological Seminary (ATS) has scheduled a number of events including multiple informational presentations plus the opening of a museum that will feature ancient Bibles and biblical manuscripts,” Shultz said.

Through the various talks to be delivered and biblical items to be displayed in the Gerber Academic Building on the Seminary campus, ATS seeks to show to the public the journey that the King James Bible has taken over the years.

“The process of getting the Bible where it is today has taken a long time,” Associate Professor of New Testament Dr. John Byron said.

Byron emphasized that it has taken “literally thousands of manuscripts” to develop the New Testament and that the Bible wasn’t openly available, not even to churches, until 500 years ago.

Byron said the museum and lectures will cover many aspects of the King James Bible, including the kinds of texts printed and what languages they were printed in, including Greek and Hebrew.

“We want people to see how the Bible has been translated into many different languages,” Byron said.

According to the anniversary’s release, the first presentation will take place Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. and cover the topic “Shaping the Page.” Byron will present “Many Manuscripts – One Book,” while Professor of New Testament and Greek Dr. David deSilva will present “The First Translation” and Assistant Professor of New Testament and Greek Dr. Terence Mournet will present “From Scroll to Book.”

Professor of Historical Theology and Wesleyan studies Dr. Paul Chilcote and Wycliffe translator Mark Hepner will present “Putting God’s word in the King’s English” and “Translation in Papua New Guinea,” respectively.

At the same time, ATS will be showcasing the topic “Shaping Culture” Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.

On March 24, a final panel discussion featuring ATS Biblical Studies faculty members will cover the topic of “What Translation is Right for me? How to Choose a Translation.”

After the initial Jan. 27 presentation, the “Bible in English” Museum will open to the public, with fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls dating back to 200 B.C, a Hebrew Torah scroll from 1492, and Thomas Jefferson’s copy of the Bible among the many historically unique items to be made available for viewing.

According to Byron, all of the items and materials that will be displayed are owned by ATS, but they have never before been shown to the public in such an open fashion.

“Many universities and seminaries don’t have these items,” Byron said of ATS’s rare Bibles and manuscripts.

The museum will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 8 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through May of 2011 (excluding days when Ashland Theological Seminary is closed), and June through August by appointment.