The Bible of the Puritans

Preceding the King James Bible by 51 years, the Geneva Bible was the book brought to America by early settlers, especially the tens of thousands of Puritans that landed on these shores in the 17th century. The fact that King James sponsored the Authorized Version was enough in itself to keep Puritans away from that translation. King James was a mortal enemy to those who were discontent with the English church, and sought to purify it. The Geneva Bible (1560) was what today we would call a study Bible. It was packed with marginal notes reflecting the beliefs of the Protestant Reformation, especially as articulated by those Christians called Reformed. The King James version would eventually surpass the Geneva Bible in popularity, but that would come later. No translation from the Hebrew Old Testament, or the Greek New Testament is perfect. Translation is not an exact science. People today who think the King James Version is the only worthy translation need to look again at history.