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ISBN(s): 9781450742498, 1450742491
Edition: 2010
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Language: english
The
1599
GENEVA
BIBLE
The
1599
GENEVA
BIBLE
5
Patriot’s Edition
WHITE HALL
PRESS
Cover by LovelaceDesign
Cover art: Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze, 1851. This oil-on-
canvas painting commemorates General Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River
on December 25, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. That action was the
first move in a surprise attack against the Hessian forces at Trenton, New Jersey in the
Battle of Trenton.
Table of Contents
5
Foreword by Dr. Peter Lillback vii
Preface ix
5
Historical Documents:
The Magna Carta 1367
The Mayflower Compact 1375
The Declaration of Independence 1377
The Articles of Confederation 1381
The Constitution of the United States 1387
Amendments to the Constitution 1396
Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior 1402
v
Foreword
5
A s you hold this new edition of the venerated
Geneva Bible, several realities converge in
your heart, your mind, and your hands. What are
civilization in history. The restoration of spiritual
glory—the potential to reassert our culture’s values
of freedom, prosperity, education, and truth—is
these realities? They include: before you.
History and Legacy It was the Geneva Bible that Scholarship and Ideas The scholars of the past
accompanied our forefathers to the new world. have been united in this edition with contempo-
They made history in many ways, not the least of rary scholars. The Geneva Bible’s timeless truths,
which was a legacy of Scriptural wisdom inspired revolutionary ideas, and spiritual renewal will
by the Geneva Bible. enable you to renew your heart, inform your mind,
and direct your hands. Love the Lord your God
Power and Influence As Paul was not ashamed of with all your heart and mind, and may the ancient
the Gospel of Christ, knowing it to be the power and eternal truths in these pages be the pointers
of God, committed believers in Christ can, and on your quest to plumb the treasures of wisdom
have, changed the culture with powerful tools hidden in Christ.
like the Geneva Bible’s unique
translation and wisdom. The Changing the World Simply
Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. “ The Geneva put, nothing has ever really
changed the world except God’s
Achievement and Celebration Bible once power. In your hands you have
The restoration of the Geneva
Bible to American life is both
changed the been given the greatest source
of the greatest ideas known
a remarkable achievement and world. In your to man. The Scriptures, and
an event that readers can best the wisdom of the theological
celebrate by reading and shar- hands you hold minds who brought forth the
ing with everyone possible. Geneva Bible, will enable you
something to think God’s thoughts after
Saving Knowledge and Jesus
Christ The heart of the Bible that is about Him because the Bible is His
special revelation. Herewith is
is Christ and His glorious
salvation. He is the central
to change the a resource that you are sure to
find indispensable for the study
message of the entire Bible. world—again.” and interpretation of creation
The Geneva Bible leads you as God would have you see it.
not only to know and love Him
as the Sovereign Lord of grace but it also leads The Geneva Bible once changed the world. In
you to know and to love Him as the Sovereign your hands you hold something that is about to
Lord of history. change the world—again. So use this Bible with
care. Use it faithfully with faith. Then watch God
Joy and Hope There is joy because of the rich once more do above and beyond all that we can
Biblical theology of God’s sovereign grace. And ask or imagine.
there is thus hope for our fallen world because
God’s sovereignty can move mountains, bring Dr. Peter A. Lillback
down strongholds, and turn hearts of stone into Advisory Board Chairman,
hearts of flesh and faith. 1599 Geneva Bible Restoration Project
President, Westminster Theological Seminary
Opportunity and Potential With this spiritual
President, The Providence Forum
arsenal in your hands you are equipped to storm
Senior Pastor, Proclamation
the strongholds with the spiritual wisdom that
Presbyterian Church
opened this continent to become the most blessed
vii
Preface
5
T he God-given vision to restore this special
edition of the 1599 Geneva Bible was an-
nounced in January of 2004. Soon thereafter
the chief difference is the introduction of an
English translation of Theodore Beza’s sum-
maries of doctrine and exposition of phrases,
a team was organized to reset every word, in Beza’s Latin Bible. In 1598, the annotations
making no changes except these few: modern on the Book of Revelation by Francis Junius,
spelling; proofreading to ensure word-for-word a Huguenot divine, were introduced into the
accuracy with the original 1599 edition; and Geneva Bible” [Metzger, Bruce M., “Book
designing an easy-to-read format. Over the Notes,” Theology Today, Vol 46, no 4 ( Janu-
subsequent three years of meticulous work, ary 1990): 463].
