The Geneva Bible: 1560 Edition, hardcover The Bible of the Protestant Reformation
By Hendrickson Publishers
Sixteenth century English Protestant scholars were determined to make the scriptures understandable to common people, so that, as William Tyndale famously put it, "the boy that driveth the plough should know more of the scriptures" than the educated man.
However, Queen Mary's (1553-1558) persecution of her Protestant subjects caused many to flee to the continent to avoid imprisonment or execution. Geneva, Switzerland soon became a center for Protestant biblical scholarship. It was there that a group of the movement's leading lights gathered to undertake a fresh translation of the scriptures into English, beginning in 1556.
Published in 1560, the Geneva Bible's popularity kept it in print until1644-long after the advent of the Authorized Version (a.k.a. King James Version). It was an English Bible that met the needs of both clergy and laity. Perhaps the Geneva Bible's greatest contribution was its commentary, which under girded the emerging practice of sermonizing and helped foster scripture literacy. The Geneva Bible was the first to feature many innovations in the field of Bible publishing: -
Text printed in readable roman type
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Division of the text into numbered verses
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Italic type used for words not in the original languages
- Marks placed over the accented syllables to aid in pronouncing proper names
- Extensive textual and explanatory commentary placed in the margins
- Words/phrases displayed at the heads of pages to promote scripture memorization
- Maps and woodcuts illustrating biblical scenes included
- Sold in a variety of sizes so many people could afford a household Bible
The Geneva Bible accompanied English settlers voyaging to the new world. It is probable that the Geneva Bible came to America in 1607 and was used in the Jamestown colony. Thirteen years later the Pilgrims brought it with them on the Mayflower's perilous voyage to religious freedom. The Geneva Bible stands as a landmark in the history of English Bible translation. Hendrickson's facsimile reproduces one of the finest existing copies of the 1560 Geneva Bible. Using quality materials and crafted to last, Bible collectors and anyone interested in the history of the English Bible will treasure this volume.
Why the 1560 vs. 1599 edition?
The 1560 Geneva Bible is far more important as a historical production. It is directly in the line of the 16th century translation accomplishments. The notes reflect the reformation theology better than the later notes. The notes of the 1560 edition show John Calvin's influence from his commentaries.
The 1599 has Tomson's NT notes and was the first to have notes on Revelation by Junius (an avid Calvinist whose father was brutally murdered). They also included the Metrical Psalms, which were popular. The basic problem, however, is that the 1599 edition is one of the most error ridden copies of all Geneva's. Furthermore, many were dated 1599 but were really printed in 1633, as explained in my Introduction. The notes put into the "1599" became more and more Calvinistic, and also show anti-catholic sentiment, probably in response to the notes in the 1582 Catholic Rhemes NT. In a Revelation 9 note, for instance, Francis Junius blasts Pope Gregory VII for his "evil doings."
Finally, the advertising for the 1599 reproduction makes it sound much more important than it was. While the Geneva Bible was popular among the Pilgrims, they continued to use the KJV as well. The 1599 edition was only one out of the many Geneva Bible editions that the Pilgrims and Puritans would have brought to America.
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