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 theBible 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.
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