James 1 | » |
1 Iames a seruaunt of God, and of the lorde Iesus Christ, to ye twelue tribes which are scattred abroade, greetyng.
2 My brethren, count it all ioy whe ye fall into diuers temptations:
3 Knowyng (this) that the trying of your fayth worketh patience:
4 And let patience haue [her] perfect worke, that ye may be perfect & sounde, lackyng nothyng.
5 If any of you lacke wisdome, let him aske of God, that geueth to all men indifferentlie, and casteth no man in the teeth: and it shalbe geuen hym.
6 But let hym aske in fayth, nothyng waueryng: For he that wauereth, is like a waue of the sea, tost of the wynde, and caryed with violence.
7 Neither let that man thynke that he shall receaue any thyng of the Lorde.
8 A double mynded man, [is] vnstable in all his wayes.
9 Let the brother of lowe degree, reioyce in that he is exalted:
10 Agayne, the riche, in that he is made lowe: Because as the flowre of the grasse he shall passe away.
11 For the sunne hath rysen with heate, and the grasse hath withered, and his flowre hath fallen away, & the beautie of the fashion of it hath perished: So also shall the ryche man fade away in his wayes.
12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: For when he is tryed, he shall receaue the crowne of lyfe, which the Lorde hath promised to them that loue hym.
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God can not be tempted with euyl, neither tempteth he any man:
14 But euery man is tempted, when he is drawen away, & entised of his owne concupiscence.
15 Then, when lust hath conceaued, it bryngeth foorth sinne: and sinne when it is finished, bryngeth foorth death.
16 Do not erre my deare brethren.
17 Euery good geuyng, and euery perfect gyft is from aboue, and cometh downe from the father of lyghtes, with who is no variablenes, neither shadow of turnyng.
18 Of his owne wyll begat he vs with the worde of trueth, that we shoulde be the first fruites of his creatures.
19 Wherfore my deare brethre, let euery man be swyft to heare, slowe to speake, slowe to wrath.
20 For the wrath of man, worketh not that which is ryghteous before God.
21 Wherfore, lay apart all filthinesse, and superfluitie of maliciousnes, and receaue with mekenesse, the worde that is graffed in you, which is able to saue your soules.
22 And be ye doers of the worde, and not hearers only, deceauyng your owne selues.
23 For yf any be a hearer of the worde, and not a doer, he is lyke vnto a man beholdyng his bodyly face in a glasse:
24 For he hath considered hym selfe, and is gone his wayes, & hath forgotten immediatly what his fashion was.
25 But who so loketh in the perfect lawe of libertie, and continueth [therin] he being not a forgetfull hearer, but a doer of the worke, shalbe blessed in his deede.
26 If any man among you seeme to be deuout, and refrayneth not his tongue, but deceaueth his owne heart, this mans deuotion is vayne.
27 Pure deuotion and vndefyled before God and the father, is this: To visite the fatherlesse and widdowes in their aduersitie, and to kepe hymselfe vnspotted of the worlde.
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.