1 Peter 1 | » |
1 Peter, an Apostle of Iesus Christ, to them that dwell here and there as straungers, throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia:
2 Elect accordyng to the foreknoweledge of God the father, vnto the sanctifiyng of the spirite, through obedience & sprinklyng of ye blood of Iesus Christ: Grace & peace be multiplied vnto you.
3 Blessed be God the father of our Lorde Iesus Christe, which accordyng to his aboundaunt mercie begat vs agayne vnto a lyuely hope, by that that Iesus Christe rose agayne from death,
4 To an inheritaunce immortall, and vndefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserued in heauen for you,
5 Which are kept by the power of God through fayth vnto saluation, which is prepared alredie to be shewed in the last tyme.
6 In the which ye reioyce, though nowe for a season (yf nede require) ye are in heauinesse through manifolde temptations:
7 That the triall of your fayth, beyng much more precious then golde that perisheth, though it be tried with fyre, myght be founde vnto laude, glorie, and honour, at the appearyng of Iesus Christe,
8 Whom ye haue not seene, and yet loue hym, in whom euen nowe though ye see hym not, yet do you beleue, & reioyce with ioy vnspeakeable and glorious:
9 Receauyng the ende of your fayth, euen the saluation of your soules.
10 Of which saluation haue ye prophetes enquired & searched, which prophesied of the grace that should come vnto you:
11 Searchyng when or at what tyme the spirite of Christ which was in them, shoulde signifie, which spirite testified before, the passions that should happen vnto Christe, and the glorie that shoulde folowe after.
12 Unto which prophetes it was also declared, that not vnto them selues, but vnto vs, they shoulde minister ye thinges which are nowe shewed vnto you of them, which by the holy ghost sent downe from heauen, haue in the Gospell preached vnto you, the thynges which the Angels desire to beholde.
13 Wherfore girde vp the loynes of your mynde, be sober, and trust perfectly on the grace that is brought vnto you, by the reuelation of Iesus Christe:
14 As obedient chyldren, not fashionyng your selues vnto the former lustes of your ignoraunce:
15 But as he which called you is holy, euen so be ye holy also in all maner of conuersation:
16 Because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy.
17 And yf so be that ye call on the father, which without respect of person iudgeeth accordyng to euery mans worke, see that ye passe the tyme of your dwellyng here, in feare:
18 Forasmuch as ye knowe, howe that ye were not redeemed with corruptible thynges, as siluer and golde, from your vayne conuersation which ye receaued by the tradition of the fathers:
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lambe vndefiled, & without spot:
20 Which was ordeyned beforehande, euen before the worlde was made, but was declared in the last tymes for your sakes:
21 Which by his meanes do beleue on God that raysed hym vp from death, and glorified hym, that ye might haue fayth and hope towarde God:
22 Euen ye which haue purified your soules through the spirite in obeying the trueth, with brotherly loue vnfayned, see that ye loue one another with a pure heart feruentlye:
23 For ye are borne a newe, not of mortal seede: but of immortal, by the worde of God, which lyueth and lasteth for euer.
24 For all fleshe is as grasse, and all the glorie of man, is as the flowre of grasse. The grasse withereth, and the flowre falleth away:
25 But the worde of the Lorde endureth euer. And this is the worde, which by the Gospell was preached vnto you.
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.