« | Ephesians 2 | » |
1 And you that were dead in trespasses and sinnes,
2 In the which in time passed ye walked, according to the course of this worlde, after the gouernour that ruleth in the ayre, the spirite that nowe worketh in the chyldren of disobedience.
3 Among whom we all had our conuersation also in tyme past in the lustes of our flesshe, fulfyllyng the wyll of the flesshe, and of the mynde, & were by nature the chyldren of wrath, euen as other:
4 But God which is ryche in mercie, for his great loue wherwith he loued vs,
5 Euen when we were dead by sinnes, hath quickned vs together with Christ, by grace are ye saued:
6 And hath raysed [vs] vp together, and made [vs] syt together in the heauenly in Christe Iesus.
7 That in ages to come, he might shew the exceedyng ryches of his grace, in kyndnesse to vswarde through Christe Iesus.
8 For by grace are ye made safe through fayth, and that not of your selues, it is the gyft of God:
9 Not of workes, lest any man shoulde boast hym selfe.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christe Iesus vnto good workes, whiche God hath ordeyned that we shoulde walke in them.
11 Wherfore, remember that ye being in tyme passed gentiles in the flesshe, called vncircumcision of that which is called circumcision in the flesshe, made by handes:
12 That at that tyme ye were without Christe, beyng aliauntes from the common wealth of Israel, and straungers fro the testamentes of promise, hauyng no hope, & without God in this worlde.
13 But nowe in Christe Iesus, ye which sometyme were farre of, are made nye by the blood of Christe.
14 For he is our peace, which hath made both one: and hath broken downe the wall that was a stoppe betwene vs,
15 Taking away in his flesshe the hatred, [euen] the lawe of commaundementes, [conteyned] in ordinaunces, for to make of twayne one newe man in hym selfe, so makyng peace,
16 And that he myght reconcile both vnto God in one body through [his] crosse, and slewe hatred thereby.
17 And came and preached peace to you which were a farre of, and to them that were nye.
18 For through hym, we both haue an entraunce in one spirite vnto the father.
19 Nowe therefore, ye are no more straungers and foreyners: but citezins with the saintes, and of the housholde of God,
20 And are built vpon the foundation of the apostles and prophetes, Iesus Christe hym selfe beyng the head corner stone,
21 In whom all the buyldyng coupled together, groweth vnto an holy temple in the Lorde.
22 In whom ye also are buylded together for an habitation of God through the spirite.
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.