« | Acts 11 | » |
1 And the apostles & brethre that were in Iurie, hearde that ye heathe had also receaued the worde of God.
2 And when Peter was come vp to Hierusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended agaynst hym,
3 Saying: Thou wentest in to men vncircucised, & diddest eate with them.
4 But Peter rehearsed the matter from the begynnyng, and expounded it by order vnto them, saying:
5 I was in the citie of Ioppa praying, and in a traunce I sawe a vision, a certayne vessell descende, as it had ben a great sheete, let downe from heauen by the foure corners, and it came to me.
6 Upon the which whe I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, & sawe fourefooted beastes of the earth, and wylde beastes, and wormes, and foules of the ayre.
7 And I hearde a voyce, saying vnto me: aryse Peter, slay, and eate.
8 But I sayde, Not so Lorde: For nothyng common or vncleane hath at any tyme entred into my mouth.
9 But the voyce aunswered me agayne from heaue: Make them not comon which God hath cleansed.
10 And this was done three tymes: And all were taken vp agayne into heauen.
11 And beholde, immediatly there were three men, alredy come vnto the house where I was, sent from Cesarea vnto me.
12 And the spirite sayde vnto me, that I shoulde go with the, without doubting. Moreouer, these sixe brethren accompanyed me, & we entred into the mans house:
13 And he shewed vs, howe he had seene an Angel in his house, which stoode and sayde vnto hym: Sende men to Ioppa, and call for Simon, whose sirname is Peter:
14 He shal tell thee wordes, wherby both thou and all thyne house shalbe saued.
15 And as I began to speake, the holy ghost fell on them, as he dyd on vs at the begynnyng.
16 Then came it to my remembraunce, howe that the Lorde sayde: Iohn baptized with water, but ye shalbe baptized with the holy ghost.
17 For as much then, as God gaue them the lyke gyft as he dyd vnto vs, when we beleued on the Lorde Iesus Christ: what was I, that I shoulde haue withstande God?
18 When they hearde these thynges, they helde their peace, and glorified God, saying: Then hath God also to ye Gentiles, graunted repentaunce vnto lyfe.
19 They also which were scattered abrode through the affliction that arose about Steuen, walked throughout vnto Phenices, and Cypers, and Antioche, preachyng the worde to no man, but vnto the Iewes only.
20 And some of the were men of Cypers, and Cyrenes, which when they were come to Antioche, spake vnto ye Grekes, and preached the Lorde Iesus.
21 And the hande of the Lorde was with them, and a great number beleued and turned vnto the Lorde.
22 Then tydynges of these thinges came vnto the cares of the Churche, which was in Hierusale: And they sent foorth Barnabas, that he shoulde go vnto Antioche.
23 Which when he came, and had seene the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they woulde cleaue vnto the Lorde.
24 For he was a good man, and full of the holy ghost, and of fayth: And much people was added vnto the Lorde.
25 Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seeke Saul.
26 And when he had founde hym, he brought hym vnto Antioche. And it came to passe, that a whole yere they had their couersation with the Church there, & taught much people: in so much, that the disciples of Antioche, were the first that were called Christians.
27 And in those dayes, came prophetes from Hierusalem vnto Antioche.
28 And there stoode vp one of them named Agabus, and signified by the spirite, that there shoulde be great dearth throughout all the worlde: which came to passe in the dayes of Claudius Cesar.
29 Then the disciples, euery man accordyng to his abilitie, purposed to sende succour vnto the brethren which dwelt in Iurie.
30 Which thyng they also dyd, and sent it to the elders by the handes of Barnabas and Saul.
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.