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Among the many treasures to be found at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (originally named the Virginia Historical Society, and founded in part by the efforts of John Holt Rice, Jonathan Peter Cushing and others, but renamed in 2018), is a portion of Samuel Davies’ New Testament - leaves containing the text of a portion of Galatians through 2 Timothy, along with handwritten annotations by him.
Joseph C. Harrod tells us that this New Testament was donated to the museum in 1963 (Theology and Spirituality in the Works of Samuel Davies (2019), p. 63). He also highlights a particular annotation on Ephesians 3:20:
Our Petitions can extend far; our tho’ts farther—But above—abundantly above— exceeding [abun]dantly above what we ask or think—exceeding [abun]dantly above all that we ask of think, —wt a [ . . . ]gious extent is this! And yet, thus far does [ . . . ] & Grace of God extend to supply our Wants & to [nou]rish us wth his Blessings. Amazing Tho’t! & how [ . . . ] exprest! Plain as Language can be; & yet as h[igh] as Tho’t can rise. The Repetition of ye Particle [ . . . ] in ye original renders it still more emphatical. [ . . . ] ναμένῳ ὑπὲρ πάντα ποιῆσαι ὑπὲρ ἐκ πε[ρισ]σοῦ ᾧν ἀιτούμεθα ἤ νοῦμεν—which may perhaps [ . . . ] thus translated, ‘Who is able to do above,— exceed[ . . . ] abundantly above all that we ask or think.
Harrod adds:
Samuel Davies recorded these observations on Ephesians 3:20 in his New Testament on a blank page opposite the printed text. His style was meditative, focusing on key words in the verse, which he wanted to recall later for personal reflection or sermon preparation. This annotation is one of several that have survived and indicates that their author gave meticulous attention to the Bible as he analyzed syntactical constructions in the Greek. The importance of Scripture extended even to the particle. The mention of the biblical text being “Plain” recalls the Reformation emphasis on the perspicuity of Scripture. In fine, Davies’ notes link the significance of the biblical text to the life of its readers: the reader learns that God graciously sustains believers by his word. Samuel Davies believed that the Bible was the foundation for genuine Christian piety and this chapter explores the contours of his reflections on the nature and place of Scripture in the Christian life.
Recently, this writer was able to visit the museum and hold these pages himself. Below is a photograph of a photocopy of these particular notes. See for yourself the careful handwriting (in English and Greek) of a minister who wrote this private, unpublished notes in his Bible almost three centuries ago.
Photocopy of Samuel Davies’ handwritten annotations from his personal Bible on Ephesians 3:20 (courtesy of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, photo credit: R. Andrew Myers).
Praise God for his grace which supplies our wants and nourishes us with his blessings, as Samuel Davies testifies.
