Defense of the Translations of the Scriptures into the English Tongue, Response to preface · Martins comments 19
MART. 19. But if he hauehave no other way to reconcile both Testaments, but by striking out in the Greeke of the new, all that agreeth not with the Hebrue of the old Testament, then let him alter and chaunge so many wordes of our Sauiour him selfe, of the Euangelistes, and of the Apostles, as are cited out of the olde Testament, and are not in Hebrue. Which places they know are verie many, and when neede is, they shall be gathered to their handes. Let him strike out (Mat. 13. v. 14. 15. & Act. 28. v. 26. 27.) the wordes of our Sauiour and S. Paule, cited out of Esay, because they are farre otherwise in the Hebrue.Est. 6. 9. 10. Gal. 3. 13. foreign. Strike out of the Epistle to the Galathians these wordes, vponupon a tree: because in the Hebrue it is only thus. Cursed is he that is hanged. Deut. 21. in finc. Yea strike out of Dauids Psalmes that which concerneth our redemption vponupon the crosseforeign much neerer, They hauehave pearced my handes and my feete, Psal. 21. because in the Hebrue there is no suche thing. Let thē controule the Apostle, Eph. 4. for saying, dedit, he gaue gifts: foreignbecause it is both in the Hebrue and Greeke, (Psal. 67.) Accepisti,foreign thou tookest giftes. and (Hebr. 10.) for, corpus aptasti, let them put, aures perforasti, because it is so in the Hebrue, Psalm. 40. To be short, if all must be reformed according to the Hebrue, why doth he not in S. Steuens sermon cut off the number of siue soules from seuentie fiue, because it is not in the Hebrue?
FVLK. 19. If you had read Beza his workes as diligently to learne the truth out of them, as you hauehave pried here & there busily howe to espie some fault or errour in them, you shoulde easily hauehave founde, that he hath other waies to reconcile both the Testaments, & the difference that seemeth to be in the allegatiōs, than by striking out of the Greeke in the newe, all that agreeth not with the Hebrue of the olde Testament. And therefore vainly you bid him alter so many words as are cited in the new Testament out of the old, which are not in the Hebrue, and strike out of Matth. 13. v 14. 15. and Act. 28. v. 26. 27. the words of our Sauiour▪ and S. Paule, cited out of Esay, because they are otherwise in the Hebrue. Beza knoweth that Christ and his Apostles alwaies kepe the sense of the Hebrue verity, although they do not alwaies rehearse the verie wordes. But whereas you bid him out of Gal. 3. 13. strike out these words (vponupon a tree) because in the Hebrue it is only thus: Cursed is he that is hanged. You shew either grosse ignoraunce or intolerable frowardnesse▪ for these words (vponupon a tree) are in that verse, & in the next before. For thus the Hebrue text is. 22. When there shalbe in any foreignperson a sinne to be adiudged to death, & he shalbe deliuered to death, if thou shalt hang him vpō a tree: 23. Let not his carcase tarie all night vponupon that tree, but in any case thou shalt burie him the same day, for accursed to God is he that is hanged. The word (tree) being twise named before, who would be so madde to say, that S. Paule hath added it beside the Hebrue text. Likewise where you bidde vsus strike out of the Hebrue. Psal. 21. that which concerneth our redemption on the crosse. They hauehave pearced my handes and my feete, because in the Hebrue there is no suche thing: you say most vntruely, for there is nothing else in the Hebrue, no not in the common readings, as Iohannes Isaake a Popishe Iewe will teache you, who hath confuted the cauils of Lindanus against the Hebrue texte, of whom you borrowed this exam le, where if you had not beene blinde with mallice, you mighte hauehave seene that Sainct Hierome did reade without controuersie, Fix…runt, they hauehave pearced, as also that the most aunciēt copie of the Hebrue Psalmes, supposed to hauehave pertained to Sainct Augustine of Cāterburie, hath Charu theyforeign hauehave pearced, though you had bene ignoraunt what is written concerning this word in the Masoreth and what Isaac also writeth of that word, as it is commonly redde, that it can not signifie, as you fantasie sicut leo: like a lion. And therefore the Chalde, paraphrast turneth it, As a lion, they pearced my handes and my feete. But of this matter more hereafter, as occasion shall be giuen. As for the Apostle, Ephes. 4. saying that Christ gaue giftes, whereas of Dauid it is sayd, he receiued giftes, speaketh nothing contrarie to the Hebrue: but sheweth wherefore Christ hath receiued gifts: namely to bestow vponupon his church. Except you will say that Christ gaue of his owne and receiued none: and so the Apostle doth shewe the excellencie of the trueth, aboue the figure: Christ aboue Dauid. Likewise, where the Psalmist sayeth in the Hebrue: Thou hast opened mine eares, the Apostle doth rightly collect, that Christ had a bodie, which in his obedience was to be offered vntounto the father. Last of all you would hauehave fiue soules cut from 75. in Sainct Stephens Sermon, because it is not in the Hebrue: but you are deceiued. For Sainct Stephen gathereth the whole number of them that are named in the fortie sixt chapter of Genesis. Namely, the two sonnes of Iuda, that were deade, and Iacobes foure wiues, to shewe howe greate his familie was at the vttermost, before he went downe into Aegypt, and howe greatly God did multiplie him afterwarde. What is there in any of these examples like to Qui fuit Cainan, about whiche you make so muche a doe?