2 Thessalonians 1 | » |
1 Paul and Siluanus and Timotheus, vnto the Church of the Thessalonians in God our father, and the Lord Iesus Christe:
2 Grace vnto you and peace from God our father, & the Lorde Iesus Christe.
3 We are bound to thanke God alwayes for you brethren, as it is meete, because that your fayth groweth exceedyngly, and the loue of euery one of you toward another aboundeth:
4 So that we our selues reioyce in you in the Churches of God, ouer your pacience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye suffer,
5 [Which is] a token of the ryghteous iudgment of God, that ye may be counted woorthy of the kyngdome of God, for which ye also suffer.
6 For it is a ryghteous thing with God, to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you:
7 And to you whiche are troubled, reste with vs, in the reuelation of the Lorde Iesus from heauen, with the Angels of his power,
8 In flamyng fire, rendryng vengeance vnto them that knowe not God, and that obey not the Gospell of our Lorde Iesus Christe.
9 Which shalbe punisshed with euerlastyng dampnation, from the presence of the Lorde, & fro the glorie of his power:
10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saintes, and to be made marueylous in all them that beleue (because our testimonie toward you was beleued) in that day.
11 Wherfore also we praye alwayes for you, that our God woulde make you worthy of the callyng, & fulfyll all good pleasure of goodnesse in the worke of fayth in power:
12 That the name of our Lorde Iesus Christe may be glorified in you, and ye in hym, accordyng to the grace of our God, and the Lorde Iesus Christe.
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.