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. When Mary Tudor took the throne in 1553, life for the Protestants only became more turbulent. This led many to flee to religiously free states; including the Gilby Family in 1555.
He became a minister in Leicestershire and a Calvinist. 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. Goddred Gilby the translator was the elder son; the younger, Nathaniel, of Christ's College and fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, was tutor to Joseph Hall, whose mother was one of Gilby's congregation.
Marian Exile
When the Roman Catholic religion began to be restored in England, many Protestants were forced to leave the country. Protestants left not only for their physical safety and right to practise their own forms of worship, but, also because it gave them a chance to keep, define, and conserve their national religion for their eventual return to England. European-Protestant artisans were given more courtesy than the colonies of foreign Protestant artisans. European Protestants were given notice to leave and warned of arrest, while foreign Protestants were ordered to dismiss quickly. They originally fled to the Protestant cities of Strasbourg and Frankfurt, but later colonies were established at Emden, Zurich, Wesel, Worms, and Duisburg. In those colonies, particularly Frankfurt, many wanted to preserve the Edwardian English church, while radical others wanted a more demanding reformation. These differing opinions caused many arguments that resulted in the splitting of Frankfurt. Each colony had its own distinct nature, but there was significant contact between the groups of religious exiles. However, there was often lack of communication and unity on their most important issues.
The Marian Exiles wanted to encourage their coreligionists back home, so they produced many works on Protestant doctrine using the continental press, and urging them to flight, martyrdom, or rebellion. However, not all of the Marian Exiles left their countries for religious reasons: a large number of them left after failed attempts of secular concerns. After war broke out in 1557, many of these secular exiles put loyalty before religion and returned home to serve their country in whatever ways they could. When Queen Mary died in 1558, the period of Marian exile ended, and the exiles returned home to mixed receptions. Many men, including Anthony Gilby, spent years living in communities they felt were more thoroughly reformed than England.
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.