VIII. Geneva. — 1. The experimental translation of the Gospel of Matthew by Sir John Cheke into a purer English than before (Strj'pe, Li/e rf Cheke, vii,
ENGLISH VERSIONS
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ENGLISH VERSIONS
3) had so little influence on the versions that followed that it hardly calls for more than a passinj,' notice, as showing that scholars were as yet iinsatistied. The reaction under Mary gave a check to the whole work, as far as England was concerned ; but the exiles who fled to Geneva entered upon it with more vigor than ever. Cranmer's version did not come up to their ideal. Its size made it too costly. There were no explanatory or dogmatic notes. It followed Cover- dale too closelj'^ ; and where it deviated, did so, in some instances, in a retrograde direction. Tlie Gene- van refugees — among them Whittingham, Goodman, PuUain, Sampson, and Coverdale himself — labored "for two years or more, day and night." Thej' en- tered on their "great and wonderful work" with much "fear and trembling." Their translation of the N. T. was ' ' diligently revised by the most approved Greek examples" (MSS. or editions?) (^Preface). The N. T., translated by Whittingham, was printed by Con- rad Badius in 1557, the whole Bible in 15G0.
2. In point of general correctness in expressing the true sense of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, the Geneva version shows a very marked advance on all that preceded it, and for more than sixty years it was the most popular of all the English versions. Large- ly imported in the early years of Elizabeth, it was printed in England in 1561, and a patent of monopoly was given to James Bodleigh. This was transferred in 1576 to Barker, in whose family the right of printing Bibles remained for upwards of a century. Not less than eighty editions, some of the whole Bible, were printed between 1558 and 1611. It kept its ground for some time even against the later version of king James, and gave way, as it were, slowly and under protest. In the Soldiers^ Pocket Bible, published in 1643 for the use of Cromwell's army, almost all the selections of Scripture were taken from the Geneva version. The causes of tliis general acceptance are not difficult to ascertain. The volume was, in most of its editions, cheaper and more portable — a small quarto, instead of the large folio of Cranmer's " Great Bible." It was the first Bible whicli laid aside the adolescent black letter, and appeared in Koman type. It was the first which, following the Hebrew example, recognised the division into verses, so dear to the preachers or liearers of sermons. It was accompanied, in most of the editions after 1578, l)y a Bible Diction- ary of considerable merit. Tiie notes were often real- ly helpful in dealing with the difficulties of Scripture, and were looked upon as spiritual and evangelical. It was accordingly the version specially adopted by the great Puritan party through the Avhole reign of Eliza- beth, and far into that of James. As might be ex- pected, it was based on Tyndale's version, often re- turning to it where the intermediate renderings had had the character of a compromise.
3. Some peculiarities are worth}' of special notice :
(1) It professes a desire to restore the "true writing" of many Hebrew names, and we meet accordingly with forms like Izhak (Isaac), Jaacob, and the like.
(2) It omits tlic name of Paul from the title of the Epistle to the Hebrews ; and, in a short preface, leaves the authorship an open question, (o) It avows the principle of putting all words not in the original in italics. (4) It presents, in a Calendar prefixed to the Bible, sonietliing like a declaration of war against the establislied order of the Churcli's lessons, commemora- ting Scripture facts, and the deaths of the great re- formers, but ignoring saints' days altogether. (5) It was the first Euglisli Bible which entirely omitted the Apocrypha. (6) The notes were characteristicallj' Swiss, not only in their theology, but in their politics. They made allegiance to kings dependent upon the soundness of tiieir ftiith, and in one instance (note on 2 Cliron. XV, 16) at least seemed, to the easily startled James I, to favor tj'rannicide.
4. The circumstances of the early introduction of
the Geneva version are worth mentioning, if only as sliowing in how different a spirit the great fathers of the English Keformation, the most conservative of Anglican theologians, acted from that which has too often animated their successors. Men tallc now of dift'erent translations and various readings as likely to undermine the faith of the pco])le. When application was made to archbishop Parker, in 1565, to support Bodleigh's application for a license to reprint the Ge- neva version in 12mo, he wrote to Cecil in its favor. He was at tlie time looking forward to the work he afterwards accomplished, of "one other special Bible for the churches, to be set forth as convenient time and leisure should permit ," but in the mean time it would "nothing hinder, but rather doo much good, to have diversitj' of translations and readings" (Strj'pe, Life of Parker, iii, 6). Many of the later reprints, instead of the Geneva version from the Greek, have Tomson's translation of Beza's Latin version; and the notes are said to be taken from Joac. Camer, P. Lese- ler, Villerius, and Fr. Junius. The Geneva version, as published by Barker, is that popularly known as the Breeches Bible, from its rendering of Gen. iii, 7. It had, however, been preceded in this by W^-cliffe's.