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1 Do we begyn to prayse our selues agayne? Or neede we [as some other] of epistles of recomendation vnto you? or [letters] of recommendation from you?
2 Ye are our epistle written in our heartes, whiche is vnderstande and read of all men:
3 Forasmuche as ye declare that ye are the epistle of Christ ministred by vs, and written, not with ynke, but with the spirite of the lyuyng God, not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart.
4 Such trust haue we through Christe to Godwarde.
5 Not that we are sufficiet of our selues to thynke any thyng as of our selues: but our ablenesse is of God,
6 Which hath made vs able ministers of the newe testament, not of the letter, but of the spirite: For the letter kylleth, but the spirite geueth lyfe.
7 Yf the ministration of death, through the letters figured in stones, was in glorie, so that the chyldren of Israel coulde not beholde the face of Moyses, for the glorie of his countenaunce, whiche [glorie] is done away:
8 Howe shall not the ministration of the spirite be much more in glorie?
9 For yf the ministration of condempnation be glorie: much more doth the ministration of ryghteousnes exceede in glorie.
10 For euen that which was glorified, is not glorified in respect of this exceedyng glorie.
11 For yf that whiche is destroyed was glorious, much more that which remayneth is glorious.
12 Seyng then that we haue such truste, we vse great boldnesse:
13 And not as Moyses, which put a vayle ouer his face, that the chyldren of Israel shoulde not see for what purpose that serued which is put away.
14 But their myndes were blynded: For vntyll this day remayneth the same coueryng vntaken away in the reading of the olde testament, which [vayle] is put away in Christe.
15 But euen vnto this day when Moyses is read, the vayle is layde vppon their heart.
16 Neuerthelesse, when it shall turne to the Lorde, the vayle shalbe taken away.
17 The Lorde is a spirite: And where the spirite of the Lorde [is] there [is] libertie.
18 But we all behold [as] in a mirrour, the glorie of the Lorde, with his face open, and are chaunged vnto the same similitude, from glorie to glorie, euen as of the spirite of the Lorde.
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.