Glimpses of Christian History Presents Pastwords #43: Preface to the Bishop's Bible by Matthew Parker ©2007

PARKER, MATTHEW (1504-75), Archbishop of Canterbury was educated at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he was elected a Fellow in 1527. Parker identified himself with moderate reformers. Under Henry VIII and Edward VI he received several preferments, and in the later reign took advantage of the permission to the clergy to marry. Under the Catholic Queen Mary he was deprived of his preferments, and lived in obscurity until 1559, when Elizabeth I chose him to fill the vacancy for Archbishop of Canterbury. He accepted the post with much reluctance and was consecrated at Lambeth Palace on 17 December 1559 by four bishops who had held sees in Edward VI's reign.

As archbishop, he took part in the issue of the Thirty-Nine Articles and of the Bishops' Bible, both intended to hold the "old" line, and published in 1566 his 'Advertisements' on ritual matters, which commanded the use of the surplice. Henceforward he had to face considerable opposition from the Puritan party, which embodied its aims in the Admonition to Parliament (1572). Parker was a wise and tolerant, though hardly a forceful, archbishop, preferring scholarship to controversy. He issued editions of the works of many medieval chroniclers, among them Matthew of Westminster (1567-70), Matthew Paris (1571) and Thomas of Walsingham (1574). The most considerable of his own writings was his De Antiquitate Britannicae Ecclesiae et Privilegiis Ecclesiae Cantuariensis cum Archiepiscopis eius lxx (1572). A large collection of the MSS, collected by or for him survives in the library of his college at Cambridge.

FIRST BIBLE PRODUCED DIRECTLY UNDER AUSPICES OF THE ENGLISH BISHOPS

1573 EDITION OF BISHOPS' BIBLE
(The Bishop's Committee's revision of the Great Bible to counter the popular and controversial Geneva Bible)

The Bishops' Bible, also called the "Treacle Bible," was first issued in 1568. Numerous editions followed. This Bible represented the first efforts of the Church to put forth a Bible after the suppression of the sacred book during the troublesome times of the previous thirty years when many translators met a martyr's death.

It was the official version comprising a revision of the Great Bible by Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, with the assistance of eight other bishops. At the convocation of the Province of Canterbury which met on April 3d, 1571, it was ordered that this Bible should be placed in every cathedral, and that every archbishop, bishop, dean, and other church dignitary should have a copy publicly exposed in the hall or dining room of his home for the use of his servants and strangers.

The first edition of this Bible was printed by Richard Jugge in large folio size and black letters. The title page is composed chiefly of a large woodcut with a picture of Queen Elizabeth in an oval in the centre. At the top of the page are merely the words:

The holie Bible
Conteynyng the olde
Testament and the newe.

Following the title page are "The summe of the whole scripture" 2 pages, and a table of "genealogie" 11 pages. Another table 2 pages, and "Proper lessons for Sundays" 2 pages; "Proper psalms"; "The order howe" to read; "a briefe declaration," an Almanacke, and another table of psalms, occupying 12 pages. Parker's preface 6 pages and Cranmer's prologue of 5 pages follow.

The text starts on folio i and ends cxxviii. The second title page before the new Testament is similar to the first except the portrait of Queen Elizabeth is omitted and in the oval is printed: "The newe Testament of our Saviour Jesus Christe." There are 57 lines to a full page.

This Bible is sometimes called the "treacle" Bible from Jeremiah viii-22, which reads: "Is there no tryacle in Gilead?" This line is rendered “rosin” in the Douai version, and in the authorized version of 1611 is changed to "balm."

The Bishop's Bible is a large, well printed book and had a wide circulation.

The new Testament, so called, conteynyng the writinges of the Evangelistes, with the Epistles of Christes Apostles, and with other suche divine bookes, declare playnely unto us the summe and effect of all the scriptures expressed in the olde Testament. That whiche was in figure and in obscuritie involved by the patriarkes and prophetes in their propheticall volumes, written by the inspiration of the holy ghost: is in this booke more playnely and evidently set out, uttered also in the selfe same spirite by the chyldren of the prophets, the holy Apostles. In deede the lawe was geven by Moses, but grace and veritie came by Jesus Christ, which grace this booke of the newe Testament doth most evidently commende and set out. In this discoursed the whole mysterie of our salvation and redemption, purchased by our savior Christe, here is his holy conception described, his nativitie, his circumcision, his whole lyfe and conversation, his godly doctrine, his divine miracles. In this booke of the newe Testament is set out his death, his resurrection, his assention, his sending of the holy spirite, his session in our flesh on the ryght hande of his father, making continual intercession to him for us. In this booke is conteyned the fourme and order of his last judgement, after the general resurrection of our bodies. These be the mysteries of our fayth, these be the grounds of our salvation, these be thus written that we shoulde beleeve them, and by our beleefe should enjoy lyfe everlastyng. Once and in tymes past God diversly and manye wayes spake unto the fathers by the prophets, but in these last dayes he hath spoken unto us (upon whom the endes of the worlde be come) by his owne sonne, whom he hath made heirs of al thynges, whose dignitie is suche, that he is the brightnesse of his fathers glory, the very image of his substance, rulyng al thynges by the word of his power.

