2 Timothy 1 | » |
1 Paul an Apostle of Iesus Christe by the wyll of God, according to the promise of lyfe, which is in Christ Iesus,
2 To Timothie a beloued sonne: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the father, and Christe Iesus our Lorde.
3 I thanke God whom I worshippe from [my] forefathers in pure conscience, that without ceassyng I haue remembrauce of thee in my prayers night & day
4 Desiryng to see thee, myndefull of thy teares: that I may be fylled with ioy.
5 When I call to remembraunce the vnfaigned fayth that is in thee, whiche dwelt first in thy graundmother Lois, and in thy mother Eunica: and I am assured that [it dwelleth] in thee also.
6 Wherfore I put thee in remebraunce that thou stirre vp the gyft of God, which is in thee by the puttyng on of my handes.
7 For God hath not geuen to vs the spirite of feare: but of power, and of loue, and of a sounde mynde.
8 Be not thou therfore ashamed of the testimonie of our Lorde, neither of me his prisoner: but suffer thou aduersitie with the Gospell, accordyng to the power of God,
9 Who hath saued vs, & called vs with an holy callyng, not accordyng to our workes: but accordyng to his owne purpose and grace, which was geuen vs in Christe Iesus, before the world began:
10 But is nowe made manifest by the appearyng of our sauiour Iesus Christ, who hath put away death, and hath brought life and immortalitie vnto light through the Gospell:
11 Wherunto I am appoynted, a preacher and Apostle, and a teacher of the gentiles:
12 For the which cause I also suffer these thynges. Neuerthelesse, I am not ashamed: For I knowe whom I haue beleued, and I am perswaded that he is able to kepe that which I haue committed to hym, agaynst that day.
13 See thou haue the paterne of wholesome wordes, which thou hast hearde of me in fayth & loue, [that is] in Christe Iesus.
14 That good thyng which was committed to thy keping, holde fast through the holy ghost which dwelleth in vs.
15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia, be turned from me: of who are Phygellus & Hermogenes.
16 The Lorde geue mercie vnto ye house of Onesiphorus, for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chayne.
17 But whe he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and founde [me].
18 The Lorde graunt vnto hym, that he may fynde mercie with the Lorde in that day: And in howe many thynges he ministred vnto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.
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.