Fenton Collection at ETBU | Fenton Honors Hall

FENTON HONORS HALL Lance Fenton provides funding for Fenton Honors Hall and fills its walls with historic Bibles and artifacts

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ance Fenton, among other generous anonymous donors, provided funding for the Fenton Honors Hall within the Jarrett Library on campus. Completed in August of 2018, the room features the Fenton Collection Exhibit and Yeshua, a sculpture of Jesus Christ by Max Greiner, Jr. of Kerrville, Texas.

In the spring of 1986, during a time of great difficulty, Greiner was called by God to begin making Christian art. The Fenton Collection’s “Yeshua, Jesus Christ, the Messiah” is the third in Greiner’s creation of Yeshua. Noted by Griener on the sculpture is the biblical inspiration and reference to his artwork, from Jesus’ words in Luke 4:18 and the prophecy of Christ in Isaiah 61:1.

“We are grateful for the contributions of our generous donors, who have committed to give of their resources. When people partner together to do God’s work, facilities such as this are possible,” ETBU President J. Blair Blackburn

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The experiences that occur in this room are eternally significant.

Students beginning discerning and fulfilling the call that God has placed on their lives as they fellowship with their friends and spend time pouring over their studies and His Word.

DR. J. BLAIR BLACKBURN PRESIDENT, ETBU said. “The experiences that occur in this room are eternally significant. Students begin discerning and fulfilling the call that God has placed on their lives as they fellowship with their friends and spend time pouring over their studies and His Word.”

The Fenton Collection Exhibit showcases a collection of rare Bibles and special display pieces. Included in this collection is a leaf from the Gutenberg Bible (1455), a Tyndale New Testament (1566), Coverdale Bible (1535), Great Bible (1539), Geneva Bible (1608), Bishop’s Bible (1568), 1611 edition King James Bible, and 1762 revised King James Bible.

Printed in Latin, the Gutenberg Bible leaf is from Numbers 22. Published on the Gutenberg printing press circa 1455, the leaf is one of less

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than 50 copies of the Bible known to exist today.

“The invention of the printing press by Gutenberg would have been equivalent to the invention of the internet to this society,” Fenton Collection Curator Benjamin Crawford expressed.

“It changed the world. When Bibles were made by hand, it was a painstakingly slow process. Now, Bibles can be set and printed overnight.”

Upon its publication in 1526, the Tyndale New Testament formed the foundation for what future Bible translators would pick up and carry.

Printed in 1566, ETBU’s copy of the Tyndale New Testament was the third illustrated quarto edition of Tyndale’s translation to be printed by Richard Jugge, a prominent London printer. This edition features an ornately gilt spine and paneled covers and is illustrated throughout with numerous woodcuts.

“It is the finest printing of the New Testament that I have ever seen,” Crawford said. “It is an example of the earliest English translation. It was against the law to do what Tyndale had done, so he did it on the run. He spent the last part of his life in exile, and his friend ultimately betrayed him into the hands of Henry VIII and Tyndale was executed. Tyndale’s last words were ‘Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.’ Henry VIII’s heart turned, and God used him to accomplish His purpose. The King began to open his mind to the possibility of an English Bible. An instrumental man named Miles Coverdale would be the one to print the first Bible in English.”

The Coverdale Bible was translated from German and Latin by Coverdale. Educated at Cambridge, Coverdale encountered Martin Luther’s German translations when he joined the Augustian friars in 1514. Coverdale built

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The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.

LUKE 4:18

upon Tyndale’s published and unpublished English translations to publish the first complete English translation of the Bible. Beginning in 1538, every parish in England was required by law to purchase a copy of an English Bible and place it in “some convenient place” for all to see and read. To meet this demand, the Great Bible, so called because of its size, was put into production by Coverdale under the direction of Lord Oliver Cromwell, as the first authorized English Bible.

