The Bible for Refugees: A History of the Early Modern French Protestant Bible, 1535-1805

The goal of my fellowship research at the HAB is to further my work on the history of French Protestant Bibles in Europe from the Reformation (Pierre-Robert Olivétan’s 1535 French Bible) to the early Napoleonic era (Geneva’s 1805 French Bible). My research analyzes how French Protestant Bibles were shaped by and for Reformed Protestants during the early modern refugee crisis, which extended until the Edict of Toleration (1787) for Reformed Christians. My work focuses on the material culture of French Protestant Bibles, their reception and function, the socio-political contexts for their formation, and the theological/exegetical/paratextual development of their content. My project pays particular attention to the role of Geneva’s clergy and their impact on French Protestant Bible translation, publication, and distribution during nearly three centuries of Reformed diaspora. The overarching question of my work seeks to uncover through multifaceted means how French Protestant Bibles formed the faith of a community navigating dislocation