Geneva bible. New Study Geneva Bible - New Study Geneva Bible: New Testament. Time and circumstances of writing
One who swears on the Bible is not at all obliged to know its content.
Few have heard of the Geneva Bible these days. In its time, this outstanding translation was a bestseller. Renowned for its accuracy, as well as innovations in text layout and layout, it won the hearts of many readers.It was the most accurate English translation at that time.; sometimes it is called the "Pants Bible" because in the book of Genesis3:7 the translation says that Adam and Eve"And they sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves trousers."
He was known and quoted in his works by famous English playwrights Shakespeare and Marlowe. But what does this 16th century English Bible have to do with Geneva, a Swiss city where French is spoken?
The Genevan Bible was published by a group of biblical scholars who fled the religious persecution and possibly execution that threatened them in England during the reign of Mary Tudor, who came to power in 1553. These people were warmly welcomed by the Protestant community in Geneva. Since printing was well developed in this city and the word of God was treated with great interest there, the business of translating and publishing the Bible flourished there.
The Genevan Bible, translated by William Whittingham and his assistants, was published in 1560. Soon in England it was read with great interest. Compared with Bibles published in English before, the Geneva Bible was much easier to read, for the first time the numbering of individual verses familiar to us today appeared in it. In addition, it used headers and footers - keywords placed above the text of each page so that the reader can find certain places in the text. In addition, this Bible was no longer typed in bulky Gothic type, stylized as handwritten, but simple and distinct, similar to modern English Bible types.
The Genevan Bible was strikingly different in format from previous translations. There were several small-format editions of the New Testament, but the English Bible was intended to be read during church services with commentaries by clergy.
The Geneva Bible quickly became the official translation of the Bible in Scotland. She also gained great popularity in England, and it was she who was taken with them by the pilgrims in 1620, when they set off on their famous journey to North America. The Genevan Bible also migrated to other British colonies, including New Zealand. There, in 1845, one of the copies entered the collection of Governor Sir George Gray.
Thanks to detailed commentaries or notes in the margins of the Geneva Bible, intense interest in it did not fade for many years. They were added by translators who were aware that some passages in the Bible were difficult to understand. The idea itself was not new. Tyndall's New Testament of 1534 also used similar comments. To help the reader, in addition to comments in the margins, the Geneva Bible contained illustrations, book introductions, and maps of biblical history. Genealogical tables were added to the text of the Bible, summary chapters and even a section encouraging daily Bible reading.
The Genevan translation was, to a certain extent, the most scientific translation of its time. The text of the Great Bible (1550) was taken as the basis, which was then significantly improved by the editors, who corrected many errors and inaccuracies. The Geneva Bible almost immediately won recognition and popularity, but until 1576 it was not published in England. Although Queen Elizabeth I ascended the throne in 1558, the Anglican hierarchs were hostile to the Geneva Bible and sought to delay its publication. Once printed, it went through 140 editions and was produced during the lifetime of a generation, even after the publication of the King James Bible. It was the Bible that Shakespeare knew and quoted.
Although the leaders of the Church of England personally acknowledged the advantages of this translation, they publicly protested against it, considering the general nature of the comments to be rather headstrong. Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, called them various harmful comments. King James I considered these comments to be "extremely subjective, untrue and rebellious". And this is not surprising, since such comments undermined the royal right of the "anointed of God"!
Cranmer's conservative successor in the chair of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker, prevented the spread of the Geneva Bible. In 1568 he published his own edition, the Episcopal Bible. The name suggests that it was a collective effort by Anglican bishops who completed the task in just two years; they used the Great Bible as a basis, deviating from it only in those cases where it conflicted with the Hebrew or Greek texts. The Bishop's Bible often borrows passages from the Geneva Bible where its advantages in terms of translation accuracy are not in doubt. Upon completion, the Bishop's Bible replaced the Greater Bible as the official Bible of the Church of England.
In 1604 King James approved new translation hoping to eradicate the Geneva Bible from England forever. According to the historian and theologian Alistair Magrat, “the main thing that prevented the King James Bible from gaining universal recognition and establishing itself as the main translation of the 17th century was the long-term popularity of the Geneva Bible”, For many years this Bible was loved by readers and remained the official translation in Scotland . New editions of it continued to appear until 1644.
The King James Bible was published in 1611: it took two years and nine months to translate, another nine months to prepare the manuscript for printing.