the production/editorial team witnessed the The edition we have chosen as our source is
Providence of God in the daily details. The a facsimile of the work of Tomson and Junius,
Lord clearly has ordained this special project dated 1599; however “in 1599 alone ten editions
and brought it to completion. Our hope is appeared” [Dr. Roger Nicole, “The Original
that the Geneva Bible, restored to its rightful Geneva Bible,” Tabletalk Magazine, Vol. 19,
place among frequently referenced Scriptures, no 4 (April 1995)]. Our source copy was
will remind Christians of their rich heritage published by L L Brown (The 1599 Geneva
in the Protestant Reformation and inspire Bible. Ozark, MO: LL Brown Publishing,7th
them to continue advancing the Gospel and printing, 2003), with an introduction by James
Christ’s Kingdom with the same passion and W. Bennett, and back matter containing the
conviction of the Reformers. (undated) Sternhold & Hopkins Psalms. The
We would like to share with readers the Apocrypha and metrical Psalms, included in
editorial philosophy and restoration processes that edition, are omitted here, as well as the
we employed as we prepared this edition of brief introductions to the Old Testament
the 1599 Geneva Bible. books (since they were not available for the
SOURCE TEXT New Testament books, we elected to omit
them consistently). A “Note to the Reader”
Unlike most contemporary Bible transla- in our source copy’s front matter, lists errors
tions, which have unvarying contents because that, “according to the Historical Catalogue
of copyright strictures, the Geneva Bible was of Printed Bibles,” were in the original 1599
never a uniform publication. Due to the relative edition—indicating an edition printed early
novelty of publishing Bibles in English, as well enough in 1599 to precede these corrections.
as the sheer number of printings (approximately It has been our attempt faithfully to preserve
150 in its first 75 years), its many editions often this single source, rather than consult many
varied in content and presentation. editions that would risk producing an inau-
The Geneva Bible was first published in thentic pastiche. The only exceptions are rare
1560, and then “in 1576 a revised form of indiscernible sections or words; in those cases
the Geneva Bible was produced by Laurence we have consulted other editions, indicated by
Tomson, Secretary to Sir Francis Walsingham citations in brackets.
(then Elizabeth’s Secretary of State) and
formerly lecturer in Hebrew at Geneva. This AUTHENTICITY
contains a few changes in the translation, the Every word, as well as exact sentence structure,
most characteristic being Tomson’s pedantic of the source edition is retained. We carefully
rendering of the Greek definite article by ‘that’ have preserved the use of italics, by which
(e.g., Matt. 16.16, ‘Thou art that Christ’); but the original translators indicated that they
ix
The 1599 Geneva Bible • Patriot Edition
had supplied words not found in the original typeset “Jesus said unto him.”
manuscripts. We retained capitalization of However, some of the spelling decisions
words, even at the risk of presenting anomalies were not as clear-cut:
to contemporary eyes. We avoided editorial Possessives We added apostrophes for pos-
tinkering in the name of stylistic consistency. sessives (which were not used in the English
Original punctuation was retained except in of that day), because these were determined
cases of egregious mistakes or obvious typo- not to be changes in meaning. For instance,
graphical errors in the source edition. where the source text read “God his mercy,”
David Norton, in A Textual History of the this edition reads “God’s mercy.”
King James Bible (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2005), describes his own Proper Names We have also changed the
editorial standards for a new edition of the spelling of the proper names in the Bible to
KJB for Cambridge: “Very importantly, [to] not that of the NKJV, since this can greatly help
modernise wherever possible. Modernisation the contemporary reader, and does not com-
must not be at the expense of the text, even promise the meaning of the original edition.
if the result is more difficult for the reader” If, however, the NKJV used a completely dif-
(page 136). Similarly, we did not attempt to ferent word than the source text, we retained
make the text readable from a modern stand- the word from the source text, since to change
point—only to offer contemporary readers would be to make a different choice than the
original translators made. For example, we did
what the Geneva Bible said.
not substitute “Syria” for “Aram.”
