Geneva Bible

The Geneva Bible was a very important book for many people.

It was a major English translation from the 16th century. This version came out 22 years before the Douay Rheims Bible. It also arrived 51 years before the famous King James Version. Many famous people used it, like William Shakespeare and John Donne. It was the main Bible for English Protestants during that time. Some even called it the "Breeches Bible" because of how it translated a story about Adam and Eve.

In that story, the text says they made breeches to cover themselves.

Making this Bible was a big job for many scholars. They wanted to translate everything from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. This was the first English version to do that. Most of the text was based on earlier work by William Tyndale.

A group of English scholars worked together in the city of Geneva. William Whittingham led the team for the New Testament. He finished that part by 1557. Other people like Anthony Gilby helped with the Old Testament. The first full edition of the whole Bible finally appeared in 1560.

History shows why these scholars had to leave England. During the reign of Mary I, Protestantism was not allowed. Many scholars fled to Geneva to find safety. Geneva was a republic at that time. Leaders there included John Calvin and Theodore Beza.

These scholars worked hard to finish the translation while living there. Sir Rowland Hill helped bring the books back to England. He was a patron and a legal protector for the project. This helped the Bible reach more people even when things were difficult.

This Bible was special because of its size and its notes. It came in many shapes, from large books to tiny pocket versions.

Some versions were as small as 70 by 39 millimeters. It also had notes in the margins to explain the text. These notes were often Calvinist or Puritan in style. Because of these notes, King James I did not like the book. He thought the notes were dangerous or even treasonous. He wanted a new version that he could control more easily.

Even though a new version was made, the Geneva Bible stayed popular.

Many people, like the Pilgrims on the Mayflower, took it to America. It was used by soldiers during the English Civil War. It was even the first Bible printed in Scotland in 1579. The last edition was printed in 1644. The book even left a mark on American history. Benjamin Franklin used its frontispiece to help design the first Great Seal of the United States.