According to the British and Foreign Bible Society, "a study of the King James Bible, published in 1611, showed that its translators ... more than all other English translations were influenced by the Geneva Bible." Many innovations in the layout of the material and many passages of the text of the Geneva Bible itself were borrowed by the King James Version.
Although the Geneva Bible was eventually replaced by the officially approved translation, or King James Version, the Geneva Bible still holds an important place in literary history. Not only did it set new standards for translation and a new format for the Bible, but it remains an important link in the chain of constantly reprinted English translations. This translation, for the first time, allowed people from all walks of life to read and study God's Word for themselves.
The Geneva Bible not only served as the basis for the "King James Bible": some expressions from it became winged and entered English literature. Therefore, although the Geneva Bible is largely forgotten, it certainly left an important mark on history.
Why do Christians believe that the Bible is the Word of God and that its sixty-six books are God's only revelation of redemption by the Savior Jesus Christ? The fact is that God Himself confirmed this by means of what is called the inner testimony of the Holy Spirit. In the Westminster Confession we read:
“The testimony of the Church induces and compels us to treat Holy Scripture with the deepest reverence. The divinity of the subject matter, the effectiveness of the teaching, the splendor of the style, the coherence of all parts, the lofty goal of giving all glory to God, proposed Full description only possible way salvation of man, many other incomparably excellent qualities, and the complete perfection that follows, are the reasons by which Scripture more than convincingly proves that it is truly the Word of God, and yet our complete conviction and confidence in its infallible truth and divine authority is based above all on the inward action of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness through the Word and by means of the Word in our hearts” (1:5).
The Spirit's testimony to Scripture is similar to His testimony to Jesus in John 15:26, 1 John 5:7(cf. 1 John 2:20,27). This is not the communication of new information, but the enlightenment of previously darkened minds, endowing them with the ability to perceive the divine and feel its incomparable impact - in some cases, the impact of the gospel Jesus, in others - the impact of the words of Holy Scripture. The Spirit shines in our hearts, giving us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, not only in the face of Jesus Christ ( 2 Corinthians 4:6), but also in the teaching of Holy Scripture. The result of this testimony is a state of mind in which we clearly perceive the Divinity of the Savior and the Divinity of Scripture (Jesus as the Divine Person, Scripture as the Divine Word) with such fullness, immediacy and persuasiveness as we taste and color, and we no longer doubt the divinity of Christ, nor the divinity of the Bible.
God certifies that Holy Scripture is His Word, not by the power of human arguments (however strong they may be), not by the testimony of the Church alone (convincing and impressive). God does this by means of an all-pervading light and transforming power, by which Scripture itself bears witness to its divinity. This action is the witness of the Spirit "through the Word and by the Word." The arguments and testimonies of others, as well as our personal experience, may prepare us to accept this testimony, but communion with it, as well as communion with faith in the divine salvation of Christ, is the exclusive prerogative of the sovereign Holy Spirit.
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In the New Testament, hell is seen as the final seat of those who will be condemned to eternal death at the final judgment ( Mt 25:41-46, Rev 20:11-15). Hell is considered a place of fire and darkness ( Jude 1:7-13), crying and gnashing of teeth ( Mt 8:12, Mt 13:42,50, Mt 22:13, Mt 24:51, Mt 25:30), death ( 2 Thes 1:7-9, 2 Pet 3:7, 1 Thes 5:3) and torment ( Rev 20:10, Luke 16:23). Although these expressions seem to be more symbolic than literal (fire and darkness, from the point of view of ordinary logic, are mutually exclusive concepts), yet the reality they express surpasses all symbols in its horror. The teaching of the New Testament convinces us that just as heaven is actually more beautiful than we can imagine, so hell is more terrible than we can imagine. These are the problems that eternity confronts us, and now we must deal with them realistically.
At the heart of the concept of hell is a hostile relationship with God; God is not absent from hell, but is present in anger and displeasure. God's wrath is like a consuming fire Heb 12:29), and hell is God's judgment on those who openly disobeyed Him, who were attached to sins that are disgusting to Him ( Rom 2:6-12).
According to the Scriptures, hell never ends ( Jude 1:13, Rev 20:10). Any talk about a “second chance” supposedly given to a person after death, or about the complete destruction of the godless, are speculations that have no biblical basis.
