Study Bible with comments to read. Geneva Bible. Time and circumstances of writing

Why do Christians believe that the Bible is the Word of God and that its sixty-six books are God's single revelation of the atonement made by the Savior Jesus Christ? The fact is that God Himself confirmed this through what is called the internal witness of the Holy Spirit. In the Westminster Confession we read:

“The testimony of the church encourages and makes us deeply respect the Holy Scriptures. The divinity of the subject matter, the effectiveness of teaching, the splendor of style, the consistency of all parts, the lofty goal of giving all glory to God, the proposed full description of the only possible way to save a person, many other incomparably excellent qualities and the resulting complete perfection - these are the reasons by which Scripture more than convincingly proves that it is truly the Word of God, and yet our full conviction and confidence in its infallible truth and authority is based primarily on the internal action of the Holy Spirit, testifying through the Word and through the Word in our hearts ”(1 5).

The testimony of the Spirit of Scripture is similar to His testimony of Jesus in John 15:26, 1 John 5: 7  (cf. 1 John 2: 20.27) This is not a message of new information, but an enlightenment of previously obscured minds, endowing them with the ability to perceive the divine and feel its incomparable effect - in some cases, the influence of the gospel Jesus, in others - the influence of the words of the Holy Scripture. The Spirit shines in our hearts, giving us the light of knowledge of the glory of God not only in the person of Jesus Christ ( 2 Cor 4: 6), but also in the teaching of 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, spontaneity and conviction, with which we taste and color, and we no longer doubt either the divinity of Christ or the divinity of the Bible.

God certifies that the Holy Scripture is His Word, not by the power of human arguments (no matter how strong they are), not just the testimony of the Church (convincing and impressive). God does this through the all-pervading light and transforming power by which Scripture itself testifies of its divinity. This effect is the testimony of the Spirit “through the Word and through the Word.” The arguments and testimonies of others, as well as our personal experience, can 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 abode of those who will be sentenced to eternal destruction in the final judgment ( Matthew 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), perdition ( 2 Thess 1: 7-9, 2 Pet 3: 7, 1 Thess 5: 3) and torment ( Rev 20:10, Luke 16:23) Although these expressions seem rather symbolic than literal (fire and darkness, from the point of view of ordinary logic, are mutually exclusive concepts), however, the reality that they express, in its horror, surpasses all sorts of symbols. The teachings of the New Testament convince us that just as heaven is actually more beautiful than we can imagine, so hell is more nightmarish than we can imagine. These are the problems that eternity poses before us, and now we must treat them realistically.

At the heart of the concept of hell is a hostile relationship with God; God in hell is not absent, but present in anger and displeasure. God's wrath is like an all-devouring fire ( Heb 12:29), and hell is God's judgment on those who openly disobeyed Him, who were committed to sins that were abhorrent to Him ( Rome 2: 6-12).

According to Scripture, hell is endless ( Jude 1:13, Rev 20:10) Any discussion of a "second chance" supposedly given to a person after death, or the complete destruction of the godless, are speculations that have no biblical basis.

Hell is a person’s personal choice. Those who are there will understand that they themselves condemned themselves to him, having loved darkness more than light, having decided not to recognize the Creator as their Lord. They preferred sinful permissiveness to righteous self-denial, rejecting God who created them ( John 3: 18-21, Rome 1: 18,24,2628-32, Rome 2: 8, 2 Thess. 2: 9-11) General revelation confronts all of humanity with this problem, and, from this point of view, hell seems to be a manifestation of God's respect for human choice. Everyone receives what he chooses: either to be with God forever, or to remain without Him forever. Those in hell will know not only for what they deserved hell, but also that they, in their hearts, chose this fate for themselves.

The goal of the biblical teaching on hell is to make us appreciate, gratefully accept, and soundly prefer Christ's grace, which alone can save us from hell ( Matthew 5: 29-30, Matt 13: 48-50) God graciously cares for us, He does not want “the death of the sinner, but that the sinner should turn from his way and be alive” ( Ezek 33:11).

Angels (Greek “angelos” means “messenger”) is one of two varieties of creatures that have personality and were created by God (the second is humans). There are a great many angels ( Matthew 26:53, Rev. 5:11) They are rational creatures with moral qualities, incorporeal and, as a rule, invisible, although they are able to appear to people in the likeness of a physical body ( Genesis 18: 2-19: 22, John 20: 10-14, Acts 12: 7-10) Angels do not marry or 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 Luke 8:30  where it comes to 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 abode is heaven ( Matt 18:10, Matt 22:30, Rev 5:11), where they constantly worship God ( Ps. 102: 20-21, Ps. 148: 2) and from where they, by God's command, go to fulfill their ministry for Christians ( Heb 1:14) These are the “saints” and “chosen” angels ( Mt 25:31, Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26, Acts 10:22, 1 Tim 5:21, Rev 14:10) by which the action of God's grace performed through Christ reveals divine wisdom and glory, previously unknown to them ( Ephesians 3:10, 1 Pet 1:12).

