2 Peter 1 | » |
1 Simon Peter, a seruaunt and an Apostle of Iesus Christe, to them which haue obteined lyke precious faith with vs, thorowe the ryghteousnes of our god and sauiour Iesus Christe:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied vnto you, through the knowledge of God, and of Iesus our Lorde:
3 Accordyng as his godly power hath geuen vnto vs all thynges that parteine vnto lyfe and godlynesse, through the knowledge of hym that hath called vs vnto glorie and vertue:
4 By the which are geuen vnto vs excellent and most great promises, that by the meanes thereof, ye might be partakers of the godly nature, yf ye flee the corruption of worldly lust.
5 And herevnto geue all diligence: in your fayth minister vertue, in vertue knowledge,
6 In knowledge temperaunce, in temperaunce pacience, in pacience godlynesse,
7 In godlynesse brotherly kyndnesse, in brotherly kyndnesse loue.
8 For yf these thynges be among you, and be plenteous, they wyll make you that ye neither shalbe idle nor vnfruitefull in the knowledge of our Lorde Iesus Christe.
9 But he that lacketh these thynges, is blynde, and can not see farre of, & hath forgotten that he was purged from his olde sinnes.
10 Wherfore brethren, geue the more diligence for to make your callyng and election sure: For yf ye do such thynges, ye shall neuer fall.
11 Yea, and by this meanes an entryng in shalbe ministred vnto you aboudantlye, into the euerlastyng kyngdome of our Lorde and sauiour Iesus Christe.
12 Wherfore I wyll not be negligent to put you alwayes in remembraunce of suche thynges, though ye knowe them your selues, and be stablysshed in the present trueth.
13 Notwithstandyng I thynke it meete, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stirre you vp by puttyng you in remembraunce:
14 Forasmuch as I am sure that shortly I must put of this my tabernacle, euen as our Lorde Iesus Christe shewed me.
15 I wyll euer also geue my diligence yt ye may haue wherwith to stirre vp the remembraunce of these thynges after my departyng.
16 For we haue not folowed deceitfull fables, when we opened vnto you the power and commyng of our Lorde Iesus Christe, but with our eyes we sawe his maiestie:
17 Euen then veryly when he receaued of God the father honour and glorie, & when there came suche a voyce to hym from the excellent glorie: This is my deare beloued sonne in whom I delyte.
18 This voyce we heard come from heauen, when we were with him in the holye mount.
19 We haue also a ryght sure worde of prophesie, wherevnto yf ye take heede, as vnto a lyght that shyneth in a darke place, ye do well, vntyll the day dawne, and the day starre arise in your heartes.
20 So that ye first knowe this, that no prophesie in the scripture is of any priuate motion.
21 For the prophesie came not in olde time by the wyll of man: but holy men of God, spake as they were moued by the holy ghost.
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.