« | 1 John 4 | » |
1 Dearly beloued, beleue not euery spirite: but proue the spirites whether they are of God or not: for many false prophetes are gone out into the worlde.
2 Hereby shall ye knowe the spirite of God: Euery spirite that confesseth that Iesus Christe is come in the fleshe, is of God:
3 And euery spirite which confesseth not that Iesus Christe is come in the fleshe, is not of God. And this is that spirite of antichriste, of whom ye haue hearde howe that he shoulde come: and euen nowe alredy is he in the worlde.
4 Litle chyldren, ye are of God, & haue ouercome them: for greater is he that is in you, then he that is in the worlde.
5 They are of the world, therfore speake they of the worlde, & the world heareth them.
6 We are of God. He that knoweth God, heareth vs: he that is not of God, heareth vs not. Hereby knowe we the spirite of veritie, and the spirite of errour.
7 Dearely beloued, let vs loue one another, for loue commeth of God: And euery one that loueth, is borne of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loueth not, knoweth not God: for God is loue.
9 In this appeared the loue of God to vs warde, because God sent his only begotten sonne into the worlde, that we myght lyue through hym.
10 Herein is loue, not that we loued God, but that he loued vs, and sent his sonne to be the agreement for our sinnes.
11 Dearely beloued, yf God so loued vs, we ought also to loue one another.
12 No man hath seene God at any time. If we loue one another, God dwelleth in vs, and his loue is perfect in vs.
13 Hereby knowe we that we dwell in hym, & he in vs: because he hath geuen vs of his spirite.
14 And we haue seene, and do testifie that the father sent the sonne to be the sauiour of the worlde.
15 Whosoeuer confesseth that Iesus is the sonne of God, in him dwelleth God, and he in God.
16 And we haue knowen and beleued the loue that God hath to vs. God is loue, and he that dwelleth in loue, dwelleth in God, and God in hym.
17 Herein is the loue perfect in vs, that we shoulde haue boldnesse in the day of iudgement: For as he is, euen so are we in this worlde.
18 There is no feare in loue, but perfect loue casteth out feare: for feare hath paynefulnesse. He that feareth, is not perfect in loue.
19 We loue hym, for he loued vs first.
20 If a man say, I loue God, & yet hate his brother, he is a lyer: For how can he yt loueth not his brother whom he hath seene, loue God who he hath not seene?
21 And this commaundement haue we of hym: that he which loueth God, shoulde loue his brother also.
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.