Holy angels guard believers ( Ps 33: 8, Ps 90: 11-12), especially children ( Matt 18:10), and constantly monitor what is happening in the church ( 1 Cor 11:10) Based on the Scriptures, it can be concluded that angels are more aware of divine objects than people ( Mk 13:32) and that they perform a special service for believers at the time of their death ( Luke 16:22), but the details of this are unknown to us. It should be noted that while the world is following Christians, hoping to see their fall, good angels watch believers in the hope of seeing the triumph of grace in their lives.

The mysterious “Angel of the Lord”, or “Angel of God,” often appearing in the early Old Testament history and sometimes identified with God, and sometimes different from Him ( Genesis 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, Nav 5: 13-15, Court 2: 1-5, Court 6: 11-23, Judgment 13: 3-23), in a certain sense, is God acting as a messenger of Himself, and often He is considered as the appearance of God the Son even before His incarnation.

The actions of angels often marked great turning points in the implementation of God's plan of salvation (in the days of the patriarchs, during the exodus and granting of the law, during the captivity and restoration of the Israeli people, during the birth, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ). An important role will be played by angels at the second coming of Christ ( Mt 25:31, Mk 8:38).

Antinomianism

Antinomianism (which can be translated as “denial of the law”) is a certain belief system that denies that God's law set forth in Scripture should directly direct Christian life.

Dualistic antinomianism first appears in the Gnostic heresy, opposed by the apostles Judas and Peter ( 2 Pet 2, Jude 1: 4-19) According to the Gnostics, salvation is only for the soul; and everything connected with the human body is indifferent to God and has nothing to do with the health of the soul. Therefore, no matter how immoral and depraved a person’s life is, his behavior does not matter.

Spirit-centric antinomianism relies so much on the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit that it denies any need to study the law 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. In the first 150 years of the Reformation, this kind of antinomianism dominated. Obviously, the Corinthian church also recognized this error, since Paul persistently convinced the Corinthians that a truly spiritual person should recognize the authority of the Word of God ( 1 Cor 14:37  Wed 1 Cor 7:40).

This study Bible is 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 figures of the 16th century Reformation. This monument includes statues of the great leaders - Calvin, Bez, Farrell and Knox. Their figures are framed by the inscription "Post tenebras, lux" - "After the darkness - the light."

The light of the Reformation was essentially a biblical light. Luther translated the Bible, which until then was accessible only to specialists, into spoken German. The Bible was translated into English by Wycliffe, and then 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 gg.) Reformed movement was suppressed. People were forced to participate in the Catholic Mass, worship in English was forbidden, priests were required to take a celibacy. 288 people were burned at the stake, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer.

These persecutions forced many to flee Britain to the mainland. The most gifted biblical scholars from among the immigrants went to Geneva. There they began a new translation of the Bible into English. The Geneva Bible was published in 1560; her text was exactly the same as the original and was understandable. This was the first English Bible to use a text division into verses, which is “very useful for remembering” and for searching and comparing fragments of Scripture. In the margins, it contained comments based on Reformed principles.

The Geneva 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 took the place of the Geneva Bible only half a century later. On the ships of the Puritan pilgrims, the Geneva Bible arrived at the shores of the New World. American colonists were brought up on the Geneva Bible. They read it, studied it, sought to live according to its canons.

Reformed believers profess Christianity in the exposition of ecumenical councils. The ideas that distinguish Reformed believers are due to the adoption of the Bible as the supreme authority in faith and life. The words of the Bible are true, its content is effective. She sets forth the promise of God, her Author, that her words will not return to Him in vain without fulfilling His will.

The purpose of publishing 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 during the Reformation. Written in the language of everyday communication and provided with supporting materials and comments, it revealed to the readers all the riches of the Holy Scripture. She became the home Bible in English families. Since then, many Bible translations and textbooks have been published, but not one of them has incorporated the essence of Reformed theology.

The proposed edition of the study Bible is intended to help the reader comprehend the great doctrines and themes of the Christian faith contained in Scripture. Accessible and clear, prompting thought and prayer, the New Geneva Study Bible provides a modern account of the knowledge that revolutionized the sixteenth century.

