LONDON – Queen Elizabeth II attended a ceremony at London’s Westminster Abbey Wednesday to mark the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, often considered the most influential book ever printed in English.

The translation — the Old Testament from Hebrew, the New Testament from Greek — was assembled by 47 translators in six committees.

King James I summoned a conference at Hampton Court Palace near London in 1604, hoping to hash out differences between the Church of England and Puritans. Failing to make progress on other issues, Puritan leader John Reynolds proposed a new translation — which emerged in 1611.

The queen was joined by her husband, Prince Philip, and son, Prince Charles, in leading around 2,000 worshippers.

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