Philemon 1 |
1 Paul a prisoner of Iesus Christ, and brother Timotheus: Unto Philemo the beloued, and our felowe labourer,
2 And to the beloued Apphia, and to Archippus our felowe souldier, and to the Churche in thy house:
3 Grace to you, and peace from God our father, and the Lorde Iesus Christ.
4 I thanke my God, makyng mention alwayes of thee in my prayers,
5 Hearyng of thy loue and fayth, which thou hast towarde the Lorde Iesus, and towarde all saintes:
6 That the felowshippe of thy fayth may be effectuall in the knowledge of euery good [worke] which is in you, towarde Christe Iesus.
7 For we haue great ioy & consolation in thy loue, because the bowels of the saintes are refresshed by thee, brother.
8 Wherfore, though I myght be much bolde in Christe, to inioyne thee that which is conuenient:
9 Yet for loues sake, I rather beseche thee, beyng such a one as Paul the aged, & nowe also a prisoner of Iesus Christe.
10 I beseche thee for my sonne Onesimus, whom I haue begotten in my bondes:
11 Which in tyme passed, was to thee vnprofitable, but nowe profitable to thee and to me.
12 Whom I haue sent agayne: Thou therefore receaue hym, that is, myne owne bowels,
13 Whom I woulde haue retayned with me, that in thy steade he myght haue ministred vnto me in the bondes of the Gospell:
14 But without thy mynde woulde I do nothyng, that thy benefite shoulde not be as it were of necessitie, but willingly.
15 For happyly he therfore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receaue hym for euer:
16 Not nowe as a seruaunt, but aboue a seruaunt, a brother beloued, specially to me: but howe much more vnto thee, both in the fleshe, and in the Lorde?
17 If thou count me therfore a felowe, receaue hym as my selfe.
18 If he haue iniuried, or oweth [thee ought] that lay to my charge.
19 I Paul haue written it with myne owne hande, I wyll recompence it: Albeit, I do not say to thee, howe that thou owest vnto me euen thyne owne selfe.
20 Yea brother, let me enioy this pleasure of thee in the Lorde: Comfort my bowels in the Lorde.
21 Trustyng in thine obedience, I wrote vnto thee, knowyng, that thou wilt also do more then I say.
22 Moreouer, prepare me also a lodgyng: for I trust that through your prayers, I shalbe geuen vnto you.
23 There salute thee Epaphras, my felowe prisoner in Christe Iesus.
24 Marcus, Aristarcus, Demas, Lucas, my felowe labourers.
25 The grace of our Lorde Iesus Christ [be] with your spirite. Amen. [Written from Rome, by Onesimus a seruaunt.]
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.