« | 1 Timothy 4 | » |
1 Nowe the spirite speaketh euidently, that in the latter tymes some shall depart from the fayth, geuing heede vnto spirites of errour, & doctrines of deuyls,
2 Which speake false in hypocrisie, hauyng their conscience seared with an hotte iron:
3 Forbidding to marrie [& commaunding] to abstayne from meates whiche God hath created to be receaued with geuing thankes, of them whiche beleue, and knowe the trueth.
4 For euery creature of God [is] good, and nothyng to be refused, yf it be receaued with thankes geuyng.
5 For it is sanctified by the worde of God and prayer.
6 Yf thou put the brethren in remembraunce of these thynges, thou shalt be a good minister of Iesus Christ, which hast ben norysshed vp in the wordes of fayth and of good doctrine, which thou hast continually folowed.
7 But cast away prophane & old wiues fables: Exercise thy selfe rather vnto godlynesse.
8 For bodyly exercise profiteth litle: but godlinesse is profitable vnto all thinges, hauing promise of the lyfe that is nowe, and of that which is to come.
9 [This is] a sure saying, & by all meanes worthy to be receaued.
10 For therfore we both labour, and suffer rebuke, because we haue hoped in the lyuyng God, whiche is the sauiour of all men, specially of those that beleue.
11 These thynges commaunde & teache.
12 Let no man despise thy youth: but be thou a paterne of the beleuers, in worde, in conuersation, in loue, in spirite, in fayth, in chastitie.
13 Tyll I come geue attendaunce to readyng, to exhortation, to doctrine.
14 Despise not the gyfte that is in thee, which was geuen thee through prophesie, with the laying on of handes by the auctoritie of the eldership.
15 Haue a care of these thinges, and geue thy selfe vnto them, that it may be seene howe thou profitest in all thynges.
16 Take heede vnto thy selfe, and vnto doctrine, and continue therein: For in doying this, thou shalt both saue thy selfe, and them that heare thee.
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.