The Alabama State Bible is a copy of the King James Version of the Bible dating from 1853, which is one of the symbols of the state of Alabama. It is the oldest state symbol of Alabama. [1] It is kept on display at the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery, Alabama. [2]
The King James Version (KJV), also known as the King James Bible (KJB) or simply the Authorized Version (AV), is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, begun in 1604 and completed as well as published in 1611 under the sponsorship of James VI and I. The books of the King James Version include the 39 books of the Old Testament, an intertestamental section containing 14 books of the Apocrypha, and the 27 books of the New Testament. Noted for its "majesty of style", the King James Version has been described as one of the most important books in English culture and a driving force in the shaping of the English-speaking world.
The Bible is a collection of sacred texts or scriptures. Varying parts of the Bible are considered to be a product of divine inspiration and a record of the relationship between God and humans by Christians, Jews, Samaritans, and Rastafarians.
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are currently 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory and shares its sovereignty with the federal government. Due to this shared sovereignty, Americans are citizens both of the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons restricted by certain types of court orders.
The State Bible was purchased in 1853 by the Executive Department of the state government, and has been used at the inauguration of every state governor since then. The Bible was also used when Jefferson Davis took the oath of office as President of the Confederate States of America in Alabama on February 18, 1861. [2]
Jefferson Finis Davis was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865. As a member of the Democratic Party, he represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives prior to switching allegiance to the Confederacy. He was appointed as the United States Secretary of War, serving from 1853 to 1857, under President Franklin Pierce.
The president of the Confederate States of America was the elected head of state and government of the Confederate States. The president also headed the executive branch of government and was commander-in-chief of the Army and Navy, and of the militia of the several states when called into Confederate service.
The flyleaf has been inscribed "Executive Office, Alabama, 1853". There is also a note inside the front cover of the Bible from Judge John Phelan (clerk of the Alabama Supreme Court, 1856–64) confirming that this was the Bible used by Davis, together with an affidavit sworn in 1884 by Ellis Phelan (the judge's son and Secretary of State of Alabama) verifying his father's handwriting and attendance at Davis's inauguration. [2]
John Dennis Phelan was an American editor, politician and jurist.
An affidavit is a written sworn statement of fact voluntarily made by an affiant or deponent under an oath or affirmation administered by a person authorized to do so by law. Such statement is witnessed as to the authenticity of the affiant's signature by a taker of oaths, such as a notary public or commissioner of oaths. An affidavit is a type of verified statement or showing, or in other words, it contains a verification, meaning it is under oath or penalty of perjury, and this serves as evidence to its veracity and is required for court proceedings.
Ellis Phelan served as the 20th Secretary of State of Alabama from 1882 to 1885.