Hell is a personal choice. Those who find themselves there will realize that they themselves have sentenced themselves to it, having loved the darkness more than the light, deciding not to recognize the Creator as their Lord. They preferred sinful permissiveness to righteous self-denial, rejecting the God who created them ( John 3:18-21, Rom 1:18,24,2628-32, Rom 2:8, 2 Thess 2:9-11). The general revelation confronts all mankind with this problem, and from this point of view, hell is presented as a manifestation of God's respect for human choice. Everyone gets what he chooses: either always be with God, or forever be left without Him. Those who are in hell will know not only for what deeds they deserved hell, but also that they themselves, in their hearts, have chosen this fate for themselves.
The purpose of the biblical doctrine of hell is to make us appreciate, gratefully accept, and wisely prefer Christ's grace, which alone can save us from hell ( Mt 5:29-30, Mt 13:48-50). God graciously cares for us, He does not want "the death of the sinner, but that the sinner turn from his way and live" ( Ezekiel 33:11).
Angels (Greek "angelos" means "messenger") - one of two varieties of beings with a personality and created by God (the second is people). There are many angels Mt 26:53, Rev 5:11). They are intelligent creatures with moral qualities, are incorporeal and, as a rule, invisible, although they are able to appear to people in the semblance of a physical body ( Gen 18:2-19:22, John 20:10-14, Acts 12:7-10). Angels don't marry and die Mt 22:30, Luke 20:35-36). They can move from one place to another, and many of them can fit in a tiny space (see Fig. Luke 8:30 about fallen angels).
Angels, like humans, were tested, and some of them fell into sin. Many angels who have successfully passed the test are now established in a state of holiness and immortal glory. Their home is heaven Mt 18:10, Mt 22:30, Rev 5:11), where they constantly worship God ( Ps 102:20-21, Ps 149:2) and from where, by God’s command, they go to fulfill their ministry for Christians ( Heb 1:14). These are the "holy" and "chosen" angels ( Matthew 25:31, Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26, Acts 10:22, 1 Tim 5:21, Rev 14:10), by which the act of God's grace, accomplished through Christ, reveals Divine wisdom and glory, unknown to them before ( Eph 3:10, 1 Pet 1:12).
Holy angels guard the believers ( Ps 33:8, Ps 90:11-12), especially children ( Mt 18:10), and constantly observe what is happening in the church ( 1 Cor 11:10). Based on Scripture, it can be concluded that angels are more aware than people of divine things ( Mark 13:32) and that they perform a special ministry for believers at the hour of their death ( Luke 16:22), but the details of this are unknown to us. It should be noted that while the world is watching Christians, hoping to see their fall, good angels are watching believers in the hope of seeing the triumph of grace in their lives.
The mysterious "Angel of the Lord" or "Angel of God" frequently appearing in early Old Testament history and sometimes identified with God and sometimes distinct from Him ( Gen 16:7-13, Gen 18:1-33, Gen 22:11-18, Gen 24:7-40, Gen 31:11-13, Gen 32:24-30, Gen 48:15-16, Ex 3:2-6,14,19, Ex 23:20-23, Ex 32:34-33:5, Numbers 22:22-35, Jos 5:13-15, Judg 2:1-5, Judg 6: 11-23, Judg 13:3-23), in a sense, is God acting as a messenger of Himself, and is often seen as a manifestation of God the Son even before His incarnation.
The actions of angels often marked great turning points in God's plan of salvation (during the days of the patriarchs, during the exodus and giving of the law, during the captivity and restoration of the Israelite people, at the birth, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ). An important role will be played by angels during the second coming of Christ ( Mt 25:31, Mk 8:38).
Antinomianism
Antinomianism (which can be translated as "negation of the law") is a certain system of views that denies that the law of God set forth in Scripture should directly guide the Christian life.
Dualistic antinomianism first appears in the Gnostic heresy opposed by the apostles Jude and Peter ( 2 Pet 2, Jude 1:4-19). According to the Gnostics, salvation is only for the soul; and everything related to human body, God is indifferent and has nothing to do with the health of the soul. Therefore, no matter how immoral and vicious a person's life is, his behavior does not matter.
Spirit-centered antinomianism relies so much on inner promptings from the Holy Spirit that it denies any need to study the law in order to learn how to live. Freedom from the law as a means of salvation is interpreted as freedom from the law - the norm of behavior. For the first 150 years of the Reformation, this kind of antinomianism dominated. Obviously, the Corinthian church also recognized this error, since Paul persistently persuaded the Corinthians that a truly spiritual person must recognize the authority of the Word of God ( 1 Corinthians 14:37 cf. 1 Corinthians 7:40).
