« | James 2 | » |
1 My brethren, haue not the fayth of our Lorde Iesus Christe, the Lord of glorie, with respect of persons.
2 For yf there come into your companie a man wearing a golde ryng, clothed in goodly apparell, and there come in also a poore man in vile rayment:
3 And ye haue a respect to hym that weareth the gay clothyng, and say vnto hym, sitte thou here in a good place: & say vnto the poore, stande thou there, or sitte here vnder my footestoole:
4 Are ye not partiall in your selues, and are made iudges of euyll thoughtes?
5 Hearken my deare beloued brethren. Hath not God chosen the poore of this worlde, such as are riche in fayth, and heyres of the kyngdome, which he promised to them that loue hym?
6 But ye haue despised the poore. Do not riche men oppresse you by tirannie, and drawe you before the iudgementes seates?
7 Do not they blaspheme that good name by the which you are named?
8 If ye fulfyll the royal lawe, according to the scripture, thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe, ye do well:
9 But yf ye regarde one person more then another, ye commit sinne, and are rebuked of the lawe, as transgressours.
10 Whosoeuer shal kepe the whole lawe, and yet fayle in one poynt, he is gyltie of all.
11 For he that sayde, thou shalt not commit adulterie: sayde also, thou shalt not kyll. Though thou do none adulterie, yet yf thou kyll, thou art become a transgressour of the lawe.
12 So speake ye, and so do, as they that shalbe iudged by the lawe of libertie.
13 For he shall haue iudgement without mercie, that sheweth no mercie: And mercie reioyceth agaynst iudgement.
14 What profiteth it my brethren, though a man say he hath fayth, and hath not deedes? Can fayth saue hym?
15 If a brother or a sister be naked, and destitute of dayly foode,
16 And one of you say vnto them, depart in peace, be you warmed and fylled: notwithstandyng, ye geue them not those thinges which are nedefull to, the body, what shall it profite?
17 Euen so, fayth, yf it haue not deedes, is dead in it selfe:
18 But some man wyll say, thou hast fayth and I haue deedes: shewe me thy fayth by thy deedes, and I wyll shewe thee my faith by my deedes.
19 Beleuest thou that there is one God? Thou doest well. The deuyls also beleue, and tremble.
20 But wylt thou knowe, O thou vayne man, that that fayth which is without workes, is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father iustified through workes, when he had offered Isaac his sonne vpon the aulter?
22 Seest thou not, howe ye faith wrought with his deedes, and through ye deedes was the fayth made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfylled, which sayth: Abraham beleued God, and it was reputed vnto hym for ryghteousnesse: And he was called the friende of God.
24 Ye see then, howe that of deedes a man is iustified, and not of fayth only.
25 Lykewyse also, was not Rahab the harlot iustified through workes, when she had receaued the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirite is dead: euen so, fayth without workes, is dead [also]
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.