Defense of the Translations of the Scriptures into the English Tongue, Treatise · Chapter 1 · Martins comments 49 – Martins comments 53
MART. 49. First, concerning foreign, which the vulgar Latine and Erasmus translate: Agite poenitentiam, Repent. or, Doe penance. This interpretation (sayth he) I refuse for many causes, but for this especially, that many ignorant persons hauehave taken hereby an occasion of the false opinions of SATISFACTION, wherewith the Church is troubled at this day. Loe, of purpose against satisfaction he will not translate the Greeke worde, as it ought to be, and as it is proued to signifie, both in this booke, and in the annotations vponupon the newe Testament. A litle after speaking of the same worde, he sayth: why IMat. …. v. 8. hauehave changed the name, poenitentia, I hauehave tolde a litle before, protesting that he will neuer vse those wordes,*Loco supra citato. but resipiscere, and resipiscentia, that is, amendment of life: because of their heresie, that repentance is nothing else but a meere amendment of former life, without recompense or satisfaction or penance for the sinnes before committed. See chap. 13.
FVLK. 49. Of purpose against the heresie of satisfaction, Beza will not translate the Greeke worde, as the vulgar Latine translator dothe, but yet as the Greeke worde ought to be translated. Erasmus finding the vulgar Latine vnsufficient, hath added Vitae prioris, that is, repent yee of your former life. Neither dothe Beza finde faulte with the English worde repent, but with the Latine Agite paenitentiam, when you translate it, do penaunce, meaning thereby, paine or satisfaction for sinnes passed, to be a necessarie parte of true repentance, which is not conteyned in the Greeke worde foreign, which signifieth changing of the mind, that is, not onelyonly a sorrow for the sinne past, but also a purpose of amendment, which is beste expressed by the Latine worde Resipiscere, which is alwaies taken in the good parte as foreign is in the Scripture, where as the Latine wordes paenitere and Paenitentia, are vsed in Latine, of sorrowe or repentance that is too late. As paenitere and paenitentia may be saide of Iudas grief of minde, which caused him to hang him selfe, but not foreign, or foreign or resipiscere and resipisscentia: and therefore the Holye Ghoste speakinge of his sorrowe, vseth an other worde foreign, and foreign. And this is the cause, why Beza refused the worde Paenitentia, hauing a Latine worde that more properlye doeth expresse the Greeke worde, as wee might lawefullye doe in Englishe, if wee had an other Englishe worde proper to that repentaunce, whiche is alwayes ioyned with faith, and purpose of amendmente, for wante whereof, wee are constrayned to vse the wordes repente and repentaunce, whiche maye bee taken in good parte, or in euill. For wee saye, repentaunce too late, and Iudas repented too late, but there is no foreign that can bee called too late. But where you saye that resipiscere, and resipiscentia, is nothing but amendement of life, and that repentaunce in our heresie, is nothing else but a meere amendment of former life: you speake vntruly: for those words do signifie not only amendment of life, but also sorrow for the sinnes past, although without recompēce or satisfactiō, which you call penance, for the sinnes before cōmitted: for we know no recompence or satisfactiō made to God for our sinnes, but the death of Christ, who is the propitiation for our sinnes. 1. Iohn. 1. Neither hath your blasphemous satisfaction any grounde in the Greeke worde foreign: but onelyonly a foolish colour by the Latine translation Agite poenitentiam, which, it is like your Latine interpreter did neuer dreame of, and therefore he vseth the worde Resipiscere. 2. Tim. 2. Of them to whom God should giuegive foreign repentaunce to the acknowledging of the truth, Et resipiscant, and so they may repent, or as you translate it, recouer themselues from the snare of the Diuell. Seyng therefore, repentance is the gifte of God, it is no recompence or satisfaction made by vsus to God, to answere his iustice: but an earnest and true griefe of minde for our transgression of Gods lawe, and offending against his maiestie, with a certaine purpose and determination of amendment, so neere as God shall giuegive vsus grace. Hetherto therefore we hauehave no demonstration of any wilfull corruption, but a declaration of the cause that moued Beza, to vse a more exact translation, and such as commeth nearer to the originall worde, than that which the vulgar translation hath vsed, vponupon which, occasion of a great blasphemie hath bene taken, and is yet mainteyned.
MART. 50. Againe concerning the worde, Iustifications, foreign.which in the Scripture very often signifie the commaundements, he saith thus, The Greeke interpreters of the Bible Luc. 1. v. 6.(meaning the Septuaginta) applieth this worde to signifie the whole Lawe of God, and therefore commonly it is wont to be translated worde for worde, Iustificationes: which interpretation therefore only I reiected, that I might take away this occasion also of cauilling against iustification by faith, and so for, iustificationes, he putteth constituta, Tullies worde forsooth, as he saith. Can you hauehave a more playne tèstimonie of his heretic all purpose?
FVLK. 50. Concerning the Greeke worde foreign, which Beza translateth Constitutionibus, constitutions, and you confesse that in Scripture it doth very often signifie the commaundements. He sayth first, that as the whole Lawe of God is diuided into three partes, Morall, Ceremoniall, and Iudiciall, so the Hebrewes hauehave three seuerall words, to expresse the seueral precepts of those lawes. For the Hebrew word which signifieth the Ceremoniall precepts, the Greekes vse to translate foreign. So the sense is, that Zacharie, and Elisabeth were iust, walking in all the Morall commaundements, and obseruing the holy rites, and ceremonies, as much as concerned them: but the thirde worde, which signifieth Iudgements, S. Luke doth not adde, because the exercise of Iudiciall cases, did not belong vntounto them, being priuate persons. After this he saith, that the Greeke Interpreters of the Bible, transferred this worde, vntounto the whole lawe of God, and especially to the holy ceremonies: so verily, exceedingly commending the law, that it is a certaine rule of all iustice. And therefore men are wont, commonly in respect of the worde, to turne it, Iustifications. And this worde in this place, Beza in deede confesseth, that he refused to vse, for auoyding of cauillations against iustification by fayth, seeing he hath none other worde, neither woulde he for offence, seeke any newe worde, to expresse iustification by faith, whereas the worde foreign in this text, Luc. 1. verse 6. signifieth not that, by which they were made iust, but the commaundements or precepts of God, by walking in which, they were declared to be iust. For by the workes of the lawe (such as Saint Luke here speaketh of) no fleshe shall be iustified before God. Therefore foreign in this place, must hauehave an other sense, than iustifications, namely, commaundements, as you saye it is often taken, or constitutions, as Beza calleth them, which before God and the worlde, are not of suche difference, that you shoulde charge him with wilfull corruption, for translating that word constitutions, which you confesse, signifieth very often, commaundements. Wherefore here appeareth no hereticall purpose, except you will say, that iustification by faith, which S. Paule so often, so diligently, and so purposedly doth teach, is an heresie.
MART. 51. Againe, when he had reiected this translation (Act. 2. verse 27.) Non derelinques animam meam in inferno, Thou shalt not leaue my soule in Hel: because (as he sayth) herevpon grewe the errours of Christes descending into Hell, of Limbus, and of Purgatorie: atlength he concludeth thus: Whereas the doubtfull interpretation of one or two wordes hath brought forth so many mō sters, I chose rather *I o… hovv sin … Anima, carkasse. Infero nus, graue.simply, for soule, to say, carkasse, for hel, graue: than to foster these foule errours.
FVLK. 51. Beza sheweth, that because the doubtfull interpretation of the Hebrew worde Sheol into foreign, which doth not properly signifie hell, but a darke place, such as the pit is, wherein the deade are put, and of the Poets is taken for hell, had bredde such monsters, as Limbus patrum, Purgatorie, and Christes descending into them: therefore he did plainly translate that verse, as it is ment. of the raysing vp of Christes bodie out of the graue, which if he had translated out of Hebrew, as he did out of Greeke, had not bene offensiue, nor vntrue, as I hauehave shewed in aunswere to your Preface, sect. 46. and of this chapter, sect. 32. But seeing Beza him selfe, hath altered that translation, and it was neuer followed of our English translators, what demonstration is this, that we are wilfull corrupters of the holy Scriptures?
MART. 52. Againe, when he had translated for,foreign. Whome heauen must receiue, thus, who must be contayned in heauen: he sayth, whereas we hauehave vsed theAct. 3. v. 21. passiue kinde of speech, rather than the actiue (which is in the Greeke:) we did it to auoyd all ambiguitie. For it is very expedient, that there should be in the Church of God, this perspicuous testimonie against them, that for ascending by faith into heauen, so to be ioyned to our head, obstinately maintaine that Christ must be called againe out of heauen vntounto vsus. Meaning his presence in the …. Sacrament, and inueying no lesse against the Lutherans, than the Catholikes, as the Lutherans doe here against him,*Flac. Illyr. for this wilfull interpretation, and that by Caluines owne iudgement, who thinketh it a forced translation.
FVLK. 52. True it is, that he meant concerning the maner of Christes presence in the blessed sacrament, and that so he translated, to exclude the carnall maner of presence, which the Papistes hauehave inuented: but all this while the translation is true, and warranted by Gregorie Nazianzene, as I hauehave shewed before, sect. 36. of this chapter. For he that sayth, Heauen must receiue Christ, (as you doe) can not deny, except he be mad, but that Christ must be receiued of heauen. So that Beza doth none otherwise translate, than you doe, Qui daemonia habebant, which is actiuely thus to be translated, those who had deuils, and you saye, which were possest of diuels, that is, were had of diuels. That the Lutherans finde fault with Bezaes translation, it proueth it not to be false, he hath iustified it sufficiently in his answere to Selneccerus, and the Diuines of Iena. Neither doth Caluine (as you saye vntruly) thinke it a forced translation, but not weying the sentence sufficiently, supposeth that the wordes are placed ambiguously, for that it seemeth to be doubtfull, whether we shoulde save, that heauen must receiue Christ, or that Christ must receiue heauen. But if it be once graunted (as it is of you) that heauen must receiue Christ, there is neyther Caluine, nor Illyricus, nor any man that beareth the face, but of a young Grammarian, yea of a reasonable man, which can deny, that conuersion by the passiue: Christe muste be receiued of heauen. Therefore if you had any respect of your credite, with men of vnderstanding, you would not for shame, rehearse this quarrell so often, which hath not so muche as any colour or shewe of reason to maintayne it, but that you abuse the names of Illyricus and Caluine, as mislykinge it, whose argumentes by no meanes will serue your turne, because that which is denied by them, or doubtfull to them, is plaine and confessed by you.
MART. 53. But Beza goeth forwarde still in this kinde. Rom. 5. verse. 18. whereas Erasmus had put propagatum est, indifferently, both of Adams sinne which made vsus truely sinners, and of Christes iustice, which maketh vsus truly iust: he reiecting it, amonge other causes why it displeased him, sayth: That olde errour of the Sophists (meaning Catholikes) which for imputatiue iustice put an inherent qualitie in the place, is so great, & so execrable to all good men, that I thinke nothing is so much to be auoided as it.
FVLK. 53. A manifest ecclipsis, or want of wordes, being in that verse, for which Erasmus hath put propagatum est, which word is ambiguous, and may giuegive occasion of error, for men to thinke, that the righteousnes of Christ commeth by propagation, as the guiltines of Adam doth: Beza thought good to supply the lacke, rather by such wordes as are warranted by the text, verse 12. 15. and 16. and can giuegive no occasion of errour. And therefore, thus he rendreth that verse, Nempe igitur, sicut per vnam offensam reatus venit in omnes homines ad condemnationem: ita per vnam iustificationem, beneficium redimdauit in omnes homines ad iustificationem vitae. Nowe therefore, as by one offence guiltinesse came vponupon all men vntounto condemnation: so by one iustification, the benefite abounded toward all men vntounto iustification of life. In this verse these words, guiltinesse came, and, the benefite abounded, are added for explication sake, and are taken out of the verses going before, in which the Apostle speaketh of the same matter. Therefore Beza to auoyde occasion of the heresie of the Papistes, of iustice inherent, among other causes which he rehearseth, refuseth that worde, by which Erasmus supplyed the text, and vseth suche wordes for that purpose, as the Apostle him self in the verses precedent doth offer, for this necessarye supplye: which seeing it must be made, that there may be a sense and vnderstanding: who can mislike that it should be made, by the Apostles owne wordes? or who cā suppose that the Apostle would leaue any other words to be vnderstood, than such as he him selfe had before expressed? And as for the heresie of inherent iustice, can hauehave no hold in this verse, except some suche worde be added for supplie, as the Apostle neuer vsed in this case. That Christes iustice doth make vsus as truly iust, as Adams sinne made vsus truly sinners, there is no question, but by what meanes we are made iust, wee say as the Scripture teacheth vsus to speake, that iustice is imputed to vsus through faith, Rom. 4. The Papistes say it is a qualitie inherent within vsus, for which wordes and matter, they hauehave no warrant in the holy Scripture.