« | John 20 | » |
1 The first day of ye Sabbothes, came Marie Magdalene early, whe it was yet darke, vnto the sepulchre, and sawe the stone taken awaye from the graue.
2 Then she ranne, & came to Simo Peter, & to the other disciple who Iesus loued, & saith vnto the: They haue take away the Lorde out of the graue, & we can not tell where they haue layde him.
3 Peter therfore went foorth, and that other disciple, & came to the sepulchre.
4 They ran both together, & the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre:
5 And when he had stowped downe, he sawe the linnen clothes lying, yet went he not in.
6 Then came Simon Peter folowyng hym, and went into the sepulchre, and sawe the lynnen clothes lye,
7 And the napkin yt was about his head not lying with the linnen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by it selfe.
8 Then went in also that other disciple, whiche came first to the sepulchre, and he sawe, and beleued.
9 For as yet they knew not ye scripture, that he should rise agayne from death.
10 Then the disciples wet away agayne vnto their owne house.
11 Marie stoode without at the sepulchre weepyng: So, as she wepte, she bowed her selfe into the sepulchre,
12 And seeth two angels clothed in white, sittyng, the one at the head, & the other at the feete, where the body of Iesus was layde.
13 They saye vnto her: Woman, why weepest thou? She saith vnto the: For they haue taken away my Lorde, & I wote not where they haue layde him.
14 When she had thus sayde, she turned her selfe backe, and sawe Iesus standyng, and knewe not that it was Iesus.
15 Iesus saith vnto her: Woman, why weepest thou? Whom sekest thou? She supposing that he had ben the gardener, saith vnto him: Sir, if thou haue borne him hence, tel me where thou hast layde hym, and I wyll fet hym.
16 Iesus sayth vnto her, Marie. She turned her selfe, and sayde vnto hym: Rabboni, which is to say, Maister.
17 Iesus saith vnto her: Touche me not, for I am not yet ascended to my father: But go to my brethren, and saye vnto them, I ascende vnto my father and your father, and to my God & your God.
18 Marie Magdalene came and tolde the disciples that she had seene ye Lorde, and that he had spoken suche thynges vnto her.
19 The same day at nyght, whiche was the first day of the Sabbothes, when the doores were shut, where the disciples were assembled together for feare of the Iewes, came Iesus and stoode in the myddes, and sayth vnto them, peace be vnto you.
20 And when he had so sayde, he shewed vnto them his handes & his syde. Then were the disciples glad, when they sawe the Lorde.
21 Then sayde Iesus to them agayne, peace be vnto you: As my father sent me, euen so sende I you also.
22 And when he had saide those wordes, he breathed on them, & saith vnto them: Receaue ye the holy ghost.
23 Whosoeuers sinnes ye remit, they are remitted vnto them: And whosoeuers sinnes ye retayne, they are retayned.
24 But Thomas, one of the twelue, [which is] called Didymus, was not with them when Iesus came.
25 The other disciples therfore sayde vnto hym, we haue seene the Lorde. But he sayde vnto them: Except I see in his handes the print of the nayles, and put my fynger into the prynt of the nayles, and thruste my hande into his syde, I wyll not beleue.
26 And after eyght dayes, againe his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: Then came Iesus, when the doores were shutte, and stoode in the myddes, and sayde, peace be vnto you.
27 After that said he to Thomas: Bring thy fynger hyther, and see my handes, & reache hyther thy hande, and thrust it into my syde, and be not faythlesse, but beleuyng.
28 Thomas aunswered, and sayde vnto hym: My Lorde, and my God.
29 Iesus sayth vnto hym: Thomas, because thou hast seene me, thou hast beleued: Blessed are they that haue not seene, and yet haue beleued.
30 And many other signes truely dyd Iesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this booke.
31 These are written, that ye myght beleue that Iesus is Christe the sonne of God, and that in beleuyng, ye myght haue lyfe through his name.
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.