« | Hebrews 6 | » |
1 Therefore leauyng the doctrine of the begynnyng of Christe, let vs go foorth vnto perfection, not laying agayne the foundatio of repentaunce from dead workes, and of fayth towarde God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptismes, and of laying on of handes, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternall iudgement.
3 And this wyll I do, yf God permit.
4 For it can not be that they which were once lighted, and haue tasted of the heauenly gyft, and were become partakers of the holy ghost,
5 And haue tasted of the good worde of God, and the powers of the worlde to come:
6 And they fall away, shoulde be renued agayne into repentaunce, hauyng crucified to the selues the sonne of God a fresshe, and made a mocke of hym.
7 For the earth which drynketh in the rayne that commeth oft vppon it, and bringeth foorth hearbes meete for them by whom also it is dressed, receaueth blessyng of God:
8 But that grounde whiche beareth thornes and bryers, is reproued, and is nye vnto cursyng, whose ende is to be burned.
9 Neuerthelesse, deare frendes, we haue perswaded our selues better thynges of you, and thynges whiche accompanie saluation, though we thus speake.
10 For God is not vnryghteous, to forget your worke & labour of loue, whiche ye haue shewed towarde his name, hauyng ministred to the saintes, and [do] minister.
11 Yea and we desire that euery one of you do shewe the same diligence, to the full assuraunce of hope, vnto the ende,
12 That ye faynt not, but be folowers of them which through fayth and pacience inherite the promises.
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he had no greater to sweare by, he sware by hym selfe,
14 Saying: Surely, blessyng I wyll blesse thee, and multipliyng, multiplie thee.
15 And so after that he had taryed paciently, he enioyed the promise.
16 For men veryly sweare by the greater, and an oth for confirmation, is to them an ende of all stryfe.
17 Wherein God wyllyng very aboundauntly to shewe vnto the heires of promise, the stablenesse of his counsayle, confirmed by an oth:
18 That by two immutable thynges, in whiche it was vnpossible for God to lye, we myght haue a strong consolation, which haue fledde to holde fast the hope layde before vs:
19 Which [hope] we holde as an ancker of the soule both sure and stedfast, and entryng in, into that thing which is within the vayle:
20 Whyther the forerunner is for vs entred [euen] Iesus, after the order of Melchisedech made a priest for euer.
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.