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Geneva Bible is a critical, yet almost completely forgotten part of the
Protestant Reformation. Driven out of England by the persecutions of
Bloody Mary, several future leaders of the Reformation came to Geneva to
create a pure and accurate translation of the Holy Writ. Concerned about
the influence that the Catholic Church had on the existing
 translations
of the Bible from the Latin, these men turned to the original Hebrew and
Greek texts to produce the Geneva Bible. This made the Geneva Bible the
first complete Bible to be translated into English from the original
Hebrew and Greek texts.
The creation of the Geneva Bible was a substantial undertaking. Its
authors spent over two years, working diligently day and night by
candlelight, to finish the translation and the commentaries. The entire
project was funded by the exiled English congregation in Geneva, making
the translation a work supported by the people and not by an
authoritarian church or monarch.
All the marginal commentaries were finished by 1599, making the 1599
edition of the Geneva Bible t he
most complete study aide for Biblical scholars and students. This editon
does contain the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha’s notes are minimal or absent
in other editions. Additional highlights of this edition include maps of
the Exodus route and Joshua’s distribution of land, a name and subject
index, and Psalms sung by the English congregation in Geneva.
The greatest
distinction of the Geneva Bible, however, is the extensive collection of
marginal notes that it contains. Prominent Reformation leaders such as
John Calvin, John Knox, Miles Coverdale, William Whittingham, Theodore
Beza, and Anthony Gilby wrote the majority of these notes in order to
explain and interpret the scriptures. The notes comprise nearly 300,000
words, or nearly one-third the length of the Bible itself, and they are
justifiably considered the most complete source of Protestant religious
thought available.
Owing
to the marginal notes and the superior quality of the translation, the
Geneva Bible became the most widely read and influential English Bible
of the 16th and 17th centuries. It was continually printed from 1560 to
1644 in over 200 different editions. It was the Bible of choice for many
of the greatest writers, thinkers, and historical figures of the
Reformation era. William Shakespeare’s plays and the writings of John
Milton and John Bunyan were clearly influenced by the Geneva Bible.
Oliver Cromwell issued a pamphlet containing excerpts from the Geneva
Bible to his troops during the English Civil War. When the Pilgrims set
sail on the Mayflower they took with them exclusively the Geneva Bible.
 The
marginal notes of the Geneva Bible enraged the Catholic Church, since
the notes deemed the act of confession to men – the Catholic Bishops –
as unjustified by Holy Script. Man should confess to God only; man’s
private life was man’s private life. The notes also infuriated King
James, since they allowed disobedience to tyrannical kings. King James
went so far as to make ownership of the Geneva Bible a felony. He then
proceeded to make his own version of the Bible, but without the marginal
notes that had so disturbed him. Consequently, during King James’s
reign, and into the reign of Charles I, the Geneva Bible was gradually
replaced by the King James Bible.
Because of the print size, this facsimile reproduction is
more difficult for some readers. A magnifying glass is often necessary
for the marginal notes. On some of the printing the marginal notes are
not entirely clear. Also, some adjustment is required to get accustomed
to the interchanged I and J, u and v, and f and s in the old print
style. L. L. Brown Publishing is proud to offer the Geneva Bible to
Christians serious about understanding the Bible. A wealth of
information that has been left to us by the Leaders of the Protestant
Reformation is now available after four centuries of being out of print. |
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Regular
(Left),
Deluxe
(Right)
1560
Geneva
Bible:
First
Edition
Facsimile
Reproduction
The
Geneva
Bible
was the
“Bible
of the
Protestant
Reformation”,
and the
Bible of
the
Puritans
and
Pilgrims.
It was
the
first
Bible
taken to
America,
brought
over on
the
Mayflower.
The
Geneva
Bible is
the
Bible
upon
which
America
was
founded.
You can
imagine,
most
early
American
colonists,
who were
fleeing
the
religious
oppression
of the
Anglican
Church
(Church
of
England),
wanted
nothing
to do
with the
King
James
Bible of
the
Anglican
Church!
Textually,
the
Geneva
Bible
offered
a number
of
radical
never-before-seen
changes:
It was
the
first
Bible in
English
to add
numbered
verses
to each
chapter
of
scripture.
Also,
the
Geneva
was the
first
Bible to
introduce
easier-to-read
“Roman
Style
Typeface”
rather
than the
“Gothic
Blackletter
Style
Typeface”
which
had been
used
exclusively
in
earlier
Bibles.
