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1 For this cause I Paul [am] a prisoner of Iesus Christe, for you heathen:
2 Yf ye haue hearde of the dispensatio of the grace of God, which is geuen me to youwarde:
3 For by reuelation shewed he the misterie vnto me (as I wrote afore in fewe wordes:
4 Whereby, when ye reade, ye may vnderstande my knowledge in the misterie of Christe)
5 Which [misterie] in other ages was not opened vnto the sonnes of men, as it is nowe reuealed vnto his holy apostles and prophetes by the spirite,
6 That the gentiles shoulde be inheritours also, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christe, by the Gospell:
7 Wherof I am made a minister, accordyng to the gyfte of the grace of God, which is geuen vnto me after the workyng of his power.
8 Unto me the least of all saintes is this grace geuen, that I shoulde preache among the gentiles the vnsearchable ryches of Christe,
9 And to bring to lyght to all men what the felowship of the misterie is whiche from the begynnyng of the world hath ben hid in god, which made all thinges through Iesus Christe:
10 To thintent that nowe vnto the rulers and power in heauenly [thynges] myght be knowen by ye Church, the very manyfolde wysedome of God:
11 According to ye eternall purpose which he wrought in Christe Iesus our Lord:
12 By who we haue boldnesse & entraunce in ye confidence which is by faith of him.
13 Wherfore I desire that ye faynt not in my tribulations for you, whiche is your glorie.
14 For this cause I bowe my knees vnto the father of our Lorde Iesus Christe,
15 Of who all the famyly in heauen and earth is named:
16 That he would graunt you, according to the rychesse of his glorie, to be strengthed with myght by his spirite in the inner man.
17 That Christe may dwell in your heartes by fayth: that ye beyng rooted and grounded in loue,
18 Myght be able to comprehende with al saintes, what is the breadth, & length, and deapth, and heygth:
19 And to knowe the loue of Christe, whiche excelleth knowledge, that ye might be fylled with all fulnesse of God.
20 Unto him that is able to do exceeding aboundauntly aboue all that we aske or thynke, accordyng to the power that worketh in vs,
21 Be prayse in the Churche by Christe Iesus, throughout all ages, worlde without ende. Amen.
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.