From Matthew the 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 according to R.H.) reports: one of the very first fathers of the church, Papius (60-130 according to R.Kh.), said that the Apostle Matthew put in order the "utterances" belonging to Christ or related to Him. Later, the generally accepted tradition claimed that this gospel (see 9.9-13) was written by a student named Levi Matthew, and until the XVIII century. they didn’t doubt it.

But not so simple. Firstly, Papius said that Matthew “put in order the words in the Hebrew dialect”, which means that Matthew wrote in Hebrew or Aramaic, but modern scholars point out that this Gospel does not look like 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 does not mean "language", but "style"; indeed, Matthew has many "Jewish" stylistic features. It is also possible that Matthew wrote in Greek and Hebrew, just as Calvin wrote the same works in two languages \u200b\u200b- Latin and French.

Secondly, Papius does not say the "Gospel", but "utterances," and therefore some believe that these "utterances" are one of the sources used by all authors of the Gospels. However, Eusebius, apparently, believed that this was the Gospel, and Irenaeus of Lyons (died in 202 according to R.H.) 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 the framework of a certain “school,” and its alleged dependence on the Gospel on Mark and, probably, its relatively recent origin (see below) also make it possible to doubt Matthew’s authorship, 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 for the reader it does not matter who he is, since we hear in the Gospel the voice of his true Author - the Spirit of God.

Time and circumstances of writing

Apparently, the first testimonies of the Gospel of Matthew are a supposed reference to it in Ignatius of Antioch's Epistle to the Smyrnikians (PO after AD) a reference to Papius. Almost no one believes that the book was created later than 100. Some scholars attributed it even to 50, but many people believe that it was created after Jerusalem was destroyed, most likely between the years 80 and 100. 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, an objection to the word "rabbi" (23.5-10), which, in their opinion, was not used as a reference until 70.

However, the above arguments are extremely doubtful. They are based on the dogma of the rejection of the supernatural. In addition, there is in-text evidence that the Gospel of Matthew was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 according to R.H .: from 12.5-7 and 23.16-22 it follows that the temple was not yet destroyed when it was written Gospel; ch. 24 reflects the Old Testament prophecies of God's judgment that 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 majority opinion, suppose that the author used the text of Mark, and Mark, as you know, the Apostle Peter helped in Rome, we will establish that the Gospel of Matthew was written around 64.

As for the place of its writing and the church to which it is addressed, then most likely it is Antioch in Syria. Ignatius, the first of the church fathers to quote Matthew, was a bishop of Antioch. In addition, the Antiochian community was mixed, it consisted of pagan Jews (Acts, ch. 15), which could well give rise to problems associated with legalism and antinomianism, to which Matthew particularly draws attention.

Features and Themes

The goal of Matthew, like all evangelists, is to reliably convey the teachings of Christ and the teachings of Christ, whose coming marks the fulfillment of God's promise and the coming of the kingdom of heaven. The gospel is not just a story or a biography, theology or profession of faith, a catechism or a teaching of preaching. Everything is united here: theology is based on history, theology, in turn, gives history its true meaning.

Matthew has especially many references to those verses of the Old Testament that refer to "fulfillment." He emphasizes that all the aspirations of the Old Testament were fulfilled, the very existence of Israel was justified (see room to 2.15).

These considerations apply not only to quotes, but also to how Matthew accentuates certain facts. It is he who indicates that the obsessed - two  and the blind - two  (8.28; 9.27), because, according to OT, at least two witnesses must certify an event. It is he who clearly shows that the Sanhedrin acted illegally when he 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) apprenticeship and vocation; 3) the kingdom of heaven; 4) the church; 5) eschatology. This structure apparently dates back to the Pentateuch, which makes Jesus appear to be a prophet like Moses (Deut. 18: 18).

I. Introduction (chap. 1; 2)

II. The kingdom has come (ch. 3-7)

A. The kingdom begins in Jesus (3.1 - 4.11)

B. He announces about him (4.12-25)

B. First Speech: The Law of the Kingdom (Chap. 5-7)

III. Affairs of the Kingdom of Heaven (chap. 8-10)

A. Healing; calling of the apostles (chap. 8; 9)

B. Second Speech: A Call to Preach the Kingdom (Ch. 10)

IV. The nature of the kingdom of heaven (chap. 11-13)

A. Who are John the Baptist and Jesus Christ (chap. 11; 12)

B. Third Speech: Parables on the Kingdom of Heaven (chap. 13)

V. Kingdom Authority (chap. 14-18)

A. The Person of Jesus and His Power (chap. 14-17)

B. Fourth Speech: Key Features and Authority of the Church (Ch. 18)

VI. Blessings and Courts (chap. 19-25)

A. A narrative that includes parables and convictions (chap. 19-23)

B. Fifth speech: Kingdom court (chap. 24; 25)

VII. Suffering and Resurrection (ch. 26-28)

Geneva Bible

He who swears on the Bible is not at all obliged to know its content.