ACCESSIBILITY
Changes in Meaning What seems like a spelling
“The Geneva Bible was written during a difference sometimes indicates a distinction in
period where the English language was trans- meaning that the original translators intended.
forming from Middle English to Early Modern If we were unable to discern whether that was
English…. English was also going through a the case, we retained the language of the source
shift in pronunciation that was caught in the text. For example, we accepted both “bewray”
printing press…. Grammar was also changing, and “betray,” “shamefaced” and “shamefast,”
due to influence from other languages, the “astonied” and “astonished.”
printing press, and from natural simplifica- If, however, 16th-century spellings were
tion…. Sentence structure also changed….” freely interchanged with no distinction in
[Bennett, introduction to The 1599 Geneva meaning – and if that is not the case today – we
Bible, 2003, xv-xvii]. adjusted the text based on current meaning.
The English language evolved in major ways For example, the source uses “beside” and
during the writing of the Geneva Bible, and “besides” interchangeably, yet through the
since then has changed even more radically, subsequent years of English usage there has
especially in matters of typography and print. developed a distinction in meaning between
An exact facsimile reprint of the early Geneva the two words; so we used “beside” for “by
Bible, therefore, would be largely inaccessible the side of,” and “besides” for “in addition to.”
to the modern reader. We have therefore Other such examples include: “whiles” and
addressed and updated the spelling of some “while,” “other” and “others,” “then” and “than.”
words, and the appearance of some old let- In such instances the original word no longer
ters, for the sake of American readers’ ease gives the original meaning.
of comprehension. Many times this simply We have referred above to philological
meant changing an apparent f to an s; a y to challenges and typographical errors. Occa-
an i; a v to a u; an i to a j; and so forth. For sional words or passages in the original-source
example, instead of what contemporary eyes Geneva Bible are beyond the realms of subtle
would read as “Iefus faid vnto him,” we have ambiguity or theological debate. For example,
x
Pr e fac e
in Matthew 3:16, the source Geneva reads that source or from any other resource available to
John saw the Spirit of God descending like us. In those few cases, we have used ellipses
a dove, and “lightning” upon Jesus. Because to indicate omitted text.
the intended word is so clearly “lighting,” we Study Notes Study notes from the source
made the change; but were yet concerned to edition frequently employ wording like “Look
place that word in brackets, indicating that it afore, chap. 5,29” [found in Matthew 18:8] or
was a change from the source edition. Also, as “as God command Levit. 23.40” [at Matthew
has been noted above, if we have been unable 21:9]. We have standardized all references to
to read our source book and have consulted Scripture using the book name abbreviations
another Geneva edition, we have enclosed listed on the Books of the Old and New
that text in brackets. Withal, there are very Testaments page in this volume, and using
few words in brackets in this edition. contemporary practice of separating chapter
Archaic Words If a word is archaic, obsolete, and verse with a colon. In cases like the first
colloquial, such that the meaning is now inacces- one above we simply use, for these examples,
sible or completely changed, we were careful to “See Matt. 5:29” and “as God commanded,
retain the original word; to completely change Lev. 23:40.”
one word to another supersedes a spelling cor- CONCLUSION
rection and compromises authenticity. Instead
we have provided a glossary with short defini- To God be the glory for allowing us to be
tions in the back of this edition to help the used in the restoration of this historic work.
modern reader. Again, to quote Norton, “The The republication of this Bible is an indication
English of the KJB has many archaic words that the Lord is a faithful, covenant-keeping
that present… challenges to the understand- God, “That thou mayest know, that the Lord
ing, but… it is obvious that changing them is thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which
translating them” [A Textual History of the keepeth covenant and mercy unto them that
King James Bible, 138]. The Geneva Bible of love him and keep his commandments, even
1560, being even earlier than the King James to a thousand generations.” (Deut. 7:9)
Bible of 1611, has many archaic words. The Merciful Lord, we ask you to once again
purpose of this edition is to let the reader see grant Repentance, Reformation, and Revival
what they are, not to see how we decided to in your Church for the advancement of your
translate them. Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
Indiscernible Text There have been oc- Tolle Lege Press
casions when we simply could not discern White Hall, WV
the meaning of a word, or the intent of the August 2006
original translators, either from our original
xi
The History and Impact of the
Geneva B ible
5
T he Bible you hold in your hands, known
as “The Geneva Bible,” has been the lost
treasure of Christendom for almost four
the gentry sought after wealth, social position,
and favors of royal courts.
