« | Matthew 28 |
1 In the later ende of the Sabboth day, whiche dawneth the first daye of the weke, came Marie Magdalen, and the other Marie, to see the sepulchre.
2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for the Angell of the Lorde descended from heauen, and came & roulled backe the stone from the doore, and sate vpon it.
3 His countenaunce was lyke lyghtnyng, and his rayment white as snowe.
4 And for feare of him, the kepers were astonyed, and became as dead men.
5 The Angell aunswered, and sayde vnto the women, feare ye not: For I knowe that ye seke Iesus whiche was crucified.
6 He is not here, he is rysen, as he saide. Come, se the place where that the Lord was layde.
7 And go quickly, & tell his disciples that he is rysen agayne from the dead. And beholde, he goeth before you into Galilee, there shall ye see hym. Loe, I haue tolde you.
8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre, with feare, and great ioy, and dyd runne, to bryng his disciples worde.
9 And as they went to tell his disciples, beholde, Iesus met them, saying: All hayle. And they came and helde him by the feete, and worshypped hym.
10 Then sayde Iesus vnto them: be not afrayde. Go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, & there shal they see me.
11 When they were gone, beholde, some of the watche came into the citie, and shewed vnto the hye priestes all the thynges that were done.
12 And they gathered the together, with the elders, and toke councell, and gaue large money vnto the souldiers,
13 Saying. Saye ye, that his disciples came by nyght, & stole hym away while ye slept.
14 And yf this come to the deputies [eares] we wyll perswade hym, and saue you harmelesse.
15 So they toke the money, & dyd as they were taught. And this saying is noysed among the Iewes, vntyl this day.
16 Then the eleuen disciples went awaye into Galilee, into a mountayne, where Iesus had appoynted them.
17 And when they sawe hym, they worshypped hym: But some doubted.
18 And Iesus came, and spake vnto the, saying: All power is geuen vnto me in heauen and in earth.
19 Go ye therfore, & teache all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the sonne, and of the holye ghost:
20 Teachyng the to obserue all thynges, whatsoeuer I haue commaunded you. And loe, I am with you alway, euen vnto the ende 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.