Editing King James Version (section)

===Editorial criticism===
F. H. A. Scrivener and D. Norton have both written in detail on editorial variations which have occurred through the history of the publishing of the Authorized Version from 1611 to 1769. In the 19th century, there were effectively three main guardians of the text. Norton identified five variations among the Oxford, Cambridge, and London (Eyre and Spottiswoode) texts of 1857, such as the spelling of "farther" or "further" at Matthew 26:39.{{sfn|Norton|2005|p=126}}

In the 20th century, variation between the editions was reduced to comparing the Cambridge to the Oxford. Distinctly identified Cambridge readings included "or Sheba",<ref>{{bibleref|Joshua|19:2|KJV}}</ref> "sin",<ref>{{bibleref|2|Chronicles|33:19|KJV}}</ref> "clifts",<ref>{{bibleref|Job|30:6|KJV}}</ref> "vapour",<ref>{{bibleref|Psalm|148:8|KJV}}</ref> "flieth",<ref>{{bibleref|Nahum|3:16|KJV}}</ref> "further"<ref>{{bibleref|Matthew|26:39|KJV}}</ref> and a number of other references. In effect the Cambridge was considered the current text in comparison to the Oxford.{{sfn|Norton|2005|p=144}} These are instances where both Oxford and Cambridge have now diverged from Blayney's 1769 Edition. The distinctions between the Oxford and Cambridge editions have been a major point in the [[Bible version debate]],{{sfn|White|2009|p=}} and a potential theological issue,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourkjv.com/KJB.pdf |title=Settings of the King James Bible |publisher=ourkjv.com |access-date=13 July 2013}}</ref> particularly in regard to the identification of the Pure Cambridge Edition.<ref>{{Cite journal
 |last1        = tbsbibles.org
 |title        = Editorial Report
 |journal      = Quarterly Record
 |volume       = 603
 |issue        = 2nd Quarter
 |pages        = 10–20
 |publisher    = Trinitarian Bible Society
 |year         = 2013
 |url          = http://www.tbsbibles.org/pdf_reports/247-1.pdf
 |access-date  = 13 July 2013
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140416192850/http://www.tbsbibles.org/pdf_reports/247-1.pdf
 |archive-date = 16 April 2014
 |url-status     = dead}}</ref>

Cambridge University Press introduced a change at 1 John 5:8<ref>{{bibleref|1|John|5:8|KJV}}</ref> in 1985, reversing its longstanding tradition of printing the word "spirit" in lower case by using a capital letter "S".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourkjv.com/CambridgeLetter.pdf |title=CUP letter |publisher=ourkjv.com |access-date=13 July 2013}}</ref> A Rev. Hardin of Bedford, Pennsylvania, wrote a letter to Cambridge inquiring about this verse, and received a reply on 3 June 1985 from the Bible Director, Jerry L. Hooper, claiming that it was a "matter of some embarrassment regarding the lower case 's' in Spirit".<ref name="Hooper letter">{{Cite web |url=https://www.purecambridgetext.com/post/2017/09/07/the-hooper-letter |title=The Hooper Letter |last=Asquith |first=John M. |date=7 September 2017 |website=purecambridgetext.com |access-date=7 February 2019}}</ref>