Into this seemingly hopeless culture of cor-
centuries. Nearly forgotten by the modern ruption and error, the light of God’s written
world, this version of the Holy Scriptures Word—in the newly translated, published,
was researched, compiled, and translated and distributed Geneva Bible—inexorably
into English by exiled Reformers in Geneva, began to liberate the English-speaking people,
Switzerland, between 1557 and1560, and was penetrating hearts and transforming minds.
destined to be the major component of the It is no exaggeration to say that the Geneva
English-speaking people’s rise from the back- Bible was the most significant catalyst of
waters of history to the center of civilization. the transformation of England, Scotland,
This edition of the Geneva Bible is the first and America from slavish feudalism to the
completely new publication since the time of its heights of Christian civilization.
first issue, and timed for release on the 400th As the first Bible to be read by the common
anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown people in English, the Geneva Bible inspired
in what is now Virginia. The Geneva Bible those who championed self-government, free
surely was carried aboard their three ships that enterprise, education, civic virtue, protection of
sailed from England in December of 1606. women and children, and godly culture. John
The New England Pilgrims likewise relied on Knox preached with power from the Geneva
the Geneva Bible for comfort and strength on Bible at St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh,
their 66-day voyage aboard the Mayflower in mightily influencing Scotland’s restoration
1620, and were even more dependent upon from clan-dominated, semi-pagan barbarity
it as they wrote the Mayflower Compact, a to Christian faith and liberty. The legendary
document unique in world history and the Soldier’s Pocket Bible, famous as the spiritual
first constitutional government in the western companion to Oliver Cromwell’s Christian
hemisphere. soldiers in the English civil war, was composed
of verses from the Geneva translation. And
it was the Geneva Bible that was carried
Setting the Stage
and read by the Pilgrims as they landed in
England of 1557 was a society beset by the wilderness of America and extrapolated
contradictions, oppression, even barbarity. concepts of civic morality from its pages as
More than 300 men had been burned at the they laid foundation-stones of the world’s
stake by the Catholic tyrant, “Bloody Mary” first constitutional republic.
Tudor, merely for promoting the English For more than 1500 years, an unfettered
Reformation. Many clergymen, Catholic spread of the Gospel in the world was sty-
and Protestant both, exacerbated rather than mied without a reliable, written version of
soothed the distress; semi-literate as a class, God’s Word in the common language of the
most received their parish jobs as payoffs and people. Rome’s missionaries and monasteries
often were unwilling to preach, or incapable had played their roles in civilizing the pagan
of composing sermons. The impoverished tribes of Europe and establishing Christian
and spiritually bereft masses found solace authority. But abuse of power and perver-
elsewhere—sloth, dissipation, or drink—while sion of truth by prelates and kings were
xiii
The 1599 Geneva Bible • Patriot Edition
commonplace by the Renaissance. one had been paid for by the same king who
The providential invention of movable persecuted him, Henry VIII, who became a
type, enabling not just the publication but supporter of Protestant reformers.
the practical distribution of the Geneva Bible, These first English passages of Scripture,
freed God’s Book from the echoes of august however, were pulpit Bibles, for use by the
cathedrals and the dead Latin language into clergy; still the people had no Bibles they
the lives and homes, hearths and hearts, of could afford… nor, for the most part, that
everyday people in the English-speaking world. they could read.
