Posted on 04/12/2011 7:24:09 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
The 14-16th centuries were times of religious intolerance.
Faithful English Protestants fled their beloved England to a safe haven in Reformation-friendly Europe. The recently crowned English Monarch and daughter of Henry VIII, Mary Tudor (1553) reintroduced the authority of the Roman Catholic Church.
Mary’s humiliation with the divorce of her parents Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon and the failed plot of John Dudley to give the throne to Lady Jane Grey shaped Mary’s negative attitude toward Protestants.
Almost immediately, the exiles began writing pamphlets and books defending their reformed doctrines. As a direct result, they created a desire among the laity to read the Bible.
Among the scholars fleeing England was William Whittingham, the chief translator of the new Bible version. The exiled scholars, led by Whittingham, produced the Geneva New Testament (1557) and whole Bible (1560) with notes supporting Reformation doctrine.
Whittingham’s 1557 New Testament actually revised Tyndale’s work. Its distinguishing features were the size, Latin letter, and notes. Many new scholars translating the complete Geneva Bible in 1560 took more liberties with Tyndale’s work on the New Testament and his portions of the Old Testament. They translated the remainder of the Old Testament directly from the Hebrew.
[SNIP]
It had been 20 years since the last Bible translation was completed in 1539. Publishers of previous versions attempted some minor revisions, but nothing really satisfied the reading public. Most Englishmen did not like the large format of the previously published Bibles and the hard-to-read black letter (old English).
They called for a new translation in a smaller format, Latin letter, and notes to help with difficult passages. The Geneva satisfied the readers’ desire for a more user friendly edition. In fact, the Geneva Bible became the most popular Bible, enduring fifty-five years.
(Excerpt) Read more at communities.washingtontimes.com ...
They called for a new translation in a smaller format, Latin letter, and notes to help with difficult passages. The Geneva satisfied the readers’ desire for a more user friendly edition. In fact, the Geneva Bible became the most popular Bible, enduring fifty-five years.
Related threads:
The Geneva Bible
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17th-century bible represents a period that changed history
The history of Bible translation and manuscript discovery is always of interest to Christians, it can greatly add to our faith in His word. Thanks!
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