Why is the story of the Geneva Bible so important?
A 1581 edition of the Geneva Bible. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Geneva in the 1550s was the center of Reformed Protestantism. And because of the presence of Theodore Beza, it was also a growing center of biblical scholarship.
While there, the exiles began to see the need for a new translation of the Bible in their own language. The New Testament was finished in 1557, and the complete Bible—along with a revised New Testament—was finished in 1560. The Geneva Bible became the Bible of the common people
The exiles began returning to England in 1558 when Elizabeth I ascended the throne, and they brought their Bible with them.
The Geneva Bible soon became the prominent Bible translation for English-speaking Reformers. More than 140 editions were printed between 1560 and 1644. It was the Bible used by the Puritans, so when you’re reading the Geneva Bible, you’re reading the Bible the Puritans read. The Parliament of Scotland even passed a law mandating that every home contain a copy of the Geneva Bible. And despite Shakespeare’s long association with the King James Version, the translation he used was actually the Geneva Bible.
How did the Geneva Bible get so popular?
What made the Geneva Bible so popular in Protestant circles was the notes. In fact, it’s not too much of an exaggeration to say that the Geneva Bible was the original study Bible of English-speaking Reformers.
The notes are massive—roughly 300,000 words, approximately one-third of the length of the Bible text itself.