« | 2 Corinthians 10 | » |
1 I Paul my selfe beseche you by the mekenesse & gentlenesse of Christ, whiche when I am present among you, am lowlye: but am bolde towarde you beyng absent.
2 I beseche you, that I neede not to be bolde when I am present, with that same boldnesse, wherwith I am supposed to haue ben bolde, agaynst some, which repute vs as though we walked accordyng to the fleshe.
3 For though we walke in the fleshe, yet we do not warre according to ye flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnall, but myghtie through God, to cast downe strong holdes,
5 Wherwith we ouerthrowe counsels, and euery hye thyng, that is exalted agaynst the knowledge of God, & bryng into captiuitie all imagination, to the obedience of Christe,
6 And are readie to take vengeaunce on all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfylled.
7 Loke ye on thynges after the vtter appearaunce? If any man trust in hym selfe that he is Christes, let hym consider this agayne of hym selfe, that as he [is] of Christe, euen so [are] we of Christe.
8 For though I shoulde boast my selfe somwhat more of our auctoritie, which the Lorde hath geuen to vs for edification, and not for your destruction, it shal not be to my shame:
9 Lest I should seeme as though I wet about to make you afrayde by letters.
10 For the letters sayth he, are sore and strong: but his bodyly presence is weake, and his speache rude.
11 Let hym that is such, thynke on this wise: that as we are in worde by letters, when we are absent, such are we in deede when we are present.
12 For we dare not make our selues of the number of them, or to compare our selues to them which praise themselues. Neuerthelesse, whyle they measure them selues, with them selues, and compare them selues with them selues, they vnderstande not.
13 But we wyll not reioyce aboue measure: but accordyng to the measure of the rule, which God hath distributed vnto vs, a measure to reache euen vnto you.
14 For we stretch not out our selues beyonde measure, as though we reached not vnto you: For euen to you also haue we come with the Gospell of Christe:
15 And we boast not our selues out of measure in other mens labours: Yea, and we hope, when your fayth is increased among you, to be magnified accordyng to our measure aboundauntly,
16 And that I shall preache the Gospell, in those [regions] which [are] beyonde you: and not to glorie of those thynges, which by another mans measure are prepared alredy.
17 But let hym that glorieth, glorie in the Lorde.
18 For he that prayseth hymselfe, is not alowed, but whom the Lorde prayseth.
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.