In 1553, upon the death of Henry VIII’s
History of The Geneva Bible 16-year-old Protestant son Edward, Mary
Tudor ascended the throne, soon married
The Geneva translation’s revolutionary the Catholic King of Spain, and set about,
impact can be better appreciated by the often with violent cruelty, to stamp out the
realization that the Bible has only been avail- Reformation. Determined to force the English
able to laymen for 400 years. Prior to the people back to Roman Catholicism, she or-
printing of Luther’s German Bible in 1534, dered the burning of all copies of the Bible in
and the Geneva Bible in English, everyday English. She caused more than 300 reformers,
believers, regardless of nationality, never had pastors and Bible translators to be burned at
a Bible of their own to read, study, to “hide in the stake, well earning her for all of history
their hearts.” The Church and kings kept all the sobriquet Bloody Mary.
but clergy and Latin scholars from reading Queen Mary’s vicious crusade drove ap-
Scripture; in England it even became, by royal proximately 800 English scholars to the
edict, a capital crime even to read the Bible in Continent (the “Marian Exile”) but God used
the “vulgar tongue” (the English language). In this exodus to assemble, in Geneva, some of
1526, the English scholar William Tyndale the finest theologians and Biblical scholars in
attempted to translate the Bible into English history. Here, under the protection of John
and was forced to flee to Germany, where he Calvin’s “little republic,” this special group
met Martin Luther, and then to Belgium, all of thinkers, led by William Whittingham
in an effort to translate the Bible and to fulfill (Calvin’s brother-in-law) and assisted by
the commitment made to a clergyman who Miles Coverdale, Christopher Goodman,
attempted to dissuade him from his mission: Anthony Gilby, John Knox, and Thomas
“[God’s] version was to be made for all the Sampson, produced a new English Bible not
people, even the humblest: if God spare my life, beholden to any king or prelate—The Geneva
ere many years pass I will cause the boy that Bible,—the first English Translation from the
driveth the plow to know more of Scripture original tongues since Tyndale’s revised New
than thou [a theologian] dost.” Testament of 1534. The reformers sought
Fulfilling his promise, Tyndale published the to produce a Bible that was not based on
first-ever mechanically printed New Testament the less-authentic Latin Vulgate promoted
in the English language, in 1526. Six thousand by Queen Mary. They researched the most
first-edition copies were smuggled to England recently collected Greek and Hebrew manu-
and lit a fire that could not be extinguished. scripts. Whitingham’s completed revision of
But Tyndale was hunted, captured, and William Tyndale’s New Testament, including
imprisoned in the Belgian town of Vilvoorde. many annotations and commentaries, was
On March 6, 1536, he was strangled and published in 1557; and almost immediately
burned at the stake, his last words “Lord, work began on a revision of the entire Bible.
open the King of England’s eyes.” His prayers Devoting more than two years of intense
were answered. Tyndale’s monumental work toil to the task, the result was the first Bible
made its way to some English pulpits, and translation produced by a committee rather
xiv
History a n d I m pac t of t h e Ge n eva b i bl e
than by one individual. They drew upon Adam and Eve clothing themselves in fig-leaf
painstaking translations from the original “breeches,” a decidedly English term.
languages; Theodore Beza’s work and other So popular was the Geneva Bible that
continental translations, such as Luther’s; between 1560 and 1644 at least 144 editions
all overseen and supported by reformers like were published, compared to but five editions
John Knox and John Calvin. of another, inferior, translation known as The
The completed Geneva Bible was published Bishops Bible. The Geneva Bible lost its promi-
in 1560 and dedicated to Queen Elizabeth, nence only after the King James Authorized
who had succeeded her half-sister Bloody Version of 1611 was widely promoted by the
Mary to the throne and, at least for political King and Bishop Laud (later Archbishop of
reasons, supported a definitive break with Canterbury and persecutor of Presbyterians),
the Church of Rome. The Geneva Bible was who outlawed the printing of the Geneva
an instant success that captured the hearts of Bible in the realm. When the Geneva Bible
the people with its powerful, uncompromis- disappeared, there were widespread complaints
ing prose and more than 300,000 words of that people “could not see into the sense of
annotations in the margins to aid in personal Scripture for lack of the spectacles of those
study and understanding. Genevan annotations.”
