Rare Jewel Insight: June 8, 2006
Table of Contents:
1. REDISCOVER AMERICA’S GREATEST TREASURE
- America’s First Bible
2. HISTORY OF THE 1599 GENEVA BIBLE RESTORATION PROJECT
- by Tim Ewing, Rare Jewel Magazine founder
3. 1599 GENEVA BIBLE SHAPES THE PURITANS THAT SHAPED AMERICA
- Through the Eyes of Alexis de Tocqueville, 19th-century French Leader
1. REDISCOVER AMERICA’S GREATEST TREASURE
- America’s First Bible, the 1599 Geneva Bible
“The publication and promulgation of the 1599 Geneva Bible will help restore America’s rich Christian heritage and reclaim the culture for Christ.” – Dr D James Kennedy
Read and study the Bible brought to America by the Mayflower Pilgrims and SAVE $20 when you order now: http://www.1599GenevaBible.com.
- Word-for-word accuracy with the 1599 Geneva translation
- Includes Reformers’ original cross references and study notes
BONUS OFFER! Become a “Restoration Partner” and we’ll list your name in the front of this historic Bible. We’ll also send you a FREE Genuine-leather bound edition of the restored 1599 Geneva Bible and a FREE DVD, The Forbidden Book (history of the English Bible)… All for only $100! http://www.1599GenevaBible.com.
“The 1599 Geneva Bible impacted America like no other Bible translation. It impacted the course of American history and is a vital part of our Christian heritage. The Geneva Bible and its beloved marginal notes and cross references clearly explained Biblical truths to Believers. This forgotten treasure is a must for every serious Christian who desires to restore America’s Christian foundation.” - Tim Ewing, Rare Jewel Magazine founder and 1599 Geneva Bible Restoration Partner
2. HISTORY OF THE 1599 GENEVA BIBLE RESTORATION PROJECT
- by Tim Ewing, Rare Jewel Magazine founder
When the Pilgrims arrived in America in 1620, they brought along supplies, a consuming passion to advance the Kingdom of Christ, a bright hope for the future, and the Word of God. Clearly, their most precious cargo was the Bible. Have you ever wondered what version of the Bible the Pilgrims brought to America on the Mayflower? Believe it or not, it was not the King James Version of 1611. It was actually the 1599 Geneva Bible – a forgotten yet priceless treasure.
The Geneva Bible, printed over 200 times between 1560 and 1644, was the most widely read and influential English Bible of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This superb translation was the product of the best Protestant scholars of the day and became the Bible of choice for many of the greatest writers, thinkers, and historical figures of that time. Men such as Shakespeare, John Bunyan, and John Milton used the Geneva Bible, and it was reflected in their writings. During the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell issued a pamphlet containing excerpts from the Geneva Bible to his troops. William Bradford cited the Geneva Bible in his book Of Plymouth Plantation.
The Geneva Bible is unique among all other Bibles. It was the first complete English Bible to use chapters and numbered verses and became the most popular version of its time because of the extensive marginal notes. These notes, written by Reformation leaders such as John Calvin, John Knox, Miles Coverdale, William Whittingham, Anthony Gilby, and others, were included to explain and interpret the scriptures for the common people and helped the people of England, Scotland, and Ireland understand the Bible and true liberty. King James despised the Geneva Bible because he considered the notes on key political texts to be seditious and a threat to his authority. Unlike the King James Version, the Geneva Bible was not authorized by the government. It was truly a Bible by the people and for the people. You can see why this remarkable version with its profound marginal notes played a key role in the formation of the American Republic.
Sadly, 407 years after its original publication, this wonderful version of the Bible has been nearly forgotten. The only complete version available today is a large, cumbersome, and difficult-to-read facsimile edition. A facsimile edition contains pictures of the original pages. The small print and the older English letters and spellings make it nearly impossible to read or study. If the 1599 Geneva Bible is to survive the passing of time and be remembered for generations to come, it must be resurrected and redistributed.
That’s why I’m thrilled to announce that this very project is currently underway! Back in January of 2004, we organized a team of experts to reformat and reprint the 1599 Geneva Bible in a new easy-to-read edition. This edition will feature word-for-word accuracy with the 1599 edition. Older English letters will be updated with modern English letters. All of the original notes and cross references will be included as well.
Thousands of hours and over two years of painstaking work have been spent to make this vision a reality. As you read this email, the Bible is in its final stages of layout and proofreading and is scheduled to be printed in the Fall of 2006.
