« | 1 Corinthians 13 | » |
1 Though I speake with the tongues of men and of Angels, and haue not loue, I am [as] soundyng brasse, or [as] a tincklyng Cimball:
2 And though I coulde prophesie, and vnderstoode all secretes, and all knowledge: Yea, if I had all fayth, so that I coulde moue mountaynes out of their places, and haue not loue, I were nothyng.
3 And though I bestowe all my goodes to feede the poore, and though I geue my body that I burned, and haue not loue, it profiteth me nothyng.
4 Loue suffreth long, and is curteous: Loue enuieth not, loue doth not frowardely, swelleth not,
5 Dealeth not dishonestlie, seeketh not her owne, is not prouoked to anger, thynketh none euyll,
6 Reioyceth not in iniquitie: bur reioyceth in the trueth:
7 Suffreth all thynges, beleueth all thynges, hopeth all thynges, endureth all thynges.
8 Though ye prophesiynges fayle, other tongues ceasse, or knowledge vanishe away, [yet] loue falleth neuer away.
9 For our knowledge is vnperfect, and our prophesiyng is vnperfect:
10 But when that which is perfect, is come, then that which is vnperfect shalbe done away.
11 When I was a chylde, I spake as a childe, I vnderstode as a childe, I imagined as a chylde: But assoone as I was a man, I put away chyldishnesse.
12 Nowe we see in a glasse, euen in a darke speakyng: but then [shall we see] face to face. Nowe I knowe vnperfectly: but then shall I knowe euen as I am knowen.
13 Nowe abydeth fayth, hope, and loue, these three, but the chiefe of these is loue.
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.