« | Galatians 3 | » |
1 O foolishe Galathians, who hath bewitched you, that ye shoulde not obey ye trueth? To whom Iesus Christe was described before the eyes, & among you crucified.
2 This only woulde I learne of you, whether ye receaued the spirite by the deedes of the lawe, or by the hearyng of the fayth?
3 Are ye such fooles, that after ye haue begun in the spirite, ye woulde nowe ende in the fleshe?
4 Haue ye suffered so great thynges in vayne? Yf it be yet in vayne.
5 He therfore that ministreth to you the spirite, and worketh miracles among you, doth he it through the deedes of the lawe, or by hearyng of the fayth?
6 Euen as Abraham beleued God, & it was ascribed to hym for righteousnesse.
7 Knowe ye therfore, that they which are of fayth, the same are the chyldren of Abraham.
8 For the scripture seyng aforehande that God woulde iustifie the Heathen through fayth, shewed beforehand glad tydynges vnto Abraham, [saying]: In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then, they which be of fayth, are blessed with the faythfull Abraham.
10 For as many as are of the deedes of the lawe, are vnder the curse. For it is writte: Cursed is euery one that continueth not in all thinges which are written in the booke of the lawe, to do them.
11 But that no man is iustified by ye lawe in the sight of God, it is euident. For the iust shall lyue by fayth.
12 And the lawe is not of fayth: but the man that doth them, shall lyue in them.
13 Christe hath redeemed vs from the curse of the lawe, beyng made a curse for vs. For it is written: Cursed is euery one that hangeth on tree:
14 That the blessyng of Abraham might come on the gentiles through Iesus Christe, that we myght receaue the promise of the spirite through fayth.
15 Brethren, I speake after ye maner of men: Though it be but a mans testamet, yet if it be alowed, no man reiecteth it, or addeth therto.
16 To Abraham and his seede were the promises made. He sayth not to the seedes, as of many: but to thy seede, as of one, which is Christe.
17 This I say, that the lawe which began afterwarde, beyonde foure hundred and thirtie yeres, doth not disanull the testament that was confirmed afore of God, vnto Christe warde, to make the promise of none effect.
18 For yf the inheritauce be of the lawe, then not nowe of promise: But God gaue it vnto Abraham by promise.
19 Wherfore then [serueth] the lawe? It was added because of transgressions, tyl the seede came to whom the promise was made: and it was ordayned by Angels in the hande of a mediatour.
20 A mediatour is not [a mediatour] of one, but God is one.
21 Is the lawe then against the promise of God? God forbyd. For yf there had ben a lawe geuen which coulde haue geuen life: then no doubt righteousnesse shoulde haue ben by the lawe.
22 But the scripture hath concluded all vnder sinne, that the promise by ye fayth of Iesus Christe shoulde be geuen vnto them that beleue.
23 But before fayth came, we were kept vnder the lawe, and were shut vp vnto the fayth which shoulde afterwarde be reuealed.
24 Wherfore, the lawe was our scholemaister vnto Christe, that we shoulde be iustified by fayth.
25 But after that fayth is come, we are no longer vnder a scholemaister.
26 For ye are all the chyldren of God by fayth in Christe Iesu.
27 For all ye that are baptized, haue put on Christe.
28 There is no Iewe, neither Greke, there is neither bonde nor free, there is neither male, nor female: For ye are all one in Christe Iesu.
29 If [ye be] Christes, then are ye Abrahams seede, and heyres accordyng to the promise.
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.