« | 1 Corinthians 8 | » |
1 As touching thinges offred vnto idols, we are sure yt we all haue knowledge. Knowledge maketh a man swell: but loue edifieth.
2 If any man thynke that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.
3 But if any man loue God, the same is knowen of him.
4 As concerning the eating of those thinges that are offered vnto idols, we are sure that an idoll is nothing in the worlde, and that there is none other God but one.
5 And though there be that are called gods, whether in heauen or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lordes many:)
6 Yet vnto vs is there but one God, [which is] the father, of whom are all thinges, and we in him, and one Lorde Iesus Christe, by whom are al thinges, and we by him.
7 But euery man hath not knowledge: For some hauing conscience of the idol vntill this houre, eate as a thing offred vnto idols, and so their conscience being weake, is defiled.
8 But meate maketh vs not acceptable to God: For neither if we eate, haue we the more, neither if we eate not, haue we the lesse.
9 But take heede lest by any meanes this libertie of yours be an occasion of falling, to them that are weake.
10 For if any man see thee which hast knowledge, sit at meate in the idols temple: shal not the conscience of him which is weake, be boldened to eate those thinges which are offred to idols,
11 And through thy knowledge shal the weake brother perishe, for whom Christe dyed?
12 When ye sinne so against the brethren, and wounde their weake conscience, ye sinne against Christe.
13 Wherefore, if meate offend my brother, I wyll eate no fleshe whyle the worlde standeth, lest I shoulde offende my brother.
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.