This unique 2006 edition of the 1599
version of the Geneva Bible uses Tomson’s The Uniqueness of
revised New Testament (a later revision of The Geneva Bible
Whitingham’s New Testament of 1557) and
Junius’s annotated notes on “Revelation.” The The Geneva Bible stands as one of the great
1599 version has the most complete compi- achievements of Biblical scholarship. It is the
lation of annotations of any of the Geneva Bible of “firsts”.
editions. It also has a table of interpretations • It was the first English Bible to be fully
of proper names, which are chiefly found in translated from the original languages.
the Old Testament, and a table of principle The fall of Constantinople (1453) had a
subjects contained in the Bible. The Books of providential benefit, as previously unknown
Psalms were collected into English meters by Greek and Hebrew manuscripts were
Thomas Sternhold, John Hopkins, and others, carried to the West by Christians fleeing
to encourage their recitation in the manner the Islamic onslaught. The Renaissance
of the early churches. Also included were Period’s interest in antiquity also brought
prayers to be used by English congregations authentic documents and historical details
every morning and evening. to the attention of the Geneva scholars.
For generations after its first printing, the
• It was the first Bible translation to be printed
Geneva Bible remained the Bible of per-
in easy-to-read Roman type, rather than
sonal study in England, Scotland, and then
the older “Black Face” Gothic text. The
in America. A 1579 Scottish edition of the
2006 edition of the 1599 Geneva version
Geneva version was the first Bible printed
goes a step further; while keeping the Bible
in Scotland; it soon became the standard of
text and notes accurate word-for-word
the Scottish Kirk. The Scottish Parliament
required that every householder worth 300 with the 16th-century edition, spelling
marks, and every yeoman or burgess worth has been updated and the type reset in an
500 pounds, have a Bible in the “vulgar tongue” even easier-to-read form.
in their homes, under penalty of 10 pounds. • It was the first Bible to qualify as a study
The Geneva Bible came to be called af- Bible, providing readers with copious notes,
fectionately the “Breeches Bible.” The term annotations, and commentary about the
derives from the reference in Genesis 3:7 to original manuscripts, clarification of am-
xv
The 1599 Geneva Bible • Patriot Edition
biguous meanings, and cross references. It The marginal notes of the Geneva Bible
is a tribute to the intellectual integrity of present a systematic Biblical worldview cen-
the translators that they also used italics tered on the Sovereignty of God over all of
for the interpolated words that were not His creation including churches and kings.
in the original languages—helpful for the This unique Biblical emphasis, though fraught
English vernacular, and the first-ever use with dangers beyond spiritual debates (i.e.,
of this tool in historical or literary analysis. political and social pressure), was one of John
• It was the first Bible to assign chapter de- Calvin’s great contributions to the English
marcation, and to add verse numbers within Reformers. For example, the marginal note in
chapters. These innovations facilitated the the Geneva Bible for Exodus 1:19 indicated
location of passages, memorization, and that the Hebrew midwives were correct to
recitation… and the nurture of a nation disobey the Egyptian rulers. King James called
of Bible readers. such interpretations “seditious.” The tyrant
knew that if the people could hold him ac-
• It was the first Bible to be printed in a countable to God’s Word, his days as a king
small quarto edition, portable and afford- ruling by “Divine Right” were numbered, but
able. This made it suitable for family use Calvin and the Reformers defended the clear
without expensive folios. Every Pilgrim meaning of Scripture against whims of king
family, for example, had a Geneva Bible or popes. Thus did the Geneva Bible begin
as the convenient center of its daily life. the unstoppable march to liberty in England,
Scotland, and America.
Impact of The Geneva Bible The marginal notes of the Geneva Bible
The Geneva Bible significantly assisted the also served to liberate believers from the
creation of the modern English language— ignorance, heresy, and tyranny of the Middle
the lingua franca of today’s world. William Ages. Calvin, and the Reformers who fol-
Tyndale’s linguistic genius and the poetic lowed in his footsteps, expounded the whole
mastery of Miles Coverdale’s earlier transla- counsel of God concerning doctrines of Sola
tion of the Poetic Books are widely credited Scriptura—the Word of God alone, inspired
with sparking the English literary excellence and directional for our lives and culture; Sola
of the 17th and 18th centuries: the Geneva Fide—faith alone as the only means of justi-
Bible was the Bible of William Shakespeare, fication before God; Sola Christus—Christ
John Milton, John Bunyan, the Puritans alone as mankind’s only mediator, lord, and
(considered history’s greatest expositors), king; Sola Gratia—grace alone as the only
and the Pilgrims who sailed to America. It hope of salvation and sanctification; and
was the Bible that John Rolfe likely would Soli Deo Gloria—God alone, not king nor
have used in the conversion of Pocahontas pope, to receive the glory He is due in heaven
at Jamestown in 1611. and on earth.
