« | 2 Corinthians 4 | » |
1 Therfore, seyng that we haue such a ministerie, as we haue receaued mercie, we faynt not:
2 But haue cast from vs the clokes of vnhonestie, and walke not in craftynesse, neither handle we the word of God disceitefully, but in openyng of the trueth, and report our selues to euery mans conscience in the syght of God.
3 Yf our Gospell be yet hyd, it is hyd in them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this worlde hath blinded the myndes of them whiche beleue not, lest the lyght of the Gospell of the glorie of Christe (which is the image of God) should shine vnto them.
5 For we preache not our selues, but Christe Iesus the Lord, and our selues your seruauntes for Iesus sake.
6 For it is God that commaundeth the lyght to shine out of darknesse, whiche hath shined in our heartes, for to geue the lyght of the knowledge of the glorie of God, in the face of Iesus Christe.
7 But we haue this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellencie of the power be Gods, and not ours.
8 We are troubled on euery syde, yet are we not without shyft. We are in pouertie, but not vtterly without somewhat.
9 We suffer persecution, but are not forsaken therin. We are cast downe, but we perisshe not.
10 We alwayes beare about in the body the dying of the Lorde Iesus, that the lyfe of Iesus myght also appeare in our bodie.
11 For we which lyue, are alwayes deliuered vnto death for Iesus sake, that the lyfe also of Iesu myght appeare in our mortall flesshe.
12 So then, death worketh in vs, but life in you.
13 Seing then that we haue the same spirite of fayth (accordyng as it is written, I beleued, and therefore haue I spoken) We also beleue, and therefore speake.
14 For we knowe, that he which raysed vp the Lorde Iesus, shall rayse vp vs also by the meanes of Iesus, and shall set vs with you.
15 For all thynges [do] for your [sakes,] that the plenteous grace, by thankes geuyng of many, may redounde to the prayse of God.
16 Wherefore we are not weryed: But though our outwarde man perishe, yet the inwarde man is renued day by day.
17 For our exceedyng tribulation which is momentanie & lyght, prepareth an exceedyng and an eternall wayght of glorie vnto vs.
18 Whyle we loke not on the thynges whiche are seene, but on the thynges which are not seene. For the thynges which are seene, are temporall: but the things which are not seene, are eternal.
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.