Lesson 6 - Still more Bibles - The Bishops and Geneva!

• What happened after Henry?
  • Edward VI
  • Mary I
  • Elizabeth I
• The Bible From Geneva
• What's a Queen to do?
• What about the Roman Catholic Bible?
• Quick - I Need a Summary!

What Happened After Henry (1509-1547)?

Henry VIII and his descendants ruled England for almost a century. The story of Henry, Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth is fascinating, but we will follow only the thread of the English Bible.

During Henry's last six or so years he tried to undo much of what he had done to establish the Reformation in England. Although the Catholic opposition, led by Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, wanted to do more, Henry did allow Parliment to pass the Act to Abolish Diversity of Opinion, which made it far easier to punish dissenters. Henry did intervene by pardoning most of of the accused, but the law was still "on the books."

Bishop Gardiner also tried to get the Convocation and King to replace the Great Bible with another. His proposed translation would leave 99 Latin terms untranslated. These terms, he argued, were so special that translation would only debase them.

Matthew 3:17 - "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (KJV) would have read "This is my dilect son in whom complacui."

Fortunately Henry tabled the whole effort.

Bobrick writes -

Henry was tired of turmoil. Supreme head of his Church and master of its wealth, he had everything he wanted. And he wanted it all to remain just as it was. But it was a living, not a dead thing that he had created, and he could not lull back into spirtual and intellectual torpor a nation he had so violently aroused. (p. 160)

The English Reformation would indeed live and grow, shaping the reigns of Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth I, Henry's three children

Henry's only surviving son, Edward VI, takes over when Henry dies. Edward "rules" for only six years (January,1547, to July, 1553) before he dies. Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon (Henry's first wife) is Queen from 1553 to 1558. Finally Elizabeth I, daughter of Ann Boleyn, reigns from 1559 to 1603.

OK - let's see what each one did for the English Bible.

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Edward VI (1547-1553)

Edward VI, born on October 12, 1537, officially became King when Henry died on January 28, 1547. Are you counting? He was only 9 years old! Henry had set up a Council of Regents, but the boy's uncle, Edward Seymour (Jane's brother), siezed control of the council and set himself up as sole guardian of the king.

Seymour was an ardent supporter of the Reformation, so definitely supported the production and distribution of the Bible in English. The Great Bible was carried before Edward in his coronation procession. All restrictions on publishing other version were relaxed, During his reign many editions of the various English version were published -

• Great Bible - 7
• Matthew's Bible - 3
• Coverdale - 2
• Tyndale's New Testament - 35

These are impressive numbers, espcially Tyndale's!

Edward's Uncle Seymour also struck out against Catholics on a personal level, He closed and destroyed monasteries, claiming their lands and wealth as the Crown's (= his!). Like Thomas Cromwell before him, he overplayed the reformation card and lost popular support.

Uncle Seymour tried to keep Edward's half-sister Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon off the throne by marrying his son Lord Guilford Dudley to Lady Jane Grey and getting the dying Edward to declare Jane his successor.

Sorry, pal, that won't work. Jane ruled until the legal heir could claim the throne - nine whole days! Sadly she and her husband were executed by Mary.

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Mary (1553-1558)

Mary I , daughter of Catherine of Aragon, is the rightful successor, and the people know it. She takes over the English throne in 1553 and attempts to bring England back into the Catholic fold. Remember, her father, Henry VIII, broke with the Catholic church so he could divorce her mother. Not only was her mother, the Queen, publicly humiliated, but Mary herself had been declared a illigetimate child! Vengance was hers!

First she restored her three "most Catholic" bishops - Stephen Gardiner, Edmund Bonner and Cuthbert Tunstall (remember him?). Uncle Seymour had imprisoned Gardiner, so when Mary released him, he was as hungry for vengance as was Mary.

Really, you can't blame them. Neither side, Protestant or Catholic, had clean hands in these times. Each had dealt harshly with the other, and leaders on both sides were guilty of major crimes. The only "innocents" in this were the common people. One king told them not to worship this way under penalty of death. The next king told them just the opposite. Sigh.

During Mary's reign the publication and public reading of the Scriptures in English were fobidden. John Rogers, translator of the Matthew's Bible, was burnt at the stake in front of his wife and children. He was one of over 400 who so died, a small number by European standards. But this was a large number, a shocking number for England.

Mary's inquisition was a disaster for her reign, for the more she tried to burn out anti-Catholicism, the more she burnt it in. Fortunately she died in November 17, 1558, after ruling for only five years.

Remember Cuthbert Tunstall, the Bishop of London? Mary called him one of her "most Catholic Bishops," but in reality he was a moderate. That is, he only burnt books, not people. Not a single Protestant of his diocese is known to have perished at this time! (Bobrick, p. 169).

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Elizabeth (1559-1603)

Elizabeth I, daughter of Ann Boleyn, was crowned Queen on January 15, 1559. She ruled until 1603, proving herself one of the nation's best sovereigns. Consider what she faced when she came to the throne -

• People were angry at Catholicism because of Mary's harsh persecutions and wanted vengance.
  
  
• Many people who had fled to Europe, especially those places where the reformation had taken hold, were returning, bringing with them radical ideas for purifying the English church. Right - they were called "Puritans"!
  
  
• Elizabeth needed a united England behind her if she was to handle the international problems confronting England.

No wonder monarchs inherited their thrones - who'd run for this office?

Elizabeth wisely asked only that people be loyal to her and obey the laws of the land. First, this meant acknowledging her as head of the Church. A few loyal Catholic Bishops would not swear allegance to her and were summarily dismissed from office and placed under arrest.

Yes, one of these was a devout, stubborn 85-year old bishop named Cuthbert Tunstall. He was placed under arrest and held in Lambeth Castle where in November of that year he died.

Elizabeth also came down hard on the other side of the religious spectrum - the so-called non-conformists. In the first few years of her reign a wide range of practices developed in the official church services. Some were almost Catholic in liturgy, ritual, and dress. Others were more "puritan" oriented. In 1564 she had the Archbishop draw up a list of Articles for the regulation of divine services.

In March she brought in 98 of the leading nonconforming clergy and handed them the list. There was no discussion - either they agreed to accept the Queen's injunctions or they didn't. Thirty-seven refused. After three month's to "think it over" they lost their pastoral positions and their state paycheck.

One of these noncomformists was none other than Miles Coverdale! The Bishop of London, Edmund Grindal, tried to obtain a post for him, but couldn't. On May 26, 1569, Coverdale died in poverty at the age of 81. To the astonishment of the authorites a large multitude turned up for his funeral two days later.

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Enough of this - what about the Bible from Geneva?

Whew - thanks for asking. I though the teacher in me would never quit!

OK - as faithful listeners will no doubt remember, the Reformation was in full force in some parts of Europe. Certainly Luther had made Wittenberg, Germany, a center of Protestant learning. Others, though, had also done their part, including a French scholar named Cauvin - OK - Calvin to you!

John Calvin had studied in Paris and gotten in trouble with the authorities for publically supporting Reformation ideas. After leaving Paris he published a book in which he set forth his Reformation concepts - Institutes of the Christian Religion - hoping to persuade the French leaders to accept the Reformation. They didn't, so he headed to Strassbourg for the life of a reformation scholar. On the way he spent some time in Geneva where the city leaders asked him to help organize their government along Reformation principles.

The story is far more complicated, but when we join them, Geneva under Calvin's leadership is a leading Reformation City, complete with a university and a thriving printing industry. It acts like a magnet, drawing religious refugees from all parts of Europe, including England.

In 1560 in Geneva the leading English exiles, led by William Whittingham, published a new English translation of the entire Bible. There's even some evidence that Miles Coverdale may have had a hand in it as well! Quickly dubbed the Geneva Bible, it was the best of the lot on several accounts -

• Size - Quarto format
• Type - Roman instead of black
• Illustrations - maps, woodcuts, tables
• Chapter and verse divisions - the first English Bible to use 'em
• Explanatory notes - virtually a running commentary
• Suggested alternate readings

Between 1560 and 1644 it went through 140 editions, sixty during the reign of Elizabeth alone. (Bobrick, p. 175)

Needless to say, this quickly became the standard English Bible of the nation. From it we get

• Smite them hip and thigh
• Vanity of vanities
• Except a man be born agan
• Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth
• My beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased

This was the Bible of Shakespeare, the great Elizabethan poets, and the translators of the King James Version - they quoted from it in the KJV's introduction!

Unfortunately, though, the notes - the wonderful explanatory notes - reflected their Reformation source. Remember, Elizabeth is a dictator and cannot allow the breezes of democracy individual freedom to begin blowing. The Reformation, of course, puts the individual in charge of his/her own salvation, requiring the individual the freedom to rise or fall before God on his/her own merits. Not exactly the stuff of dictatorships.

Besides, Elizabeth is struggling to keep the lid on two boiling pots at either end of a finely balanced see-saw - the Puritians on the left and the Catholics on the right. If she can keep them under control, the nation will be stable and progress. She's kept much of the Catholic-like ritual in the church to appease that side, much to the anger of the Puritans. Now they bring in a Protestant oriented Bible that threatens to upset the Catholics!

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So What's a Queen to Do?

She called for her pipe, she called for her bowl, and she called for her Archbishop Matthew Parker. In 1564 he divided the Bible among 15 church scholars to revise. They were to follow the text of the Great Bible except where it differed from the original languages. They were to mark the "unedifying" passages, such as genealogies, and soften any offensive phrases, and -

"do not mar the margins with bitter notes"!

In 1568 the Bishop's Bible was released with great fanfare, but few fans. While some of its phrases became classics, such as -

• The voice of one crying in the wilderness
• Persecuted for righteousness' sake
• Overcome evil with good

Others were almost laughable. "Cast they bread upon the waters" became "Lay thy bread upon wet faces."

How's that again?

Bobrick (p. 183) quotes Tyndale as saying

When a thing speedeth not well, we borrow speech and say, "The Bishop hath blessed it;" because nothing speedeth well that they meddle withal.

The Bishops Bible never caught the public fancy, no matter how much royal support Elizabeth gave it. Fortunately, the Geneva Bible didn't cause the unrest she feared.

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What about the Roman Catholic Bible?

You know your history, don't you? OK - remember what many English Protestants did when Mary I turned against them? Right - they fled to Europe. And what did they do when Mary died? Right again - they returned, bring with them new ideas and Bibles.

In 1570 Pope Pius V issued an order - a bull, actually - that excommunicated Elizabeth and absolved her subjects from their allegiance to her. In 1580 the Pope gave an official pronouncement that anyone who killed Elizabeth would be doing God service!

He was really trying to horn in on England, wasn't he? Sorry, but it is my brand of humor! :-)

No wonder that in 1581 Elizabeth struck hard at English Catholics, imposing a year in prison for celebrating Mass and branding anyone who converted to Catholicism a traitor to the state.

Now, what do you suppose Catholics would do if Elizabeth made things difficult for them in England? Yep - flee to Europe! One Catholic stronghold was Douai in Flanders. Here, with the Church's permission, Catholic scholars began a new English translation of the Bible from the Vulgate.

In 1582 the New Testament was published at Rhiems. The Old Testament was not published until 1609 at Douai. In many circles it's still known today as the Douai-Rhiems Bible.

The translators kept many Latin terms and phrases -

• Supersubstantial bread - Matthew 6:1
• Coinquination and Spottes, flowing in delicacies - 2 Peter 2:13
• Shall be consummate, as he hath evangelized - Revelation 10:7

They deliberately did not strive for a "common" language translation, for they were mindful of the Church's position that God never intended the Bible for the "masses." People needed the Church to guide them through the mysteries of the Bible. They targeted the English Catholic Bible to priests, not plowboys.

Not exactly what Wycliffe, Tyndale, and Coverdale believed!

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Quick - I need a summary!

OK - here we go!

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