Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges is an extensive series of Protestant biblical commentaries published by Cambridge University Press between 1877 and 1918. Originally established as an educational resource for schools, the series developed into an important reference collection for ministers, theologians, teachers, and general students of the Bible.

The series was initially placed under the general editorship of John James Stewart Perowne, later Bishop of Worcester. Individual books were written by different biblical scholars, who supplied introductions, explanatory notes, and maps. The commentaries cover the Old and New Testaments, together with selected books of the Apocrypha.

History and publication

The Cambridge Bible for Schools was established in 1877 by the Syndics of the University of Cambridge Press. The general editor was John James Stewart Perowne, then Dean of Peterborough and subsequently Bishop of Worcester. The first volume to appear was George Frederick Maclear's commentary on the Gospel of Mark.

The series was originally designed for use in schools but soon attracted a much wider readership. Its title also appeared in the expanded form The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, which became the familiar designation of the collection.

Publication continued over four decades. The project was eventually completed in 1918 with the publication of Sir George Adam Smith's commentary on Deuteronomy. By that time, several of the earlier volumes had been replaced or substantially revised to reflect developments in biblical scholarship and changes in the available English biblical texts.

The series is commonly catalogued as comprising approximately 56 volumes, although individual biblical books were sometimes divided into separate volumes and revised editions appeared under different publication dates.

Editorial arrangement

General editorship

Perowne served as the general editor during the principal period of the series' establishment and development. His approach allowed individual contributors considerable independence in their treatment of Scripture.

In his preface to the commentary on Galatians by Edward Henry Perowne, he explained that he did not consider himself responsible for the particular interpretations or doctrinal opinions expressed by the editors of individual books. He believed that biblical scholars should be permitted to exercise their own judgment, provided that unnecessary controversy was avoided.

His editorial responsibility consisted principally of reviewing the notes, identifying omissions, suggesting further consideration of difficult passages, and maintaining an acceptable standard of scholarship.

Perowne believed that the individual character and variety of the commentaries were more valuable than imposing complete uniformity throughout the series.

Following Perowne's death in 1904, the editorial organisation included separate general editors for different sections of the Bible. By 1912, the Cambridge University Press identified:

• Alexander Francis Kirkpatrick as general editor for the Old Testament and Apocrypha.
• Reginald St John Parry as general editor for the New Testament.

Individual contributors

The commentaries were written by a wide range of distinguished British biblical scholars and clergymen. Contributors included:

• George Frederick Maclear — Joshua and the Gospel of Mark.
• Edward Hayes Plumptre — Ecclesiastes, James, and the Epistles of Peter and Jude.
• Samuel Rolles Driver — Exodus, Daniel, and Joel and Amos.
• Alexander Francis Kirkpatrick — Samuel and Psalms.
• Thomas Kelly Cheyne — Hosea and Micah.
• Alfred Plummer — John and the Epistles of John.
• Frederic William Farrar — Luke and Hebrews.
• Handley Carr Glyn Moule — Romans, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians and Philemon.
• George Adam Smith — Deuteronomy.

The separate contributions gave the series considerable breadth, incorporating expertise in Hebrew and Greek, biblical history, geography, textual interpretation, and Christian theology.

Structure and contents

The individual commentaries generally contain three principal elements:

Introduction

Each volume ordinarily begins with an introduction to the biblical book under consideration. These introductions examine its historical background, authorship, circumstances of composition, intended audience, structure, and principal themes.

Where relevant, the writers also discuss questions concerning the historical setting and geographical locations mentioned in the biblical text.

Explanatory notes

The principal commentary proceeds through the biblical text, providing explanations of difficult passages, significant words and phrases, parallel references, historical circumstances, and theological questions.

The authors frequently draw upon the Hebrew and Greek originals, earlier translations, and the interpretations of previous biblical scholars.

Maps and supplementary material

Many volumes include maps and other supplementary material to help readers understand the geography and historical setting of Scripture.

The amount and arrangement of introductory material, notes, appendices, and maps vary according to the biblical book and the individual contributor.

Textual basis and biblical scholarship

The series was begun before publication of the English Revised Version of the Bible. Consequently, the earliest commentaries were based principally upon the Authorised Version.

As the Revised Version became available, subsequent volumes and revised editions increasingly incorporated its readings and textual decisions. The series therefore provides an interesting record of the development of English biblical scholarship during the period of the nineteenth-century Bible revision.

Individual contributors were not required to adopt identical positions on questions of biblical interpretation. Perowne's policy of editorial independence allowed a variety of scholarly approaches to appear within the same collection.

This makes the series particularly useful for examining the differences in interpretation, historical criticism, and theological exposition among British Protestant scholars of the period.

Distinction from related Cambridge series

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges should be distinguished from the related Smaller Cambridge Bible for Schools, which was a separate, more compact commentary series.

The Cambridge University Press continued to advertise both collections independently in its early twentieth-century publications.

Historical significance

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges became one of the major Protestant biblical commentary projects of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Its importance rests partly upon the number and standing of its contributors, but also upon its combination of academic scholarship with accessible explanations intended for students and teachers.

The series provided an extensive body of biblical interpretation at a time when English-speaking Protestant churches were experiencing significant developments in biblical scholarship, textual criticism, and theological education.

In its 1921 history of Cambridge University Press, S. C. Roberts recorded that the series had originally been intended for school use but had soon acquired a much wider audience. He also quoted the contemporary assessment published in The Times following Perowne's death in 1904, which credited the series with spreading accurate biblical knowledge among English-speaking readers to an extent surpassed only by the Revised Version itself.

The original volumes are now historical publications and are widely accessible through digitised library collections. They remain useful reference works for Bible students, researchers, teachers, and those interested in the history of Protestant biblical interpretation.