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1 For euery hye priest taken from among men, is ordeined for men, in things parteynyng to God, to offer gyftes & sacrifices for sinne:
2 Which can sufficiently haue compassion on the ignoraunt, & on them that erre out of the waye, forasmuche as he hym selfe also is compassed with infirmitie.
3 And for ye same [infirmitie] he is bounde to offer for sinnes, aswell for hym selfe, as for the people.
4 And no man taketh the honour vnto hym selfe, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
5 Euen so, Christ also glorified not hym selfe to be made ye hye priest: but he that sayde vnto hym, thou art my sonne, to day haue I begotten thee [gaue it hym.]
6 As he saith also in another place: thou art a priest for euer, after the order of Melchisedech.
7 Which in the dayes of his fleshe, when he had offered vp prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares, vnto hym that was able to saue hym from death, and was hearde in that which he feared:
8 Though he were the sonne, yet learned he obediece, by these thinges which he suffred:
9 And being perfect, was made the aucthour of eternall saluation vnto al them that obey hym:
10 And is called of God an hye priest after the order of Melchisedech.
11 Of whom we haue many thynges to say, and harde to be vttered, seing ye are dull of hearyng.
12 For when as concernyng the tyme, ye ought to be teachers, yet haue ye nede againe that we teache you the first principles of the begynnyng of the worde of God, and are become such as haue nede of mylke, and not of strong meate.
13 For euery one that vseth mylke, is vnexpert of the worde of righteousnes, for he is a babe.
14 But strong meate belongeth to them that are perfecte, euen those whiche by reason of vse, haue their wittes exercised to discerne both good and euyll.
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.