Anthony Gilby

Anthony Gilby (c.1510–1585) was an English clergyman, known as a radical Puritan and translator of the Geneva Bible, the first English Bible available to the general public. He was born in Lincolnshire, and was educated at Christ's College, Cambridge, graduating in 1535.

Early life

In Gilby's early life, he served as a preacher in Leicestershire under the rule of Edward VI. During this time, he was brought together with people who shared similar opinions to his on the corruptions of the era. This pushed him to publish A Commentarye upon the Prophet Mycha (1551) and A Commentarye upon the Prophet Malaky (c. 1553), freely expressing through these texts his feelings about the persecution of his religion.

He converted to Protestantism in his younger years, and this would prove to be of the utmost importance in the course of his life. Gilby graduated with a Bachelor and Master of Arts from Cambridge University in 1531-2 and 1535 respectively. Throughout his education he was well known for "his skill in the biblical languages of Latin, Greek and Hebrew," which proved to be obvious assets to him in the translation of the Geneva Bible. His Answer to the Devilish Detection of Stephen Gardiner was published in 1547 (as by AG), by John Day.

Family

Gilby was recorded to have married a woman named Elizabeth. They had two daughters and two sons; unfortunately one of the daughters did not survive, leaving him with Ruth, Goddred, and Nathaniel Gilby. Gilby's translation work was extremely prevalent, not only throughout the country but also within his family life. This is supported by the fact that both his sons were translators of two prominent texts during their time: A Brief and Learned Treatise, Containing a True Description of the Antichrist by Georg Sohn and An Epistle to his Brother Quintus by Marcus Tullius Cicero.

Anthony Gilby was a part of this Marian exile, in Basel, in Frankfurt where he associated with John Foxe and lodged him in 1554, and settled in Geneva in 1555. There he deputed for John Knox, with Christopher Goodman. He also wrote An Admonition to England and Scotland (1558), contesting the royal supremacy in the Church of England as imposed by Henry VIII. His work on the Geneva Bible, which was published in 1560, was as one of the main assistants to William Whittingham.

The Geneva Bible

After the Marian persecutions began, English Protestants went to Geneva. It was here that translators, including Gilby, worked on what would come to be known as the Geneva Bible. Later, after Mary's death, many of the exiles returned to England in 1558, but Gilby stayed in Geneva to complete the Geneva Bible, along with William Whittingham. Whittingham was the inspiration for this resourceful, yet prodigious task of translating the Bible because it was an extension of his New Testament of 1557. Gilby played an important role in Whittingham’s idea for the Bible. Whittingham himself gave witness to Gilby’s role in the translation of the Geneva Bible and recorded it in a piece entitled Livre des Anglais. The Geneva Bible contained easy-to-read maps, indexes, and notes for the interested reader. This nature of writing style dated back to the writing of William Tyndale, who also produced an English translation of the New Testament. The translators, including Anthony Gilby, created a piece of literature that was able to influence readers of all types during the sixteenth century, including William Shakespeare and John Milton. Many years later, the Geneva Bible was exchanged for the King James Version of 1611, which was more acceptable to the King.

He found a powerful protector in Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon, and was able to live out his life as a lecturer at Ashby-de-la-Zouch. By assiduous networking, and the influence he had over education at the Ashby grammar school, Gilby became a Puritan leader. Huntingdon assured the continuation of the local evangelical tradition, after Gilby's death, by appointing Arthur Hildersham as rector at Ashby in 1587.

Works

Anthony Gilby's writing experience can be placed into three categories, including letters and treaties, the translation of the Geneva Bible and other minor commentaries, and his theological interests before and during the exile.

In November 1555, Anthony Gilby and Christopher Goodman, also a Marian Exile, both became clergymen of the Word of God for the English citizens of Geneva. After taking this oath, Anthony Gilby's accomplishments were mostly clerical, such as a letter written in 1558 to the English church encouraging uniformity to God after the news of Elizabeth's succession to the throne of England.

Before and during his exile, Gilby proceeded with the reform of religion throughout the Protestant Reformation. His religious interests, for instance, became one of his prominent efforts. His doctrine of predestination, in which he discussed the supremacy of God, is represented in the Geneva Bible’s explanatory notes. He also wrote a preface to The Appellation from the Sentence Pronounced by the Bishops and Clergy by John Knox called An Admonition to England and Scotland, to call them to Repentance, in 1558.

Some of his additional works include: Commentaries of the divine, John Calvin, upon the Prophet Daniel (1570) The psalms of David truly opened and explained by Theodore Beza (1580) A Pleasant Dialogue betweene a Souldior of Barwicke and an English Chaplaine