| Geneva Bible | |
|---|---|
 Geneva Bible 1560 edition | |
| Full name | Geneva Bible |
| Other names | Breeches Bible |
| NT published | 1557 |
| Complete Bible published | 1560 |
| Derived from | Tyndale Bible |
| Textual basis | Textus Receptus (New Testament) Masoretic Text and influence fromTyndale andCoverdale (Old Testament) |
| Publisher | Sir Rowland Hill ofSoulton |
| Religious affiliation | Protestant (Reformed) |
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without forme and voyde, and darkeness was upon the depe, and the Spirit of God moved upon the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light" and there was light. For God so loved the world, that he hath given his only be gotten Son, that whosoever beleveth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. | |
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TheGeneva Bible, sometimes known by thesobriquetBreeches Bible,[1] is one of the most historically significanttranslations of theBible into English, preceding theDouay Rheims Bible by 22 years, and theKing James Version by 51 years.[2] It was the primary Bible of 16th-century EnglishProtestantism and was used byWilliam Shakespeare,[3]Oliver Cromwell,John Knox,John Donne and others. It was one of the Bibles taken to America on theMayflower (Pilgrim Hall Museum has collected several Bibles ofMayflower passengers), and its frontispiece inspiredBenjamin Franklin's design for the firstGreat Seal of the United States.[4]
The Geneva Bible was used by manyEnglish Dissenters, and it was still respected by Oliver Cromwell's soldiers at the time of theEnglish Civil War, in the bookletThe Souldiers Pocket Bible.[5]
Because the language of the Geneva Bible was more forceful and vigorous, most readers strongly preferred this version to theGreat Bible. In the words ofCleland Boyd McAfee, "it drove the Great Bible off the field by sheer power of excellence".[6]
The Geneva Bible followed theGreat Bible of 1539, the first authorized Bible in English, which was the authorized Bible of theChurch of England.
During the reign ofMary I (1553–1558), who restored Catholicism and outlawed Protestantism in England, a number of English Protestant scholarsfled toGeneva, which was then arepublic in whichJohn Calvin and, later,Theodore Beza, provided the primary spiritual and theological leadership.[1] Among these scholars wasWilliam Whittingham who supervised the translation now known as the Geneva Bible, in collaboration withMyles Coverdale,Christopher Goodman,Anthony Gilby,Thomas Sampson, andWilliam Cole. Whittingham was directly responsible for theNew Testament, which was complete and published in 1557,[7] while Gilby oversaw the Old Testament. Several members of this group would later become prominent figures in theVestments controversy.
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The first full edition of this Bible appeared in 1560. While the physical printing took place in Geneva, its introduction to England was facilitated bySir Rowland Hill ofSoulton. Hill is traditionally identified as the project's publisher; however, modern scholarship emphasizes his role as a high-level patron and legal protector. As a Commissioner for Ecclesiastical Causes under Elizabeth I, Hill held the authority to oversee "seditious books," a position that allowed him to authorize the circulation of the Geneva Bible during the volatile Elizabethan Settlement. The distribution was managed through a short-lived London printing business (often associated with the name Rowland Hall) that functioned specifically to handle the Bible and related humanistic texts, closing abruptly following the probate of Hill's estate in 1561.[7][8][9][10][11][12]
It was not printed in England until 1575 (New Testament[7]) and 1576 (complete Bible[7]). Over 150 editions were issued; the last probably in 1644.[7] The first Bible printed in Scotland was a Geneva Bible, which was first issued in 1579.[7] In fact, the involvement of Knox (1514–1572) and Calvin (1509–1564) in the creation of the Geneva Bible made it especially appealing in Scotland, where in 1579 a law was passed requiring every household of sufficient means to buy a copy.[13]
Some editions from 1576 onwards[7] includedLaurence Tomson's revisions of the New Testament. Some editions from 1599 onwards[7] used a new "Junius" version of the Book of Revelation, in which the notes were translated from a new Latin commentary byFranciscus Junius.
