The Bible That Connects October and November

What is the version of the Bible that built our great nation, America? Many are shocked to find out that, indeed, it was not the King James Version—but, rather, the Geneva Bible!

The Geneva Bible is the most influential book in the history of Western Civilization—of which you may never have heard.

Moreover, as the direct fruit of the second generation of the Reformation, and being the Bible that formed the faith of our Thanksgiving Pilgrim Fathers, this Bible genuinely establishes the link between October (the month of Reformation) and November (the month of Thanksgiving).

The Geneva Bible was the Bible of both the Pilgrims and the Puritans who came to these shores, beginning with the arrival of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower at Provincetown Harbor in Cape Cod on Nov. 11, 1620, and continuing later with the arrival of the first Puritans in the 1630s.

The story of the Geneva Bible traces back to the city of Geneva, Switzerland, where 223 English Reformers gathered after fleeing the persecution advanced by Bloody Mary Tudor, who ruled in England from 1553 to 1558. A number of these men (including Miles Coverdale, John Foxe and John Bale) joined Theodore Beza and others congregated in the city where John Calvin preached and there—for the first time in history—translated the Bible completely from the original languages into English. The work they produced is called the Geneva Bible.

The New Testament and Psalms were completed in 1557. The Psalms were revised in 1559, and the Old Testament was completed (along with a revised New Testament) in 1560. Many revisions would follow over the next eight decades.

But as important as the translation itself was, this Bible was invaluable for another reason: It was truly the original study Bible. Foremost among the array of materials it offered were its annotations regarding the Biblical text. In fact, these explanatory notes greatly upset King James I, who authorized a new English translation that famously bears his name. Published in 1611, the King James Version ultimately surpassed the Geneva Bible in popularity—even in the New World. This, of course, was the same King James who subjected the Pilgrims to tremendous persecution in England.

But here are a few other firsts regarding this great historic treasure of the Christian faith for the English-speaking world, the Geneva Bible:

• It was the first complete translation of the Hebrew Old Testament into English.

• It was the first English Bible to use the verse numbers devised by French printer Robertus Stephanus.

• It was the first Bible to put implied words in italics.

• It was the first Bible printed with Roman letter type.

• It was the first mass-produced Bible.

• It was the first Bible printed by Cambridge University Press, in 1591.

• It was was, without a doubt, the Bible that built America.

The Pilgrims brought this beloved Bible with them on the Mayflower, and lived it out in their community of faith, the Plymouth Colony. It was their daily, vibrant, living connection to the Reformation, which had given birth to their separatist church movement at Scrooby Manor, in Nottinghamshire, England, in 1606.

There are other incredible aspects of the Geneva Bible and its history. The one that I find to be the most astonishing is how the study notes, beginning in 1599, reflected a glorious prophetic hope and future for the nation of Israel, especially in Romans 11. In this way, the Geneva Bible influenced the theology of generations in the English-speaking world toward Zionism.

I hope that this brief reminder of the importance of the Geneva Bible and the connection it forms between October and November will cause each one of us to stop and thank God for this spiritual building block of our nation and the way that God used it providentially in our amazing history.

As we celebrate another Thanksgiving, may this remembrance of the Pilgrims and their vibrant faith drive us more deeply into the Scriptures ourselves, and cause us to be more grateful than we have ever been that we have Bibles to hold in our hands and read. And may we be ever mindful of this godly foundation upon which we still build today.

We have so many incredible blessings for which to display our gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving!