The Bishop's Bible (1568)
The Bishop's Bible (1568) was commissioned by the Church of England as a revision of the Great Bible, intended to be used in church services. Produced by a committee of bishops, it was the official English Bible of the Anglican Church until superseded by the King James Version in 1611 and was the primary source text used by the KJV translators.
History & Background
These ancient manuscripts and early printed editions represent the foundational textual tradition of the Bible. From the great Greek codices — Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus — to the Hebrew Masoretic text, the Latin Vulgate, and the Septuagint, these documents form the bedrock upon which all modern Bible translations rest. They are the raw materials of biblical scholarship, preserved across centuries through the dedication of scribes, monks, and scholars who understood their eternal value.
Canon Proximity Rating
These ancient manuscripts represent the earliest surviving witnesses to the biblical text and are the primary sources for all modern critical editions of the Old and New Testaments.