Another
curious
innovation;
the
Geneva
was the
first
“Study
Bible”
with
extensive
commentary
notes in
the
margins.
The
Geneva
Bible is
the
version
quoted
from
hundreds
of times
by
William
Shakespeare
in his
plays.
Also
called
the
“Breeches
Bible”,
the
Geneva
Bible is
the only
Bible
ever
able to
outsell
and
exceed
the
popularity
of the
King
James
Bible,
as it
did in
the
early
1600’s
until
its
printing
ceased
in 1644.
In fact,
one of
the
greatest
ironies
of
history,
is that
Protestants
of all
denominations
today
embrace
the King
James
Version
of the
Bible
(which
reads
90% the
same as
the
Geneva),
even
though
the King
James
Version
is not a
Protestant
Bible
(it’s
Anglican
/ Church
of
England).
Most
Protestants
have
never
even
heard of
the
Bible of
their
own
heritage:
the
Geneva
Bible.
It was
produced
by John
Calvin,
John
Knox,
Myles
Coverdale,
John
Foxe, &
other
English
refugees
in
ever-neutral
Geneva,
Switzerland…
fleeing
the
persecution
of Roman
Catholic
Queen
“Bloody”
Mary in
England.
Mary
would
not
tolerate
the
Protestant
Geneva
Bible,
which
proclaimed
the Pope
an
“antichrist”
in its
commentary
notes.
Both
the
Regular
and the
Deluxe
Editions
of the
1560
Geneva
Facsimile
Reproduction
are the
same on
the
inside,
and are
the same
size,
measuring
approximately
11
inches
tall by
8.75
inches
wide by
3.25
inches
thick.
The
Regular
Edition
is bound
in
hardcover
burgundy
bonded
leather
with
gold
stamping
along
the
spine.
The
Deluxe
Edition
is bound
in the
finest
grade of
deep
chocolate
full-grain
calf
leather
over
thick
wood
boards.
The
covers
and
spine of
the
Deluxe
Edition
are
intricately
blind-stamped
with
elaborate
decorative
designs,
and the
spine
features
five
raised
bands
with
burgundy
leather
labels
beautifully
gold-stamped.
These
facsimiles
are
exactly
identical
to the
genuine
original
1560
First
Edition
/ First
Printing
of the
Geneva
Bible,
an
example
of which
is
available
in the
Gold
Room
of our
Ancient
Rare
Bibles &
Books
section
for tens
of
thousands
of
dollars.
We did,
however,
take the
liberty
of doing
a
photographic
enlargement
of the
actual
size of
the type
on each
page to
125% the
size of
the
original,
to make
the
small
commentary
notes in
the
margins
easier
to read.
You
may also
be
interested
to know
that,
upon
examining
the
remarkable
quality
of our
1560
Geneva
Bible
reproduction,
bestselling
author
and
theologian
Dr. R.C.
Sproul
decided
to offer
it in
his
“Ligonier
Ministries
Catalog”
in a
special
two-page
featured
spread.
I
believe
that you
will
agree
that
this
important
"Bible
of the
Protestant
Reformation"
is a
must-have
for your
library,
particularly
if your
theological
views
are of
the
Reformed
tradition.
The
ancient
commentary
notes
alone
provide
hours of
fascinating
insight
into the
scriptures
from the
Protestant
Reformation’s
greatest
theologians.
The
Deluxe
Edition
is also
a
Limited
Edition,
and it
comes
with a
certificate
showing
its
specific
number
in the
limited-edition
press
run of
only 300
that
were
done. As
you can
see from
the
image of
the
spine,
this
Deluxe
Edition
is
called
the "Gibbor
Edition".
"Gibbor"
is a
Hebrew
word
meaning
"Hero",
and
references
the
great
heroes
of the
faith
that
produced
the
Geneva
Bible in
Switzerland,
as
refugees
from the
murderous
reign of
Queen
"Bloody"
Mary in
England.
Back
in print
for the
first
time in
centuries…
nearly
forgotten
for over
350
years…all
but
drowned-out
by the
Anglican
Church’s
much
younger
and more
“politically
correct”
King
James
Version
of 1611…
reclaim
your
Protestant
heritage
by
reading
the
Bible
translated
by
Protestants
for
Protestants:
the 1560
Geneva
Bible. |
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