2 John 1 |
1 The elder to the elect Lady & her chyldren, whom I loue in the trueth: and not I only, but also all that haue knowen ye trueth:
2 For the truthes sake which dwelleth in vs, and shalbe in vs for euer:
3 Grace be with you, mercie, and peace from God the father, & from the Lorde Iesus Christe the sonne of the father, in trueth and loue.
4 I reioyced greatly, that I founde of thy chyldren walkyng in trueth, as we haue receaued a commaundement of the father.
5 And nowe beseche I thee Lady, not as though I wrote a newe commaundement vnto thee: but that same which we haue had from the begynnyng, that we shoulde loue one another.
6 And this is the loue, that we shoulde walke after his comaundement. This commaundement is, that as ye haue hearde from the begynnyng, ye shoulde walke in it.
7 For many deceauers are entred into the worlde, which confesse not that Iesus Christe is come in the fleshe. This is a deceauer and an antichriste.
8 Loke on your selues, that we loose not that we haue wrought: but that we may haue a full rewarde.
9 Whosoeuer transgresseth, and bideth not in the doctrine of Christe, hath not God: He that endureth in the doctrine of Christe, hath both the father and the sonne.
10 If there come any vnto you, and bring not this learnyng, hym receaue not to house: neither byd hym God speede.
11 For he that byddeth hym God speede, is partaker of his euyll deedes.
12 I had many thynges to write vnto you: neuerthelesse, I woulde not write with paper & inke, but I trust to come vnto you, and speake with you mouth to mouth, that our ioy may be full.
13 The sonnes of thy elect sister greete thee. Amen.
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.