Was King James a homosexual?
One of the claims against the KJV Bible is that King James was a homosexual.
Before we get into the actual claim, regarding the sexuality of King James, it should be noted that this is an Ad hominem attack against King James and not against the translation itself. It would not actually affect the translation of the King James Bible even if King James was in fact a homosexual. King James did not do the translation, he only commissioned the translation. The Bible itself was translated by a group of translators and highly studied theologians.
But lets now look at the accusation itself.
King James was happily married and had 8 children, only 3 of which survived into adulthood.
What we will see is that any claims that King James was a homosexual are based purely on conjecture. There were no eye witnesses or accusations against King James while he was alive and unless we discover some new evidence of eye witness accounts, there never will be any. If there were any actual evidence it most certainly would have been made known seeing King James had many opposers while he lived.
When someone says King James was a homosexual, the first thing that should be asked is, what evidence do you make that claim? I am certain that at least 99 out of 100 people who make that claim have no evidence at all on which to make the claim, they have simply heard someone else make the claim and are simply regurgitating the claim as if it is fact. When pressed to supply the evidence, they almost certainly will not be able to provide it.
There were some claims made in a book by Sir Anthony Weldon in 1650 titled The court and character of King James.
Interestingly this was 25 years after King James had died. No claim was made against King James while he was alive. Even more interestingly is that the book was not published by Sir Anthony Weldon, as he himself had died the year before in 1649.
The Earl when he kissed his hand, the King hung about his neck, slabboring his cheeks; saying, for Gods sake, when shall I see thee again; On my soul, I shall neither eat nor sleep until you come again ; the Earl told him, on Monday (this being on the Friday,) for Gods sake let me said the King, shall I, shall I ? Then lolled about his neck ; then, for Gods sake, give thy lady this kiss for me ; in the same manner at the stayres head, at the middle of the stayres, and at the stayres foot ; the Earl was not in his coach, when the King used these very words (in the hearing of four Servants, of whom one was Somersets great creature, and of the Bed-chamber, who reported it instantly to the Author of this History) I shall never see his face more. I appeal to the Reader, whether his Motto of, Qui nescit dissimulare nescit regnare, was not as well per¬ formed in this passage as his Beati pacifici, in the whole course of his life ; and his love to the latter, made him to be beaten with his own weapon in the other, by all Princes and States that had to do with him.
The court and character of King James. Sir Anthont Weldon Page 32 Weldon
I would recommend a book by Stephen Coston called King James VI Of Scotland & I Of England Unjustly Accused.
Here I shall give a few quotations from the book.
Sir Anthony Weldon was removed from the Court by King James and Weldon subsequently swore that he would have his day of vengeance. Sir Anthony Weldon did not have the courage to accuse King James to his face but waited some twenty five years (posthumously) to falsely accuse the King. Yet these charges were largely ignored at the time because there were many still living who knew that Weldon spoke falsely. Weldon’s hatred and contempt for the Scots was well known. It tormented many in England that it was a Scottish King who after centuries of warfare finally united Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland into what is known today as the British Empire
King James VI Of Scotland & I Of England Unjustly Accused, Stephen A. Coston Sr. Page 30
The charges made by Sir Anthony Weldon have lain dormant for hundreds of years. Only recently have some “pseudo-historians” picked up these charges hoping that their vilification of King James would tarnish the Bible that bears his name and draw those weak in the faith away from God’s word to amore “accurate translation.”
King James VI Of Scotland & I Of England Unjustly Accused, Stephen A. Coston Sr page 30
Weldon and others penned their accusations after the execution and trial of James’s son, Charles I. For example, Weldon’s Court and Character of James! was published in 1650. The trial and execution of Charles I was in 1649.
King James VI Of Scotland & I Of England Unjustly Accused, Stephen A. Coston Sr Page 218
The origins of Weldon’s spiteful and hateful comments and evil portrayal of James lie in his dismissal from office, forever ending his family’s supply of officers to the royal household. You see, Weldon wrapped up his libel of the people of Scotland in documents from the Board of Green Cloth, which were found, and he was summarily dismissed, with a pension. He kept quiet until he sided with parliament in the Civil War, lost his pension, and authored the Court and Character of James. Weldon was chairman of the Kentish Committee for the Sequestration of Royalists, and was awarded a pension from Parliament for his loyalty. Weldon dedicated his Court and Character to his lady friend, Lady Sidley, which Sanderson claims the document was stolen and altered to blacken James’ name, and then published. More can be read of Weldon in later chapters, but suffice it to say, this man Weldon, as a historical source is highly suspect and cannot be relied on as an accurate witness. Interestingly, he never directly accuses, only hints, that James’ amorously kissed men, which modern day historians interpret as an indictment of homosexuality.
King James VI Of Scotland & I Of England Unjustly Accused, Stephen A. Coston Sr page 220
King James himself wrote against homosexuality (Sodomy) in a book called Basilikon dōron
‘But as this feuere juftice of yours vppon all offences “v^ould be but for a time (as I haue alreadie faide) fo is there fome horrible crymes that yee are bounde in Confcience neuer to forgiue : Such as W^itch-crafte^ mlfull-murther^ Inceft (efpeciallie wthin the degrees of confanguinitie) So» domie^ ^oy finings and falfe coyne
“There are some horrible crimes that ye are bound in conscience never to forgive: such as witchcraft, willful murder, incest, and sodomy.”
King James Basilikon dōron Pages37-38
This study is deliberately intended to be short, as in reality the accusation has no evidence to support it and thus does not require a detailed and in depth rebuttal.
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