Skip to main content

Lawmakers Read from Historic 1782 Aitken Bible

Share This article

The National Bible Association held a special Bible reading event at the nation's Capitol this week to remind Americans that this coming Monday, November 23, is the International Day of the Bible.

They used a 1782 version of the Bible called the Aitken Bible, which is an important part of U.S. history.

England had cut off all supplies to the colonies because of the Revolutionary War, so a printer named Robert Aitken sought special approval from Congress to print Bibles in English to make sure the colonists could still get Bibles.

Congress responded in September of 1782 by issuing this statement: "Resolved. That the United States in Congress assembled highly approve the pious and laudable undertaking of Mr. Aitkin, as subservient to the interest of religion as well as an influence of the progress of arts in this country and being satisfied from the above report (by the congressional chaplains), they recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States and hereby authorize him to publish this recommendation."

This week, several senators and congressmen read from the Aitken Bible, which was the only one ever formally approved by Congress.

"The Bible has impacted every aspect of life, including the political history of America," said Richard Glickstein, president of the National Bible Association.

"The opportunity to read from the Aitken Bible just further reinforces the deep ties that our nation has with this great book," Glickstein said.

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., read from : "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven."

Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., read : "A good tree can not bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit."

Other readers included U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry Black, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Reps. Steve King, R-Iowa and Louie Gohmert-R-Texas.

Share This article

About The Author

CBN
News

CBN News is a national/international, nonprofit news organization that provides programming 24 hours a day by cable, satellite and the Internet. Staffed by a group of acclaimed news professionals, CBN News delivers stories to over a million viewers each day without a specific agenda. With its headquarters in Virginia Beach, Va., CBN News has bureaus in Washington D.C., Jerusalem, and elsewhere around the world. What began as a segment on CBN's flagship program, The 700 Club, in the early 1980s, CBN News has since expanded into a multimedia news organization that offers today's news headlines