Sue Owen, “Bachmann Didn’t Say Bible Was Written in English, and Neither Did Texas Governor” (Politifact Texas, Feb. 12, 2014)
Wall Street Journal language columnist Benjamin Zimmer investigated the “Bible in English” meme in an April 29, 2006, post on a linguists’ blog at the University of Pennsylvania.
The oldest iterations, he wrote, were jokes about an 1881 translation of the Bible, rather than about the English language specifically.
Zimmer cited a May 23, 1881, New York Times story about clergymen’s reactions to the new Bible. One preacher, the story says, told his congregation a joke that ended thus: ” ’What’s the matter with the good old King James version?’ the farmer replied. ‘That was good enough for St. Paul, and it’s good enough for me.’ ”
Read the rest here.