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A Discovery that Changes Everything: Why You Aren't Making Disciples
How We May Have Disregarded Discipleship for 300 Years
A few years ago I began collecting Bible leaves. I was at one time unaware that copies of actual Bibles that have survived the ravages of time are sold for exuberant amounts of money. Much like dealers sell baseball cards or comic books, pages of Bibles that have fallen out—no one wants to buy an incomplete Bible—can be acquired through savvy internet dealings. Persistence paid off, as I was able to acquire a copy of an original page from a 1611 King James Version “He” Bible (the “He” version, as opposed to the “She,” is the first printed copy). The leaf upon which the page is printed is nothing special. The story behind the leaf, however, is entertaining and revealing.
Richard Bancroft, a former Archbishop of Canterbury, was a staunch critic of Puritanism and the Geneva Bible. He encouraged King James, therefore, to consider developing a new translation. At the time, three versions were in circulation: the Great Bible, the Bishops’ Bible, and the Geneva Bible. The first two were authorized by the Church and preferred by the clergy, although the Great was losing ground to the newer Bishops’. The Geneva, on the other hand, was a favorite among the masses as well as the Puritan leaders in the Church of England. Even though the Geneva was a superior translation, the Church rejected it because of the anti-monarchical annotations. The stage was set, then, for a new translation. Read More
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