« | Matthew 17 | » |
1 And after sixe dayes, Iesus taketh Peter, Iames, and Iohn his brother, and bryngeth them vp into an hye mountayne, out of the way,
2 And was transfigured before them, and his face did shyne as the sunne, and his clothes were as whyte as the lyght.
3 And beholde, there appeared vnto them, Moyses, and Elias talkyng with hym.
4 Then aunswered Peter, and sayde vnto Iesus: Lorde, it is good for vs to be here. If thou wylt, let vs make here three tabernacles: one for thee, and one for Moyses, and one for Elias.
5 Whyle he yet spake, beholde, a bryght cloude shadowed them: And beholde, [there came] a voyce out of the cloude, which sayde, this is my beloued sonne in whom I am well pleased, heare hym.
6 And when the disciples hearde [these thynges] they fell on their face, and were sore afrayde.
7 And Iesus came, and touched them, and sayde: aryse, and be not afrayde.
8 And when they had lyft vp their eyes, they sawe no man, saue Iesus only.
9 And when they came downe from the mountayne, Iesus charged them, saying: shewe the vision to no man, vntyll the sonne of man be rysen agayne from the dead.
10 And his disciples asked hym, saying: Why then say the scribes, that Elias must first come?
11 Iesus aunswered, & sayde vnto them: Elias truely shall first come, and restore all thynges:
12 But I say vnto you, that Elias is come alredy, and they knewe hym not, but haue done vnto hym, whatsoeuer they lusted.
13 Lykewyse, shall also the sonne of man suffer of them. Then the disciples vnderstode, that he spake vnto them of Iohn Baptist.
14 And when they were come to the people, there came to hym a certayne man, knelyng downe to hym, and saying:
15 Lorde, haue mercy on my sonne, for he is lunaticke, and sore vexed: for oft tymes he falleth into the fyre, and oft into the water.
16 And I brought hym to thy disciples, and they coulde not heale hym.
17 Iesus aunswered and sayde: O faythlesse and croked nation, howe long shall I be with you? howe long shal I suffer you? bryng hym hyther to me.
18 And Iesus rebuked the deuyll, and he departed out of hym: And the chylde was healed euen that same tyme.
19 Then came the disciples to Iesus secretely, and sayde: why coulde not we cast hym out?
20 Iesus sayde vnto them: because of your vnbeliefe. For veryly I say vnto you: If ye haue fayth as a grayne of mustarde seede, ye shall say vnto this mountayne: remoue hence to yonder place, and it shall remoue, neither shall any thyng be vnpossible vnto you.
21 Howebeit, this kynde goeth not out, but by prayer and fastyng.
22 Whyle they were occupyed in Galilee, Iesus sayde vnto them: it wyll come to passe, that the sonne of man shalbe betrayed into the handes of men:
23 And they shall kyll hym, & the thyrde day shall he ryse agayne: And they were exceadyng sory.
24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that receaued tribute money, came to Peter, and sayde: Doth not your maister pay tribute?
25 He sayth: yes. And when he was come into the house, Iesus preuented hym, saying: What thynkest thou Simon? of whom do the kynges of the earth take tribute or toule? of the chyldren, or of straungers?
26 Peter sayth vnto hym: of straungers. Iesus sayth vnto hym: Then are the chyldren free.
27 Notwithstandyng, lest we shoulde offende them, go thou to the sea, and cast an angle, and take the fisshe that first commeth vp: and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt fynde a peece of twenty pence: that take, and geue it vnto them for me, and thee.
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.