For a limited time you can purchase your restored 1599 Geneva Bible at special discounted prices. SAVE now, go to: http://www.1599GenevaBible.com.
BONUS OFFER! Become a “Restoration Partner” and we’ll list your name in the front of this historic Bible. We’ll also send you a FREE Genuine-leather bound edition of the restored 1599 Geneva Bible and a FREE DVD, The Forbidden Book (history of the English Bible)… All for only $100! http://www.1599GenevaBible.com.
Incidentally, this very same fundraising approach was used by the founders of our country when they published Brown’s Self-Interpreting Bible. Funds were raised for the project through private “subscriptions” (contributions), and the names of the “subscribers” were listed alphabetically at the beginning of the volume, along with their occupation and the town where they lived. They came from all walks of life: shoemakers, bakers, tailors, butchers, ministers, lawyers, and many others. The name heading the list is “GEORGE WASHINGTON, Esq. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” Also listed as “subscribers” are Henry Knox (Secretary of War), Alexander Hamilton (Secretary of the Treasury), John Jay (Chief Justice of the Supreme Court), and numerous other notable founders.
Join us in the effort to bring this rare and beautiful version of the Bible back into print. The 1599 Geneva Bible Restoration Project has attracted to its advisory board well respected Christian leaders such as:
- Dr. Peter Lillback, Senior Pastor, Proclamation Presbyterian Church and President of Westminster Theological Seminary;
- Doug Phillips, Esq. , founder and president of The Vision Forum;
- William J. Federer, president of AmeriSearch, Inc;
- Dr. Marshall Foster, founder & president of the Mayflower Institute
- Gary DeMar, president of American Vision and publisher of Biblical Worldview magazine;
- Dr. Douglas Kelly, the Jordan Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theology Seminary, in Charlotte, NC;
- Dr. Joseph Pipa, Jr., pastor and president of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in South Carolina;
- Dr. Phil Rollinson, Professor Emeritus of Renaissance English at the University if South Carolina;
- Dr. George Grant, Co-Pastor, Christ Community Church, PCA; founder, King's Meadow Study Center; president, Franklin Classical School
Learn more about this important project at: http://www.1599GEnevaBible.com.
3. 1599 GENEVA BIBLE SHAPES THE PURITANS THAT SHAPED AMERICA
- Through the Eyes of Alexis de Tocqueville, 19th-century French Leader
In 1620, the Mayflower Pilgrims brought to America her first Bible, the 1599 Geneva Bible. This Bible had immeasurable impact on the reformation of Christianity during the 16th and 17th centuries. The 1599 Geneva Bible likewise had dramatic impact on the development of early American communities founded by the Pilgrims and Puritans, that later became the United States of America. Alexis de Tocqueville describes, “It was at that very same time that these same principles, unknown or neglected by European nations, were being proclaimed in the deserts of the New World to become the future symbol of a great nation…. Puritanism was not only a religious doctrine; it linked itself in several respects to the most prominent democratic and republican theories…. The civilization of New England has been like a beacon lit upon mountain tops which, after warming all in its vicinity, casts a glow over the distant horizon.”
In 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville, a 25-year-old French civil servant, embarked on a nine-month visit to America. He saw the journey as a career-creating opportunity; contemplating a political career at home, he cleverly reckoned that becoming an expert in American affairs would set himself above his peers. Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America Democracy in America was published in two major volumes -- Part I in 1835 and Part II in 1840. This work provides a unique opportunity to see early America through the eyes of an objective “outsider” – the visiting Frenchman’s view of the factors responsible for the American character.
Just 55 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the United States of America already had astounded the world with its growth in population, economy, freedom, and prosperity. According to de Tocqueville, America, relative to Europe, was “…much superior in civilization, industry, and power.” De Tocqueville set out to discover why this was the case, and reported his findings in Democracy in America. This classic work is extensive, analytical, unbiased, and is readable yet today. He soberly states, “My aim has been to discover lessons from which we [France] may profit. It would be a bizarre mistake to think that I intended to write a hymn of praise.”
Every facet of America’s political processes and form of government, cultural dynamics and social factors, are discussed in vivid detail; we learn of our nation’s political parties and prison systems; our vast geography; freedom of press and trial by jury; slavery, Indians, war, and much else, but, de Tocqueville notes, “On my arrival in the United States, it was the religious atmosphere which first struck me.”
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