When the Pilgrims arrived in America in
1620, they brought along supplies, a consuming passion to advance the
Kingdom of Christ, a bright hope for the future, and the Word of God.
Clearly, their most precious cargo was the Bible. Have you ever
wondered what version of the Bible the Pilgrims brought to America on
the Mayflower? Believe it or not, it was not the King James
Version of 1611. It was actually the 1599 Geneva Bible – a forgotten yet
priceless treasure.The
Geneva Bible, printed over 200 times between 1560 and 1644, was
the most widely read and influential English Bible of the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries. This superb translation was the product of
the best Protestant scholars of the day and became the Bible of
choice for many of the greatest writers, thinkers, and historical
figures of that time. Men such as Shakespeare, John Bunyan, and
John Milton used the Geneva Bible, and it was reflected in
their writings. During the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell issued
a pamphlet containing excerpts from the Geneva Bible to his troops.
William Bradford cited the Geneva Bible in his book Of Plymouth
Plantation.
The Geneva Bible is unique among all other Bibles.
It was the first Bible to use chapters and numbered verses and became
the most popular version of its time because of the extensive marginal
notes. These notes, written by Reformation leaders such as John Calvin,
John Knox, Miles Coverdale, William Whittingham, Anthony Gilby, and
others, were included to explain and interpret the scriptures for the
common people.
For nearly half a century these notes helped the
people of England, Scotland, and Ireland understand the Bible and true
liberty. King James despised the Geneva Bible because he considered the
notes on key political texts to be seditious and a threat to his
authority. Unlike the King James Version, the Geneva Bible was not
authorized by the government. It was truly a Bible by the people and for
the people. You can see why this remarkable version with its profound
marginal notes played a key role in the formation of the American
Republic.
Sadly, 407 years after its original publication,
this wonderful version of the Bible has been nearly forgotten. The
only complete version available today is a large, more
difficult-to-read facsimile edition. A facsimile edition contains
pictures of the original pages. The small print and the older English
letters and spellings make it more difficult to read or study. If the
1599 Geneva Bible is to survive the passing of time and be remembered
for generations to come, it must be resurrected and redistributed.