The Souldiers Pocket Bible
Country | Kingdom of England |
---|---|
Language | English |
Publication date | 1643 |
Media type | Pamphlet |
The Souldiers Pocket Bible (aka Cromwell's Soldiers' Pocket Bible, The Soldier's Pocket Bible, Cromwell's Soldier's Bible[1]) was a pamphlet version of the Protestant Bible that was carried by the soldiers of Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army during the English Civil War.[2]
Description
The Souldiers Pocket Bible (lacking a
The Souldiers Pocket Bible had just 16 pages that contained some 150 verse quotations from the Geneva Bible,[10][11] all related to war.[6] All but four of the verses were from the Old Testament.[12] Verses intended to inspire the morale of Cromwell's soldiers included the following from the Geneva Bible:
- Deuteronomy 20:4 – For the Lord your God goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, and to save you.
- Exodus 14:14 – The Lord shall fight for you.[13]
The 150 war-related verses were organized in sixteen sections.[10] Cromwell helped select some of the verses used[14] and supervised the editing of The Souldiers Pocket Bible by Edmund Calamy.[4][6]
Section headers for the verses included the following:
- A Souldier must not doe wickedly
- A Souldier must be valiant for God[']s cause
- A Souldier must love his enemies as they are his enemies, and hate them as they are god[']s enemies
- A Souldier must consider that sometimes God[']s people have the worst in battel as well as God[']s enemies.[15]
This condensed Souldiers Pocket Bible was usually buttoned on the inside waistcoat, placed near the heart, and under the soldier's outer coat.[6] The placement did not hinder the movements of the soldier.[10] English Puritan church leader Richard Baxter relates a story that the life of one of Cromwell's soldiers was saved by his carrying a copy of The Souldiers Pocket Bible near his heart; a bullet fired at him became lodged in the pamphlet instead of his heart.[14]
Purpose
Cromwell's military success was largely due to the training of his soldiers.
Legacy
Two copies exist of the 1643 edition of The Souldiers Pocket Bible. The London copy was presented by
In 1861
The Souldiers Pocket Bible was the first of the shortened, concise Bible versions that became popular for distribution to troops by military authorities and for use by individuals for personal guidance and inspiration.[13]
Notes
- ^ Bevan 2003, p. 417.
- ^ Bremer 2006, p. 548.
- ^ Bratt 2012, p. 25.
- ^ a b c Internet Archive, Open Library (1860). The soldiers' pocket Bible, Issued for the use of the army of Oliver Cromwell, A. D. 1643. Raleigh (N.C.): General Tract Agency (1860). p. 3. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
- ^ Bruce 2002, p. 92.
- ^ a b c d e f g Congressional 1898, p. 1022.
- ^ Adler, Casanowicz & Smithsonian Institution 1898, p. 1022.
- ^ Fry 1862, p. 18.
- ^ a b Bates 2009, p. 123.
- ^ a b c d e f Daniell 2003, p. 471.
- ^ "The Soldier's pocket Bible". Digital Collections at the Boston Athenaeum. South Carolina Tract Society, publisher. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
- ^ Daniell 2003, p. 472.
- ^ a b Kim 2011, p. 82.
- ^ a b c Waylen 1880, p. 300.
- ^ Firth 1902, p. 331.
- ^ Young 1917, p. 735.
- ^ a b Internet Archive, Open Library (1860). The soldiers' pocket Bible, Issued for the use of the army of Oliver Cromwell, A. D. 1643. Raleigh (N.C.): General Tract Agency (1860). p. 4. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
- ^ "Preface to The Soldier's pocket Bible, p. 2 "In 1643 appeared this little manual for the English army....and from that day forward they never were beaten, but whenever they were engaged against the enemy they beat continually."". Digital Collections at the Boston Athenaeum cdm.bostonathenaeum.org/cdm/. South Carolina Tract Society (Charleston, S.C.: Printed by Evans & Cogswell, No. 3 Broad Street, Charleston, S.C.) between 1861 and 1865. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
- ^ Stock 1895, p. 3.
- ^ a b c Massachusetts Historical Society 1869, p. 459.
- ^ Stock 1895, p. 4.
- ^ a b Beal 2011, p. 114.
- ^ Fry 1862, p. iii.
- ^ Historical Magazine 1861, p. 319.
- ^ Ernest Sutherland Bates (1937). "The Biography of the Bible". Internet Sacred Text Archive. Evinity Publishing INC. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
- ^ Price 2004, p. 91.
References
- Adler, Cyrus; Casanowicz, Immanuel M.; Smithsonian Institution (1898). Biblical antiquities: a description of the exhibit at the Cotton States International Exposition, Atlanta, 1895. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780790506616.
- Bates, Ernest Sutherland (2009). Biography of the Bible: Its Character, Authorship, Text, Translation and Influence on the Evolution of Mankind. New Zealand: The Floating Press. ISBN 978-1-77541-554-1. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- Beal, Timothy Kandler (2011). The Rise and Fall of the Bible: The Unexpected History of an Accidental Book. ISBN 978-0-15-101358-6. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- Bevan, Edwyn R. (2003). Legacy of Israel 1927. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7661-4020-2. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- Bratt, James D. (2012). By the Vision of Another World: Worship in American History. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8028-6710-0. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- Bremer, Francis J. (2006). Puritans and Puritanism in Europe and America. 1 (2006). ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-57607-678-1. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- Bruce, Frederick Fyvie (2002). History of the Bible in English. James Clarke & Co. ISBN 978-0-7188-9031-5. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- Congressional, Edition (1898). Congressional Edition. U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- Daniell, David (2003). The Bible in English: Its History and Influence. ISBN 978-0-300-09930-0. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- Stock, Elliot (1895). Cromwell's Soldier's Bible: Being a Reprint, in Facsimile, of "The Soldier's Pocket Bible,". Elliot Stock. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- Firth, Charles Harding (1902). Cromwell's Army: A History of the English Soldier During the Civil Wars, the Commonwealth and the Protectorate. London: Methuen & Company. p. 331. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- Fry, Francis (1862). The Christian Soldier's Penny Bible. London Printed ... 1693. Reproduced in Facsimile, with an Introductory Note by Francis Fry. Willis & Sotheran. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- Historical Magazine (1861). The Historical Magazine and Notes and Queries Concerning the Antiquities, History, and Biography of America. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- Kim, Heup Young (2011). Asian and Oceanic Christianities in Conversation: Exploring Theological Identities at Home and in Diaspora. Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi. ISBN 978-90-420-3299-6. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- Massachusetts Historical Society (1869). Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. The Society. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- Price, David (2004). Let It Go Among Our People: An Illustrated History Of The English Bible From John Wyclif To The King James Version. James Clarke & Co. ISBN 978-0-7188-3042-7. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- Waylen, James (1880). The house of Cromwell and the story of Dunkirk. Chapman and Hall. p. 300. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- Young, Men (1917). Young Men. Retrieved August 6, 2013.