« | Hebrews 8 | » |
1 But of the thinges whiche we haue spoken, [this is] ye summe: We haue such an hye priest that sitteth on ye ryght hand of ye throne of the maiestie in the heaues,
2 A minister of holy thynges, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pight, and not man.
3 For euery hye priest is ordeyned to offer gyftes and sacrifices: Wherefore it is of necessitie, that this man haue somewhat also to offer.
4 For he were not a priest, yf he were on the earth, seyng there are priestes that accordyng to the lawe offer gyftes,
5 Who serue vnto the example and shadowe of heauenly thinges, as Moyses was admonished of God, when he was about to finishe the tabernacle: For see, saith he, that thou make all thynges accordyng to the patterne shewed to thee in the mount.
6 But nowe hath he obteyned a more excellent office, by howe much also he is the mediatour of a better couenaunt, whiche was confirmed in better promises.
7 For yf that first [couenaunt] had ben founde fautlesse, then shoulde no place haue ben sought for the seconde.
8 For in rebukyng them, he saith: Beholde the dayes come, saith the Lord, and I wyll finishe vppon the house of Israel and vppon the house of Iuda a newe couenaunt:
9 Not lyke that that I made with their fathers, in the day when I toke them by the hande, to leade them out of the lande of Egypt: because they continued not in my couenaunt, and I regarded them not, saith the Lorde.
10 For this is the couenaunt that I wyll make with the house of Israel after those dayes, saith the Lord, geuyng my lawes into their mynde, and in their heart I wyl write them, and I wyll be to them a God, and they shalbe to me a people.
11 And they shall not teach euery man his neyghbour, and euery man his brother, saying, knowe the Lorde: for all shall knowe me, from the litle of them to the great of them.
12 For I wyll be mercyfull to their vnrighteousnes, and their sinnes and their iniquities wyll I thynke vpon no more.
13 In that he sayth a newe [couenaunt] he hath worne out the first: For that which is worne out and waxed olde, is redie to vanishe away.
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.