Acts 1 | » |
1 In ye former treatise O Theophilus, we haue spoke of all that Iesus began to do and teache,
2 Untyll the day in which he was take vp, after that he through the holy ghost, had geuen commaundementes vnto the Apostles, whom he had chosen,
3 To whom also he shewed hym selfe alyue after his passion, and that by manye tokens, appearyng vnto them fourtie dayes, and speaking of the kingdome of God,
4 And gatheryng them together, commaunded them that they shoulde not depart from Hierusalem, but wayte for the promise of the father, wherof [saith he] ye haue hearde of me.
5 For Iohn truely baptized with water, but ye shalbe baptized with the holy ghost, after these fewe dayes.
6 When they therfore were come together, they asked of hym, saying: Lorde, wylt thou at this tyme restore agayne the kyngdome to Israel?
7 And he sayde vnto them: It is not for you to knowe the tymes, or the seasons, which the father hath put in his owne power.
8 But ye shall receaue power, after that the holy ghost is come vpon you: And ye shalbe witnesses vnto me, both in Hierusalem, and in al Iurie, & in Samarie, and euen vnto the worldes ende.
9 And when he had spoken these thynges, whyle they behelde, he was taken vp an hye, and a cloude receaued hym vp out of their syght.
10 And while they loked stedfastly vp towarde heaue, as he went, beholde, two men stoode by them in whyte apparell,
11 Which also sayde: Ye men of Galilee, why stande ye gasyng vp into heauen? This same Iesus, which is taken vp from you into heauen, shall so come, euen as ye haue seene hym go into heauen.
12 Then returned they vnto Hierusalem, from the mount that is called Oliuete, which is from Hierusalem a Sabboth dayes iourney.
13 And when they were come in, they went vp into a parlour, where abode both Peter, and Iames, and Iohn, and Andrewe, Philip and Thomas, Barthelmewe and Matthewe, Iames the sonne of Alpheus, & Simo Zelotes, and Iudas the brother of Iames.
14 These all continued with one accorde in prayer and supplication with the women, and Marie the mother of Iesus, and with his brethren.
15 And in those dayes, Peter stoode vp in the middes of the disciples, and said (The number of names together, were about an hundred and twentie)
16 Ye men and brethren, this scripture must needes haue ben fulfylled, which the holy ghost by the mouth of Dauid spake before of Iudas, which was guide to them that toke Iesus:
17 For he was numbred with vs, & had obteyned felowship in this ministerie.
18 And the same hath nowe purchased a fielde, with the rewarde of iniquitie? And when he was hanged, he burst a sunder in the middes, & all his bowels gusshed out.
19 And it is knowen vnto all the dwellers at Hierusalem, in so much that the same fielde is called in their mother tongue, Aceldema, that is to saye, the blood fielde.
20 For it is written in ye booke of psalmes: Let his habitation be desert, and no man be dwellyng therein: And his bishopricke let another take.
21 Wherfore, of these men which haue companyed with vs, all the tyme that the Lorde Iesus went in and out among vs,
22 Begynnyng from the baptisme of Iohn, vnto that same day that he was take vp from vs, must one be ordeyned, to be a witnesse with vs of his resurrection.
23 And they appoynted two, Ioseph which is called Barsabas, whose sirname was Iustus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, saying: Thou Lord which knowest the heartes of all men, shewe whether of these two thou haste chosen,
25 That he may take the rowme of this ministerie and Apostleship, from which Iudas by transgression fell, that he myght go to his owne place.
26 And they gaue foorth their lottes, & the lot fell vpon Matthias, and he was counted with the eleuen Apostles.
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.