This heavenly doctour so indued with glory and majestie, we ought most reverently to beleeve, as commended unto us from the auothoritie of the heavenly father, to be heard as his most welbeloved sonne, in whom is his whole delight, by whom he wyl be pleased and pacified: It wyll els come to passe, saith that prophete Moses, that whosoever shal not heare and obey that prophete in the wordes that he shall speake in his fathers name, I wyll be, saith the father revenger of hym. This is the last prophete to be looked for to speake unto us: In hym be universally inclosed the riches and treasures of the wisdome and knowledge of GOD his father, by him he hath decreed finally to judge the whole world, the living and the dead: by him hath he decreed to geve to his elect the life everlasting, and to the reprobate (who hath condemned his lyfe and doctrine) death everlasting. Let us therefore seriously heare and obey this our heavenly teacher, submit our selves to this our judge and rewarder: Let us esteeme his doctrine and conversations, as a ful, perfect, and sufficient patterne of al holinesse and vertue: Let us esteeme the doctrine of this booke, as a most inflexible rule to leade us to al trueth and newnesse of lyfe.

Here may we beholde the eternal legacies of the newe Testament, bequeathed from God the father in Christe his sonne to all his electes, I say, the legacies linely renewed unto us. Not of deliverance from Pharao his servitude, but from the bondages and thraldome of that perpetuall adversarie of ours the devil: here may we behold our inheritaunce, not of the temporal land of chanaan, or of the translation of us to the place of worldly paradise: but here we may see the ful restitution of us both in body and soule, to the celestial paradise, the heavenly citie of hierusalem above, there to raigne with God the father, God the sonne, and God the Holy ghost for ever. Which legacies of this Testament promised and bequeathed, were notwithstandyng recorded in the bookes of the olde Testament to our auncient fathers, which in hope beleeved in Christ to come, who was paynted before them in figures and shadowes, and signified in their old sacramentes ordeined for that time: but now more evidently renewed and exhibited unto us, not in figure, but in deede, not in promise, but in open sight, in feeling, in handling, and touchyng of this eternal lyfe, most manifestly confirmed unto us in Christ his blood in this his newe Testament continued and revived, yet in new sacraments, the better to beare in our remembraunce this his eternal Testament of al joyful felicities.Let us nowe therefore good christian people, rejoyce in these glad tidinges expressed unto us by the name of the gospell of our saviour Jesus Christ, and let it never fal out of our remembrance that we were sometyme over whelmed in darknesse, and set in the shadow of death: let us consyder that we were former tymes by our natural birth the chyldren of God his wrath, and wholy estranged from the houshold of God. Let us beare________ that we were sometyme no people of God, no his beloved, that we were by nature braunches of the wilde olive. And now by mere mercy grafted into the ryght and natural olive tree: whereupon let us the rather repose our lyfe in feare and reverence. If we be now the chyldren of light, let us walk in this our light in al holynesse and godlyness of lyfe, approving that whiche is pleasing to the Lord. Let us have no fellowship with the unfruitful workes of darknesse, and let us henceforth be no more chyldren, waveryng and caried about with every winde of doctrine, and by the deceipt and craftynesse of menne, whereby they lay in wayte to deceave us: but let us followe the trueth in love and charitie, and in al thinges grow up into hym which is the head, that is Christ our saviour.

If we be now the children of grace, and made lively members of his body, though sometime strangers and forreyners farre of, and made neare by the blood of Christ, and made citizens with the saintes, and of the householde of God: let us direct our heartes thyther where our head is, delyting our selfe in all heavenly cogtations, walhyng in al spiritual workes and fruites of the spirite, as Gods deare elect. God graunt that Christe may so swel in our heartes by faith that we may be able to comprehend with al saintes the unspeakable loce of Christe, which passeth al mans knowledge. Unto hym therefore which is able to do exceedyng aboundantly above all that we can aske or thinke, be prayse in the Churche by Christe Jesus, throughout all generations for ever. Amen.