Matthew's holy gospel
The text of the Gospel does not contain information about the author, however, on some early manuscripts there is an inscription: "according to Matthew", and Eusebius (260-340 AD) reports: one of the very first church fathers, Papias (60-130 years . according to AD), said that the apostle Matthew put in order the "sayings" that belong to Christ or are related to Him. Later, the generally accepted tradition claimed that this Gospel (see 9:9-13) was written by a disciple named Levi Matthew, and until the 18th century. did not doubt it.
But not everything is so simple. First, Papias said that Matthew "tidied up the Hebrew language," meaning that Matthew wrote in Hebrew or Aramaic, but modern scholars point out that this gospel does not appear to be a translation. In addition, in literary terms, it is very close to the Gospel of Mark, which is undoubtedly written in Greek. Perhaps the word "adverb" here means not "language" but "style"; Indeed, Matthew has many "Jewish" stylistic features. It is also possible that Matthew wrote in both Greek and Hebrew, just as Calvin wrote the same works in both Latin and French.
Secondly, Papias does not speak the "Gospel", but "sayings", and therefore some believe that these "sayings" are one of the sources used by all the authors of the Gospels. However, Eusebius, apparently, believed that this was precisely the Gospel, and Irenaeus of Lyon (died 202 AD) speaks of the Gospel of Matthew, written "for the Jews in their dialect."
Other scientific objections to Matthew writing this gospel are even more speculative. Some researchers believe that it could have arisen within a certain "school", and its alleged dependence on the Gospel of Mark and probably a relatively late origin (see below) also cast doubt on the authorship of Matthew, but there are still no more convincing hypotheses. put forward.
Matthew's authorship is to some extent confirmed by the way he speaks of himself in 9:9 and 10:3. However, there are no direct indications of authorship. Probably, the writer believed that it does not matter for the reader who he is, since we hear in the Gospel the voice of its true Author - the Spirit of God.
Time and circumstances of writing
Apparently, the first evidence of the Gospel of Matthew is the alleged reference to it in the "Epistle to the Smyrnicians" by Ignatius of Antioch (PO AD), the mention of Papias. Almost no one believes that the book was written after 100 AD. Some scholars even date it to 50 AD, but many believe that it was created after Jerusalem was destroyed, most likely between 80 and 100 AD. The arguments are as follows: Jesus could not predict future events, say, the destruction of Jerusalem; The gospel reflects the so-called "later" doctrine of the Trinity (28.19) developed Christology (11.27), and these ideas, according to some scholars, developed in the Hellenistic environment; finally, the objection to the word "rabbi" (23:5-10), which, in their opinion, was not used as an address until 70 AD.
However, the above arguments are extremely dubious. They are based on a dogmatic rejection of the supernatural. In addition, there is intertextual evidence that the Gospel of Matthew was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70: from 12:5-7 and 23:16-22 it follows that the temple had not yet been destroyed when it was written. Gospel; ch. 24 reflects Old Testament prophecies about God's judgment, which Jesus foresaw in connection with the coming of His Kingdom. Therefore, there is no reason to interpret this chapter as a retrospective of specific historical events.
If, agreeing with the opinion of the majority, we assume that the author used the text of Mark, and Mark, as is known, was helped in Rome by the apostle Peter, we will establish that the Gospel of Matthew was written about 64 AD.
As for the place of its writing and the church to which it is addressed, it is most likely Antioch in Syria. Ignatius, the first Church Father to quote Matthew, was Bishop of Antioch. In addition, the Antioch community was mixed, it consisted of Gentile Jews (Acts, ch. 15), which could well give rise to problems associated with legalism and antinomianism, which Matthew focuses on especially.
Features and themes
The goal of Matthew, like all evangelists, is to authentically convey the teaching of Christ and the teaching about Christ, whose coming marks the fulfillment of the promise of God and the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. The gospel is not just a history or a biography, a theology or a confession of faith, a catechism or a teaching sermon. Everything is united here: theology is based on history, theology, in turn, gives history its true meaning.
Matthew has especially many references to those Old Testament verses that speak of "fulfillment." He emphasizes that all the aspirations of the Old Testament have been fulfilled, the very existence of Israel has been justified (see 2:15N).