The annotations, a significant part of the Geneva Bible, wereCalvinist andPuritan in character, and as such were disliked by the ruling pro-government Anglicans of theChurch of England, as well as byJames I, who commissioned the "Authorized Version", orKing James Bible, in order to replace it. The Geneva Bible had also motivated the earlier production of theBishops' Bible underElizabeth I for the same reason, and the laterDouay–Rheims edition by theCatholic community. The Geneva Bible nevertheless remained popular amongPuritans and was in widespread use until after theEnglish Civil War. The last edition was printed in 1644.[14]
The Geneva Bible acquired the sobriquet "Breeches Bible" because it describesAdam andEve as having made “breeches” to cover their nakedness (Genesis 3:7).[1]
The Geneva notes were surprisingly included in a few editions of the King James Version, as late as 1715.[7] Benjamin Franklin is understood to have been inspired by the frontispiece of the Geneva Bible in his design proposal for the firstGreat Seal of theUnited States.[15]
The Geneva Bible was the first English version to be translated entirely from the original languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Though the text is principally just a revision ofWilliam Tyndale's earlier work of 1534, Tyndale had only fully translated the New Testament; he had translated the Old Testament through 2 Chronicles before he was imprisoned. The English refugees living in Geneva completed the first translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew to English. The work was led by William Whittingham.[16]
The Geneva Bible was translated from scholarly editions of theGreek New Testament and theHebrew Scriptures that comprise the Old Testament. The English rendering was substantially based on the earlier translations by William Tyndale and Myles Coverdale (the Geneva Bible relies significantly upon Tyndale).[17]
The Geneva Bible was also issued in more convenient and affordable sizes than earlier versions. The 1560 Bible was inquarto format (218 × 139 mm type area), but pocket-sizeoctavo editions were also issued, and a few large folio editions. The New Testament was issued at various times in sizes from quarto down to 32º (the smallest, 70×39 mm type area).[7]
Here are both the Geneva, Tyndale and the King James versions of Genesis 3:7 with original spelling (not modernized):[18]
Tyndale Bible
| Geneva Bible
| King James Bible
|
King James I's distaste for the Geneva Bible was not caused by the translation of the text into English, but rather the annotations in the margins. He felt strongly that many of the annotations were "very partial, untrue, seditious, and savoring too much of dangerous and traitorous conceits". In all likelihood, he saw the Geneva's interpretations of some biblical passages asanti-clerical "republicanism", which could imply church hierarchy was unnecessary. Other passages appeared particularly seditious, most notably references to monarchs as "tyrants".[19]
Examples of the commentary in conflict with the monarchy in the Geneva Bible (modern spelling) include:[20]
When toward the end of the conference two Puritans suggested that a new translation of the Bible be produced to better unify the Anglican Church in England and Scotland, James embraced the idea. He would not only be rid of those inconvenient annotations but have greater influence on the translation of the Bible as a whole. He commissioned and chartered a new translation of the Bible which would eventually become the most famous version of the Bible in the history of the English language. Officially known as theAuthorized Version as it was ordered to be read in churches, the new version would commonly be called theKing James Version (KJV). The first and early editions of the King James Bible from 1611 and the first few decades thereafter lack annotations, unlike nearly all editions of the Geneva Bible up until that time.[21]
Initially, the King James Version did not sell well and competed with the Geneva Bible. Shortly after the first edition of the KJV, King Jamesbanned the printing of new editions of the Geneva Bible to further entrench his version. However,Robert Barker continued to print Geneva Bibles even after the ban, placing the fictitious date of 1599 on new copies of Genevas which were actually printed between about 1616 and 1625.[22]
Although the King James Version was intended to replace the Geneva Bible, the King James translators relied heavily upon this version.[23] Bruce Metzger, in Theology Today 1960, observes the inevitable reliance the KJV had on the Geneva Bible. Some estimate that twenty percent of the former came directly from the latter. He further revels in the enormous impact the Geneva Bible had on Protestantism: "In short, it was chiefly owing to the dissemination of copies of the Geneva version of 1560 that a sturdy and articulate Protestantism was created in Britain, a Protestantism which made a permanent impact upon Anglo-American culture."[24]
The Puritan Separatists orPilgrim Fathers aboard theMayflower in 1620 brought to North America copies of the Geneva Bible.[25][26][27] German historian Leopold von Ranke observed that "Calvin was virtually the founder of America."[28]
The Geneva Bible encouraged a political reading of the Scriptures. It famously incorporated in its notes and its translation elements that were considered seditious by James I and that were deliberately excluded from the new Authorised Version of 1611. In particular there were margin notes that appeared to suggest the legitimacy of resistance to overweening rulers, and there was the frequent use of the language of tyrant (a word expressly disallowed in James' Bible) and slave.
The Pilgrims brought the Geneva Bible with them on theMayflower to Plymouth in 1620. In fact, the religious writings and sermons published by the members of the Plymouth colony suggest that the Geneva Bible was used exclusively by them.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)This Geneva Bible, one of the Mayflower's precious books, belonged to William Bradford.
Pilgrims aboard theMayflower [...] brought with them copies of theGeneva Bible of 1560; printed in Geneva by Roland Hall.
