« | Matthew 3 | » |
1 In those dayes, came Iohn the Baptist, preachyng in the wyldernesse of Iurie, and saying.
2 Repent, for the kingdome of heauen is at hande.
3 For this is he, of whom it is spoken by the prophete Esayas, saying. The voyce of one crying in the wyldernesse: prepare ye the way of the Lorde, make his pathes strayght.
4 This Iohn had his rayment of Camels heere, and a girdle of a skynne about his loynes, his meate was locustes, and wylde hony.
5 Then went out to hym Hierusalem, and all Iurie, and all the region rounde about Iordane,
6 And were baptized of hym in Iordane, confessyng their sinnes.
7 But when he sawe many of the Pharisees, and Saducees come to his baptisme, he sayde vnto them. O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the anger to come?
8 Bryng foorth therefore fruites meete for repentaunce.
9 And be not of suche mynde, that ye woulde say within your selues, we haue Abraham to [our] father. For I say vnto you, that God is able, of these stones to rayse vp chyldren vnto Abraham.
10 Euen now is the axe also put vnto the roote of the trees: therefore, euery tree which bryngeth not foorth good fruite, is hewen downe, and cast into the fire.
11 I baptize you in water vnto repentaunce: But he that shall come after me, is mightier then I, whose shoes I am not worthy to beare, he shall baptize you with the holy ghost, and with fire.
12 Whose fanne is in his hande, and he wyll purge his floore, and gather his wheate into [his] garner: but wyl burne vp the chaffe with vnquencheable fire.
13 Then commeth Iesus from Galilee to Iordane, vnto Iohn, to be baptized of hym.
14 But Iohn forbad hym, saying. I haue nede to be baptized of thee, and commest thou to me?
15 Iesus aunsweryng, sayde vnto hym: Suffer it to be so nowe. For thus it becommeth vs, to fulfyll all righteousnes. Then he suffred hym.
16 And Iesus, when he was baptized, came strayghtwaye out of the water, and loe the heauens was open vnto hym, and (Iohn) sawe the spirite of God descendyng lyke a doue, and lyghtyng vpon hym.
17 And loe, there (came) a voyce from the heauens, saying: This is my beloued sonne, in whom I am well pleased.
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.