The impact of the annotations and com- Today, these theological “marginalia” might
mentary in the Geneva Bible cannot be seem rudimentary or innocuous, but when
underestimated. The Calvinist notes of the they were systematically taught from Scripture
Geneva Bible infuriated King James I at and applied to life, as was done in the com-
Hampton Court in 1604, prompting him mentary in the Geneva Bible, entire nations
to authorize a group of Puritan scholars and societies were transformed. Ultimately,
to produce a version of the Bible without the knowledge of and obedience to God’s
annotation for him; ironically, the excellent written Word led to constitutional, limited
Authorized Version might never have been government; the end of slavery and the caste
written were it not for King James’s antipathy system; free enterprise and the concept of
toward the Geneva Bible. private property; the so-called Puritan work
xvi
History a n d I m pac t of t h e Ge n eva b i bl e
ethic that fueled the scientific and industrial John Calvin, in exile in Geneva, surrounded
revolutions; wholesome, uplifting standards by pagan kings, wars, and a corrupt Roman
in the arts; and many other forms of progress. church, said these optimistic words about the
The bold innovations of the Geneva Bible spread of God’s Word:
continue to have an impact in today’s world. “Whatever resistance we see today offered
Because of its revolutionary format and fea- by almost all the world to the progress of the
tures, the Geneva Bible became the foundation truth, we must not doubt that our Lord will
for what we call group Bible study, and was come at last to break through all the under-
a catalyst for the acceptance of the liberating takings of men and make a passage for His
doctrine of the “priesthood of all believers.” Word. Let us hope boldly, then, more than
Puritan lay leaders expounded the Word and we can understand; He will still surpass our
other congregants offered commentary and opinion and our hope.”
invited discussion—all of which, today, might May we be inspired from His Word, as
be taken for granted; but such practices were our spiritual forbears were, to be fearlessly
previously and strictly proscribed. optimistic about the power of His Gospel
and the furtherance of His Kingdom on earth.
The Geneva Bible’s “For unto us a Childe is borne, and unto
Application for Today us a sonne is given: and the government and
peace shal have none end: he shall sit upon the
The Geneva Bible providentially was unleashed throne of David, and upon his kingdome, to
upon a dark, discouraged, downtrodden English- order it, and to establish it with judgement and
speaking world, at a time when Christendom with justice, from hence forthe, and for ever:
was in real danger of regressing to a form of the zeale of the Lorde of hostes wil performe
Caesar-worship. A Bible appeared that created this” (Isaiah 9: 6-7, 1599 Geneva Bible).
the conditions for a Christian reformation of
life and culture, the likes of which the world Dr. Marshall Foster
had never seen—its hallmarks including the Advisory Board Member,
explosion of faith; an emphasis on integrity; a
1599 Geneva Bible Restoration Project
unique and vital missionary movement; creative
Founder & President, The Mayflower Institute
literature, economic blessings; and political and
religious freedom. By the time of the defeat
of the Spanish Armada in 1588, just 28 years
after the first printing of the Geneva Bible,
it was already being said of the English that
they were becoming a “people of the Book.”
Almost 500 years later, our culture is once
again desperate for the Truth. Many people
have forgotten, abandoned, or rejected the
great lessons of the Reformation and the
Biblical theology that inspired the greatest
accomplishments of Western Civilization.
We fervently pray that the re-introduction
of this powerful tool of Godly dominion, the
Geneva Bible, will, with God’s favor, light the
fires for another powerful reformation. As we
read this sacred volume, let us remember the
sacrifice of the persecuted scholars on the
shores of Lake Geneva.
xvii
The Prayer of
George Washington
5
xix
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