Today, only a few have heard of the Geneva Bible. At the time, this outstanding translation was a bestseller. Known for its accuracy, as well as innovations in the layout and design of the text, he won the hearts of many readers.It was the most accurate English translation at that time.; it is sometimes called the “Shtanny Bible,” because in Genesis3: 7 the translation says that Adam and Eve  "And they sewed fig leaves, and made pants for themselves."

He was known and quoted in his works by the famous English playwrights Shakespeare and Marlowe. But what does this English Bible, common in the sixteenth century, have to do with Geneva, the Swiss city in which French is spoken?

The Geneva Bible was published by a group of biblical scholars hiding from religious persecution, and possibly executions, which 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 the printing industry was well developed in this city and they were very interested in God's word, the translation and publication of the Bible flourished there.

The Geneva Bible, translated by William Whittingham and his assistants, was published in 1560. Soon in England it was read with great interest. Compared to the Bibles published in English before, the Geneva Bible was much easier to read, for the first time the usual numbering of individual verses appeared in it for the first time. In addition, it used headers and footers - keywords placed above the text of each page so that the reader could find specific places in the text. Moreover, this Bible was no longer typed in bulky Gothic script, stylized as a manuscript, but simple and distinct, similar to modern fonts of English Bibles.

The Geneva 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 clerics.

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 the pilgrims took with them in 1620, when they went on the famous journey to North America. The Geneva Bible migrated to other British colonies, including New Zealand. There, in 1845, one of the specimens entered the collection of Governor Sir George Gray.

Thanks to the detailed comments or notes on the margins of the Geneva Bible, the ardent interest in it did not fade away for many years. They were added by translators who recognized that some passages in the Bible were difficult to understand. This idea itself was not new. Tyndall’s New Testament of 1534 also used similar comments. To help the reader, in addition to marginal comments, the Geneva Bible contained illustrations, introductions to books, and maps of biblical history. Genealogical tables, a summary of chapters, and even a section encouraging daily reading of the Bible were added to the text of the Bible.

The Geneva translation was to a certain extent the most scientific translation of the time. The text of the Big Bible (1550) was taken as a basis, which was then significantly improved by editors who corrected many errors and inaccuracies. The Geneva Bible almost immediately gained 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. Being printed, it stood 140 editions and was published 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 recognized the advantages of this translation, they publicly protested against it, considering the general nature of the comments to be quite arbitrary. “Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, called them various mischievous comments.” King James I considered these comments "extremely subjective, untrue, and rebellious." And this is not surprising, since such comments undermined the royal right of the “anointed of God”!

The conservative Kranmer successor in the chair of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker, hindered the spread of the Geneva Bible. In 1568, he published his own publication, the Episcopal Bible. The name suggests that it was the collective work of the Anglican bishops who accomplished the task in just two years; they used the Great Bible as a basis, deviating from it only in those cases where it came into conflict with the Hebrew or Greek texts. In the Episcopal Bible, those passages from the Geneva Bible are often borrowed where its advantages in the field of accuracy of translation are not in doubt. Upon completion of the work, the Episcopal Bible replaced the Great Bible as the official Bible of the Church of England.

In 1604, King James approved a new translation, hoping to forever eradicate the Geneva Bible in England. According to 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 is the many years of popularity of the Geneva Bible." For many years, this Bible has been loved by readers and remained an official translation in Scotland. . Her new editions continued to be published until 1644.

The Bible of King James was published in 1611: two years and nine months were spent on translation, another nine months - on preparing the manuscript for publication.

According to the British and foreign Bible Society, a “study of the King James Bible,” published in 1611, showed that its translators ... were more influenced by the Geneva Bible than any other English translation. " Many innovations in the layout of the material and many passages of the text of the Geneva Bible were borrowed by the King James Bible.

Although the Geneva Bible was eventually replaced by an officially approved translation, or “King James Bible,” the Geneva Bible still holds an important place in the history of literature. She not only established new translation standards and a new Bible format, but also remains an important link in the chain of constantly reprinted English translations. This translation for the first time allowed people from different walks of life to read and explore the Word of God themselves.

The Geneva Bible not only served as the basis for the “King James Bible”: some expressions from it became winged and entered into English literature. Therefore, although the Geneva Bible is largely forgotten, it undoubtedly left an important mark in history.