Romans 1 | » |
1 Paul the seruaunt of Iesus Christe, called [to be] an Apostle, seuered into the Gospel of God.
2 Which he had promised afore by his prophetes in ye holy scriptures
3 Of his sonne, which was made of the seede of Dauid after the fleshe:
4 And hath ben declared to be the sonne of God, with power after the spirite that sanctifieth, by the resurrectio from the dead, of Iesus Christe our Lorde.
5 By whom we haue receaued grace and apostleship, that obedience myght be geuen vnto the fayth in his name, among all heathen.
6 Among whom, ye are also the called of Iesus Christe:
7 To all that be in Rome, beloued of God, saintes by callyng, grace to you, and peace, from God our father, and the Lorde Iesus Christe.
8 First verily I thanke my God through Iesus Christe for you all, that your fayth is publisshed throughout all the worlde.
9 For God is my witnesse, whom I serue with my spirite in the Gospell of his sonne, that without ceassyng I make mention of you,
10 Praying alwayes in my prayers, that by some meane at the last, one tyme or other, I myght take a prosperous iourney by the wyll of God, to come vnto you.
11 For I long to see you, that I myght bestowe among you some spirituall gift, that ye myght be stablisshed.
12 That is, that I might haue consolation together with you, eche with others fayth, yours and mine.
13 I woulde that ye should knowe brethren, howe that I haue oftentymes purposed to come vnto you ( and haue ben let hytherto,) that I myght haue some fruite also among you, as among other of the gentiles.
14 I am debter both to the grekes, and to the barbarous, both to the wyse, and to the vnwise.
15 So that as much as in me is, I am redy to preache the Gospell to you that are at Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the Gospell of Christ, because it is the power of God vnto saluation to all that beleue, to the Iewe first, and also to the Greke.
17 For by it is the ryghteousnes of God opened fro fayth to fayth. As it is written: the iuste shall lyue by fayth.
18 For the wrath of God appeareth from heauen, against all vngodlynesse & vnrighteousnes of men, which withholde the trueth in vnrighteousnes.
19 For that that may be knowen of God, is manifest among them, because God hath shewed it vnto them.
20 For his inuisible thinges, being vnderstanded by his workes, through the creation of the worlde, are seene, that is, both his eternall power and godhead: So that they are without excuse.
21 Because that when they knewe God, they glorified hym not as God, neither were thankefull, but waxed full of vanities in their imaginations, and their foolishe heart was blynded.
22 When they counted them selues wyse, they became fooles:
23 And turned the glorie of the immortall God, vnto an image, made not only after the similitude of a mortal man, but also of birdes, and foure footed beastes, and of crepyng beastes.
24 Wherefore God gaue them vp to vncleanenesse, through the lustes of their owne heartes, to defyle their owne bodies among them selues.
25 Whiche chaunged his trueth for a lye, and worshipped and serued the creature, more then the creator, which is to be praysed for euer. Amen.
26 Wherefore God gaue them vp vnto shamefull lustes: For euen their women dyd chaunge the naturall vse, into that which is agaynst nature.
27 And likewise also, the men left the naturall vse of the woman, and brent in their lustes one with another, and men with men wrought fylthynesse, and receaued to them selues the rewarde of their errour (as it was accordyng)
28 And as they regarded not to knowe God: euen so God deliuered them vp vnto a leude mynde, that they should do those thinges which were not comely:
29 Beyng full of all vnrighteousnes, fornication, craftynesse, couetousnes, maliciousnes, full of enuie, murther, debate, deceite, euyll conditioned, whysperers,
30 Backbyters, haters of God, dispiteful, proude, boasters, bryngers vp of euyll thinges, disobedient to father & mother:
31 Without vnderstandyng, couenaunt breakers, without naturall affection, truice breakers, vnmercyfull.
32 The whiche knowyng the righteousnes of God, howe that they which commit such thynges are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also haue pleasure in them that do them.
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.