« | Acts 17 | » |
1 As they made their iourney thorowe Amphipolis, and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Iewes.
2 And Paul, as his maner was, went in vnto them, and three Sabboth dayes disputed with the out of the scriptures,
3 Openyng and alleagyng, that Christ must needes haue suffred, and rysen agayne from the dead, and that this is Christe Iesus, which I preache to you.
4 And some of them beleued, and ioyned with Paul and Silas, and of the deuout Grekes a great multitude, and of the chiefe women not a fewe.
5 But the Iewes whiche beleued not, moued with enuie, toke vnto them certaine vagaboundes and euyll men, and gathered a companie, and set all the citie on a rore, and made assault vnto the house of Iason, & sought to bryng them out to the people.
6 And when they founde them not, they drewe Iason and certaine brethren vnto the heades of the citie, crying: these that trouble the world, are come hyther also,
7 Whom Iason hath receaued [priuily.] And these al do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another kyng [one] Iesus.
8 And they troubled the people, and the officers of the citie, when they hearde these thynges.
9 And when they were sufficiently aunswered of Iason, and of the other, they let them go.
10 And the brethren immediatlye sent away Paul & Silas by nyght, vnto Berea: Which when they were come thyther, they entred into the synagogue of the Iewes.
11 These were the noblest of birth among them of Thessalonica, which receaued the worde with all redynesse of mynde, and searched the scriptures dayly, whether those thynges were so.
12 Therfore many of them beleued. Also of honest women which were Grekes, and of men not a fewe.
13 But when the Iewes of Thessalonica had knowledge that ye worde of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thyther and moued the people.
14 And then immediatly the brethren sent away Paul, to go as it were to the sea: but Silas & Timotheus abode there styll.
15 And they that guyded Paul, brought hym vnto Athens, and receaued a commaundement vnto Silas & Timotheus for to come to hym with speede, & went their way.
16 Whyle Paul wayted for them at Athens, his spirite was moued in hym, when he sawe the citie geue to worshippyng of idoles.
17 Therfore disputed he in the synagogue with the Iewes, and with the deuout persons, and in the market dayly with them that came vnto hym by chaunce.
18 Then certaine philosophers of the Epicures, and of the Stoickes disputed with hym. And some saide: What wyll this babler say? Other some, he seemeth to be a setter foorth of newe gods: because he preached vnto them Iesus, and the resurrection.
19 And they toke hym, and brought him into Marce streate, saying: Maye we not knowe what this newe doctrine wherof thou speakest is?
20 For thou bryngest certaine straunge thinges to our eares: We would knowe therfore what these thynges meane.
21 For all the Athenians and straungers which were there, gaue them selues to nothing els, but either to tell or to heare some newe thyng.
22 Then Paul stoode in the myddes of Marce streate, and sayde: ye men of Athens, I perceaue that in all thynges ye are to superstitious.
23 For as I passed by, and behelde the maner howe ye worship your gods, I founde an aulter, wherin was written, vnto the vnknowe god. Whom ye then ignorauntly worship, him shewe I vnto you.
24 God that made the worlde, & all that are in it, seing that he is Lorde of heaue and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with handes:
25 Neither is worshipped with mens handes, as though he needed of any thing, seing he him selfe geueth life and breath to all, euery where.
26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all ye face of the earth, & hath determined the tymes before appoynted, and also the boundes of their habitation:
27 That they shoulde seke the Lorde, yf perhappes they myght haue felt and founde hym, though he be not farre fro euery one of vs.
28 For in hym we liue, and moue, & haue our beyng, as certaine of your owne poetes sayde: for we are also his offpryng.
29 Forasmuch then as we are the offpring of God, we ought not to thynke that the Godhead is lyke vnto golde, siluer, or stone, grauen by art, and mans deuice.
30 And the tyme of this ignoraunce God wyncked at: but nowe byddeth all men euery where to repent:
31 Because he hath appoynted a day in the which he wyll iudge the worlde in ryghteousnesse, by that man by whom he hath appoynted, and hath offered fayth to all men, in that he hath raysed hym from the dead.
32 And when they hearde of the resurrection from the dead, some mocked, and other sayde, we wyll heare thee agayne of this matter.
33 So Paul departed from among them.
34 Howe be it, certaine men claue vnto hym, and beleued: among the whiche was Denys Areopagita, and a woman named Damaris, & other with them.
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.