These considerations apply not only to quotations, but also to the way Matthew emphasizes certain facts. It is he who indicates that the possessed - two and the blind two(8.28; 9.27), for, according to the OT, this or that event must be certified by at least two witnesses. It is he who clearly shows that the Sanhedrin acted illegally when they judged Jesus (26:57-68), that the scribes of the Pharisees distorted the Old Testament (15:1-9), that God made a new covenant with His people.
It is also characteristic of Matthew that he systematized the teachings of Jesus according to five main points: 1) morality; 2) discipleship and vocation; 3) Kingdom of Heaven; 4) church; 5) eschatology. This structure seems to go back to the Pentateuch, which makes Jesus appear to be a prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:18).
I. Introduction (Ch. 1; 2)
II. The kingdom has come (ch. 3-7)
A. The kingdom begins in Jesus (3:1 - 4:11)
B. He proclaims it (4:12-25)
C. First Speech: The Law of the Kingdom (chs. 5-7)
III. Works of the Kingdom of Heaven (ch. 8-10)
A. Healing; the calling of the apostles (ch. 8; 9)
B. Second Speech: Calling to Preach the Kingdom (ch. 10)
IV. Nature of the Kingdom of Heaven (ch. 11-13)
A. Who are John the Baptist and Jesus Christ (ch. 11; 12)
B. Third Speech: Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven (ch. 13)
V. Authority of the Kingdom (ch. 14-18)
A. The Person of Jesus and His Authority (chs. 14-17)
B. The Fourth Oration: The Essential Features and Authority of the Church (chap. 18)
VI. Blessings and judgments (ch. 19-25)
A. A narrative that includes parables and reproofs (chaps. 19-23)
B. Fifth Speech: Judgment of the Kingdom (ch. 24; 25)
VII. Suffering and resurrection (ch. 26-28)
This study bible called the Geneva Bible, as it continues the tradition of the first Geneva Bible. In Switzerland, Geneva, a memorial wall was erected in honor of the leaders of the Reformation of the 16th century. This monument includes statues of great leaders - Calvin, Bez, Farel and Knox. Their figures are framed with the inscription "Post tenebras, lux" - "After darkness - light."
The light of the Reformation was essentially a biblical light. Luther translated the Bible, which had hitherto been readable only by specialists, into colloquial German. On English language The Bible was translated by Wyclif and later by William Tyndale. However, the translators were severely persecuted: in 1536, Tyndale was burned at the stake. During the reign of Mary Tudor (1553-1558), the Reformed movement was suppressed. People were forced to participate in the Catholic Mass, services in English were forbidden, priests were required to be celibate. 288 people were burned at the stake, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer.
This persecution caused many to flee Britain for the mainland. The most gifted biblical scholars from among the settlers went to Geneva. There they set about implementing a new translation of the Bible into English. The Geneva Bible was published in 1560; its text exactly matched the original and was easy to understand. It was the first English Bible to use verse division, which is "very useful for memorization" and for finding and comparing passages of Scripture. In the margins it contained comments based on Reformed principles.
The Genevan Bible reigned in the English-speaking world for a hundred years. Shakespeare used this particular Bible. The King James Bible was published in 1611, but did not take the place of the Geneva Bible until half a century later. On the ships of the pilgrims-puritans, the Geneva Bible arrived to the shores of the New World. The American colonists were brought up on the Geneva Bible. They read it, studied it, tried to live according to its canons.
Reformed believers profess Christianity in the exposition of the ecumenical councils. The ideas that distinguish Reformed believers stem from the acceptance of the Bible as the supreme authority in faith and practice. The words of the Bible are true, its content is effective. She recounts the promise of God, her Author, that her words would not return to Him in vain without doing His will.
The purpose of the publication of the New Geneva Study Bible is to convey to modern Christians the truth of the Reformation. The first edition of the Geneva Bible played a significant role in the period of the Reformation. Written in the language of everyday communication and provided with supporting materials and comments, it revealed to the readers all the richness of the Holy Scriptures. It became the home Bible in English families. Since then, many translations and study editions of the Bible have been published, but none of them has absorbed the essence of Reformed theology.
This edition of the Study Bible is designed to help the reader understand the great doctrines and themes of the Christian faith found in Scripture. Accessible and clear, inclining to reflection and prayer, the New Geneva Study Bible provides a modern presentation of the knowledge that revolutionized the 16th century.
