« | Acts 24 | » |
1 And after fyue dayes, Ananias the hie priest descended, with the elders, and with a certayne oratour, named Tartullus, which appeared before the deputie agaynst Paul.
2 And when Paul was called foorth, Tartullus began to accuse hym, saying: Seyng that we obtayned great quietnesse by the meanes of thee, and that many good thynges are done vnto this nation through thy prouidence,
3 That alowe we euer, & in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankes.
4 Notwithstandyng, that I be not tedious vnto thee, I pray thee, that thou wouldest heare vs of thy curtesie a fewe wordes.
5 For we haue founde this man a pestilent felowe, and a mouer of debate vnto all the Iewes in the whole worlde, and a maynteyner of the sect of the Nazarites.
6 And hath gone about to pollute the temple: Whom we toke, and woulde haue iudged accordyng to our lawe.
7 But the hye captayne Lysias, came vpon vs, and with great violence toke hym away out of our handes,
8 Commaundyng his accusers to come vnto thee: Of whom thou mayest, yf thou wilt enquire, knowe the certayntie of all these thynges, wherof we accuse hym.
9 And the Iewes lykewyse affirmed, saying that these thynges were so.
10 The Paul, after that the deputie hym selfe had beckened vnto hym that he shoulde speake, aunswered: With a more quiet mynde do I aunswere for my selfe, forasmuch as I vnderstande, that thou haste ben of many yeres a iudge vnto this nation:
11 Because that thou mayest knowe, that there are yet but twelue dayes, sence I went vp to Hierusalem for to worshyp.
12 And they neither founde me in the temple disputyng with any man, either raysyng vp the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the citie.
13 Neither can they proue the thynges wherof they accuse me.
14 But this I confesse vnto thee, that after the way which they call heresie, so worship I the God of my fathers, beleuyng all thynges which are written in the lawe and the prophetes,
15 And haue hope towardes God, that the resurrection of the dead which they them selues loke for also, shalbe both of the iust and vniust.
16 And herein studie I, to haue alway a cleare conscience toward God, and toward men.
17 Nowe after many yeres, I came and brought almes to my nation, and offerynges:
18 In the which they founde me purified in the temple, neither with multitude, nor yet with vnquietnesse: (24:19) Howbeit, there were certayne Iewes out of Asia,
19 (24:20) Which ought to be here present before thee, & accuse me, yf they had ought agaynst me:
20 (24:21) Or els let these same here say, yf they haue founde any euyll doyng in me, whyle I stande here in the counsell:
21 (24:22) Except it be for this one voyce, that I cryed standyng among them, of the resurrection from the dead, am I iudged of you this day.
22 (24:23) And when Felix hearde these thynges, he deferred them, for he knewe very well of that way, and sayde: When Lysias the captayne is come downe, I will knowe the utmost of your matter.
23 (24:24) And he commaunded an vnder captayne to kepe Paul, and to let hym haue rest, and that he shoulde forbyd none of his acquayntaunce to minister vnto hym, or to come vnto hym.
24 (24:25) And after certayne dayes, when Felix came, with his wyfe Drusilla, which was a Iewesse, he called foorth Paul, and hearde hym of the fayth which is towarde Christe.
25 (24:26) And as he reasoned of ryghteousnesse, temperaunce, and iudgement to come, Felix trembled, and aunswered: Go thy way for this tyme, when I haue a conuenient season, I will sende for thee.
26 (24:27) He hoped also, that money shoulde haue ben geuen hym of Paul, that he myght loose hym: wherfore, he sent for hym the oftener, and communed with hym.
27 (24:28) But after two yere, Porcius Festus came into Felix rowme: And Felix wyllyng to shewe the Iewes a pleasure, left Paul bounde.
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.