“These Bibles have a strong connection to us, because they are English texts,” ETBU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Thomas Sanders explained. “Martin Luther was driven to create translations of Scripture for the common person. We are excited about, not just the age of these books, but what they represent. Dr. Blackburn’s vision, and Mr. Fenton’s support of it, enhanced the space, our knowledge, and the students’ ability to be around such meaningful and historic texts.”

Written by exiles in Geneva, Switzerland following the Catholic Queen Mary Tudor’s accession to the throne in 1553, the Geneva Bible was originally published in 1560. The version on display

in the Fenton Honors Hall was printed in 1608.

The Geneva Bible was used by Shakespeare and other English authors of the day and would remain the most popular English Bible until well into the 17th Century.

“There wasn’t another English Bible printed in England for almost 10 years,” Crawford explained.

“During the time of the Queen Mary persecutions, many of those in danger, who had needs and resources fled to Geneva. There, they undertook the translation called the Geneva Translation.

When Mary was put to death and her reign ended, Elizabeth I came to power, and the English exiles returned. It ushered in a golden age.”

In 1568, the Archbishop of Canterbury commissioned the Bishop’s Bible as a replacement for the Geneva Bible and an update to the Great Bible. This Bible was prepared by a panel of bishops, and it prioritized “polite” language and removed all polemical marginal notes. While the Bishop’s Bible never achieved much popularity, everyone was familiar with it because it was the official text used in all church services.

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We are honored to have the financial ability and desire to be tasked with the preservation of these reminders of the Christian heritage.

LANCE FENTON 30

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Commissioned by King James I following his accession to the throne in 1603 to redress any errors of the English Bibles that had come before, the Authorized King James Bible was published in 1611. Six companies of translators divided the Bible and compared their respective sections to existing English translations and a variety of other sources, including Hebrew, Latin, and Greek versions. When the KJV was printed, a typographical error was found in Ruth 3:15, where the printer had incorrectly printed “and he went into the city.” After the error was found, a later printing correctly reads “and she went into the city.” These are respectively known as the Great He and the Great She, and both editions are held within the Fenton Collection.

Printed in Cambridge in 1762, the King James Standard Edition Bible is considered to be the “standard” edition of the King James Version.

Along with the Blayney Oxford edition of 1769, it became the foundation of the modern King James Bible. The language for this edition was modernized, marginal references were expanded, and previous printing errors were removed. The

ETBU copy is preserved in its original red morocco fine binding and is uncut, with the marginal directions to the bookbinder still visible in the lower margin of the general title.

“We are honored to have the financial ability and desire to be tasked with the preservation of these reminders of the Christian heritage,” Fenton said. “Our hope is that all come and enjoy the historical pieces and are filled with the Holy Spirit that lives and breathes through the timeless truths of their pages.”

The University will continually work toward enhancing the environment for student learning.

ETBU intends on expanding the collection of classic texts for use within the Hall and improving other areas in the Jarrett Library.

“So much history is available to us in the Fenton Honors Hall,” ETBU sophomore Gloria Baker commented. “It’s incredible that Mr. Fenton is so supportive and encouraging of us that he donated the Honors Hall and this collection of original Bibles.

I can’t believe that students at ETBU are getting to benefit from this. It truly represents the Christcentered education we’re receiving here.”

Fenton Honors Hall connects the rich tradition of the past with the anticipation of a bright future.

The four red oak trees that formerly stood in front of Marshall Hall have been integrated into the woodwork of Fenton Honors Hall.

“Those historic trees will always be a part of this academy,” Dr. Blackburn shared. “It is special to think about all of the individuals, who walked around those trees and sat under their shade throughout the generations of ETBU, ETBC, and the College of Marshall.”

While Fenton Honors Hall is open to all students for focused study, the room is specifically used as classroom space for the Honors Program and special academic events.

“The Honors Program is doing fantastically,” ETBU Honors Program Director and Professor of English Zachary Beck commented. “We have some great students that are very enthusiastic about the work we are doing. We have a number of students that have started Honors projects. I believe the Fenton Honors Hall will assist students as they complete advanced study within their fields.”

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