« | 1 Corinthians 12 | » |
1 Concernyng spirituall gyftes, brethren, I woulde not haue you ignoraunt.
2 Ye knowe yt ye were gentiles, and caryed away vnto dumbe idols, as ye were led.
3 Wherfore I declare vnto you, that no man speakyng by the spirite of God, defieth Iesus. Also no man can say that Iesus is ye Lord, but by the holy ghost.
4 There are diuersities of gyftes, but the spirite [is] one.
5 And there are differences of administrations, but the Lorde [is] one.
6 And there are diuers maners of operations, but God is one, which worketh all in all.
7 The manifestation of the spirite, is geuen to euery man, to profite withall.
8 For to one is geuen by the spirite, the worde of wisdome, to another the word of knowledge, by the same spirite:
9 To another [is geuen] fayth, by the same spirite: to another the giftes of healyng by the same spirite:
10 To another, power to do miracles, to another, prophesie, to another [iudgement] to discerne spirites, to another, diuers kyndes of tongues, to another, the interpretation of tongues.
11 But these all worketh euen one and the selfe same spirite, deuidyng to euery man a seuerall gyft, as he wyll.
12 For as the body is one, & hath many members, and all the members of one body, though they be many, [yet] are [but] one body: euen so is Christe.
13 For by one spirite, are we all baptized into one body, whether [we be] Iewes or gentiles, whether [we be] bonde or free: and haue all drunke of one spirite.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foote woulde say, because I am not the hande, I am not of the body: is it therfore not of the body?
16 And yf the eare woulde say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body: is it therfore not of the body?
17 If all the body [were] an eye, where were then the hearyng? If all [were] hearyng, where were the smellyng?
18 But nowe hath God set ye members, euery one seuerally in the body, as it hath pleased hym.
19 For yf they were all one member, where were the body?
20 Nowe are there many members, yet but one body.
21 And the eye can not say vnto ye hande, I haue no neede of thee: Nor, the head agayne to the feete, I haue no neede of you.
22 Yea, rather a great deale, those members of the body which seeme to be more feeble, are necessary:
23 And vpon those members of the body which we thynke least honest, put we more honestie on. And our vncomely partes, haue more comelynesse on.
24 For our comely members neede it not: But God hath tempered the body together, and hath geuen the more honour to that [part] which lacked:
25 Lest there shoulde be any stryfe in the body: but that the members shoulde haue the same care one for another.
26 And yf one member suffer, all suffer with it. If one member be had in honour, all the members reioyce with it.
27 Ye are the body of Christe, and members one of another.
28 And God hath ordayned some in the Churche, first Apostles, secondarely, prophetes, thirdely teachers, then them that do miracles: after that, the giftes of healyng, helpers, gouernours, diuersitie of tongues.
29 Are all, Apostles? are all, prophetes? are all, teachers?
30 Are all, doers of miracles? Haue all the giftes of healyng? Do all speake with tongues? Do all interprete?
31 Couet after the best giftes: And yet shew I vnto you a more excellent way.
The Bishop’s Bible (BB)
The Bishop’s Bible (BB) is a significant English translation of the Bible that was first published in 1568 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It was commissioned by the Church of England as a revision of the Great Bible and as a response to the Geneva Bible, which was popular among the Puritans but contained marginal notes that were considered politically and theologically contentious by the Anglican establishment. The primary goal of the Bishop’ s Bible was to create a translation that would be more acceptable to the ecclesiastical authorities and suitable for use in Anglican churches.
One of the distinguishing features of the Bishop’s Bible is its effort to maintain a high level of accuracy and scholarly integrity while also ensuring that the language used was dignified and appropriate for public reading. The translation was undertaken by a team of bishops and other scholars, hence its name. The translators aimed to preserve the poetic and literary qualities of the original texts, drawing on previous translations such as the Tyndale Bible, the Coverdale Bible, and the Great Bible, while also incorporating their scholarly insights and linguistic refinements.
The Bishop’s Bible was notable for its large, folio format, which was designed to be read from the pulpit. It included extensive marginal notes, though these were more restrained and less controversial than those found in the Geneva Bible. The translation also featured elaborate illustrations and maps, as well as a comprehensive introduction and various prefaces that provided context and guidance for readers. Despite its grandeur and scholarly merit, the Bishop’s Bible did not achieve the widespread popularity of the Geneva Bible among the general populace.
Although the Bishop’s Bible played an essential role in the religious and cultural life of Elizabethan England, it was eventually overshadowed by the King James Version (KJV), which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611. The KJV drew heavily on the Bishop’ s Bible, as well as other earlier translations, but ultimately surpassed it in both scholarly rigor and literary quality. Nonetheless, the Bishop’s Bible remains an important milestone in the history of English Bible translations, reflecting the theological and political currents of its time and contributing to the development of subsequent translations.