# John Calvin and English Bible translations



## Stephen L Smith (Sep 3, 2020)

Just wondering: Did John Calvin use any English Bible translations? If so which ones? Did he have any input into the Geneva Bible? Just curious


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## Eyedoc84 (Sep 3, 2020)

Surely Calvin used the KJV just like the apostles did, right?

Reactions: Funny 4


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## Logan (Sep 3, 2020)

I'm not aware of any evidence that he understood English, but since the Geneva Bible was translated in Geneva under the patronage of Calvin and I believe Calvin wrote a preface for the initial edition. Certainly I like to think that he was consulted as to the meaning of various passages (for the notes) and how things should be translated.



The Geneva Bible

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## Charles Johnson (Sep 3, 2020)

He often wrote to the French in French, but to the English and Scots he wrote in Latin. So it seems to me he did not have a strong command of English.


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## Phil D. (Sep 3, 2020)

I've read somewhere that Calvin did provide strong conceptual and moral support for the project, but had very little if any direct input with the translation efforts. Various scholars at the Genevan academy were likely consulted from time to time in such matters. It has also been shown that the book intros and passage notations were heavily borrowed from the slightly earlier French Genevan Bible. While those were highly Calvinistic in tone, they were not directly written by Calvin. I think I also heard Calvin's introduction was in Latin, and translated into English by one of the Scottish or English exiles, probably William Hetherington.


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## TheBruisedReed (Sep 3, 2020)

The Geneva from Tolle Lege touts that it includes notes/contributions from Calvin. Whether or not those were added at the time of publishing, or if they were the result of backfilling I am not certain.


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## Phil D. (Sep 3, 2020)

TheBruisedReed said:


> The Geneva from Tolle Lege touts that it includes notes/contributions from Calvin.



I suppose there's always some possibility of that. I'm relying on the Oxford Handbook of the Bible in Early Modern English, which attributes most of the French notes taken up in the English to Calvin's secretary Nicholas Des Gallars. So that would be a close connection. I've never seen where Calvin textual scholars give him credit for having directly produced any of the notes.

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## Phil D. (Sep 4, 2020)

Phil D. said:


> I think I also heard Calvin's introduction was in Latin, and translated into English by one of the Scottish or English exiles, probably William Hetherington.



I meant to say the most likely translator of Calvin's introduction is thought to be William _Whittingham - _not Hetherington. (...ever wake up at night with a flash realization that you said something mistaken..? funny how the sub-conscience works...)

As for the textual translation, also keep in mind that Myles Coverdale was exiled in Geneva while most of the Geneva Bible was created. He of course was a highly competent translator, having created the first complete English Bible in 1535.


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## Stephen L Smith (Sep 4, 2020)

Its funny I was recently reading Calvin's Institutes in my McNeil translated edition. I was thinking I wonder what English translation Calvin used - the English text of the Bible is used in my translation. I forgot Calvin did not write his Institutes in English


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## bookslover (Sep 5, 2020)

Phil D. said:


> I meant to say the most likely translator of Calvin's introduction is thought to be William _Whittingham - _not Hetherington. (...ever wake up at night with a flash realization that you said something mistaken..? funny how the sub-conscience works...)
> 
> As for the textual translation, also keep in mind that Myles Coverdale was exiled in Geneva while most of the Geneva Bible was created. He of course was a highly competent translator, having created the first complete English Bible in 1535.



And Coverdale's translation of the Book of Psalms is still included, as far as I know, in the Book of Common Prayer.

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## Jerusalem Blade (Sep 5, 2020)

I think this article by Jeff Riddle in the _Puritan Reformed Journal_, "John Calvin and Text Criticism", will be edifying to some, though it does not touch on the English translations, it does as regards to the Greek underlying them:

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