It was also widely used in England and is thought to be the translation taken by the Pilgrims on their famous 1620 voyage to what is now the United States. The Geneva Bible quickly became established as the official translation in Scotland. Words that the translators considered to be necessary additions were shown in italics, and text that had been added for grammatical clarity appeared in square brackets. God’s name, Jehovah, appeared in a few places, including Exodus 6:3 17:5 and Psalm 83:18. The Geneva Bible translators gave particular attention to retaining the flavor and sense of the original Hebrew. This smaller Bible was not only well suited to personal reading and study but also far more affordable. The Geneva Bible was a handy edition about half the size of the folio volumes. In addition, rather than using the heavy Gothic typeface that was modeled on written script, a clear typeface similar to what is still preferred in English Bibles today was generally used.Įarlier Bibles, designed for reading from church lecterns, had been produced in the large and cumbersome folio size. Also included were running heads-a few key words at the top of each page to help readers find specific passages in the text below. Easier to read than Bibles produced prior to it, this was the first Bible in English to contain numbered verse divisions, a system that is universally used today. Soon people were eagerly reading it in England. The Geneva Bible, translated by William Whittingham and his assistants, appeared in 1560. With a well-established printing industry and an interest in Bible reading, Geneva was a place where Bible translation and production flourished. These scholars were welcomed into Geneva’s Protestant community. The Geneva Bible was produced by a group of religious refugees who fled repression and possible execution in England when Mary Tudor came to power in 1553. Just how did this popular 16th-century English Bible come to originate in the French-speaking Swiss city of Geneva? What were its unique features? What led to its demise? How do we continue to benefit from it today? The English dramatists Shakespeare and Marlowe used it as the source for their Bible quotations. Its reputed textual accuracy, along with innovations in presentation and layout, made it the favorite of the reading public. Yet, this remarkable translation was a best-seller in its day. The Geneva Bible-A Forgotten TranslationĭO YOU possess a compact Bible that you can hold comfortably and that has a typeface that is gentle on the eyes? Does its format make it easy to find the information you seek? If you answer yes to these questions, then you owe much to the Geneva Bible of 1560.įew people today have heard of the Geneva Bible.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |