Defense of the Translations of the Scriptures into the English Tongue, Response to preface · Martins comments 46 – Martins comments 48
MART. 46. Againe, we condiscend to their wilfulnes, and say: what if the Hebrewe be not ambiguous, but so plaine andPsalm. 15. certaine to signifie one thing, that it can not bee plainer? As,foreign Thou shalt not leaue my soule in Hel, whiche prooueth for vsus, that Christ in soule descended into Hell. Is not the one Hebrewe worde as proper for soule, as anima in Latine, the other, as proper and vsual for hel, as infernus in Latine. Heere then at the least wil you yeeld? No, say they, not here neither. for Beza telleth vsus, that the word, which commonly and vsually signifieth, soule, yet for a purpose, if a man wil straine, it may signifie, not onelyonly bodie, but also, carcase. and so he translateth it. But Beza (say we) being admonished by his friendes, corrected it in his later edition. Yea, say they, he was content to change his translation, but not his opinion concerning the Hebrewe worde, as himselfe protesteth.
FVLK. 46. You hauehave chosen a text for example, wherein is least colour (except it bee with the vnlearned) of an hundred. For, whereas you aske, whether Nephesh, be no not as proper for soule, as anima, in Latin, & Sheol for Hel, as infernus in Latine? I vtterly deny both the one and the other. For nephesh is properly the life, and Sheol, the graue or pit, though it may sometimes be taken for Hel, which is a consequent of the death of the vngodly, as nephesh is taken for person, or ones selfe, or as it is sometimes, for a dead carcase. Yea, there be that hold, that it is neuer taken for the reasonable immortall soule of a man, as anima is, specially of Ecclesiasticall writers. That Beza translated the Greeke of the newe Testament after the signification of the Hebrewe wordes, althoughe it was true in sense, yet in mine opinion, it was not proper in wordes: and therefore he himselfe hath corrected it in his latter editions, as you confesse, hee hathe not chaunged hys opinion concerning the Hebrewe: the reason is, because it is grounded vppon manifest textes of Scripture, whiche hee citeth, Leuit. 19. verse. 27. & cap. 21. verse. 1. and 11. Num. 5. verse 2. and 9. verse 10. In the firste place your owne vulgare Latine translation, for la nephesh turneth mortuo. you shall not cut your flesh for one that is dead. In the second place, your vulgare Latine hathe, Ne non contaminetur sacerdos in mortibus. and, Ad omnem mortuum non ingredietur omnino. Lette not the Priest bee defiled with the deathes of his countreymen. and, The highe Priest shall not enter into any dead bodie at all: where the Hebrue is lenephesh. & foreign.foreign In the thirde place your vulgare Latine readeth polluius que est super mortuo. they shall caste out him that is polluted by touching a dead carcase, where the Hebrewe is lanephesh In the first place, your vulgare Latine hathe indede, anima, but in the same sense, that it had before mortuo for the text is of him that is vncleane, by touching any dead bodie, which in Hebrue is nephesh. How say you nowe, is the Hebrewe worde as proper for soule, as anima in Latine? except you wil say, the Latine worde anima dothe properly signifie, a dead bodie: hathe not Beza good reason to retaine his opinion concerning the Hebrewe worde, when hee hathe the authoritie of youre owne vulgare translation? You that note such iumps, and shiftes in vsus, whether wil you leape to saue your honestie? will you saye, the Hebrewe texte is corrupted since your translation was drawen out of it. The seauentie interpretours then will crie out againste you: for they with one mouth in all these places, for the Hebrewe worde nephesh, render the vsuall signification foreign, adding in the 21. of Leuit. v. 11. foreign, which either you muste translate, a deade bodie, or you shall call it absurdly, a dead soule. Woulde any man think to hauehave founde in you, eyther suche grosse ignoraunce, or shamefull negligence, or intollerable malice against the trueth, that Beza sending you to the places, eyther you woulde not, or you coulde not examine them, or, if you dydde examine them, that you woulde notwythstanding thus malitiouslye agaynste youre owne knowledge and conscience, raile against him? you make vsus to saye, if a manne will straine the worde, it may signifie not onelyonly bodie, but also carcase. What saye you? did Moses straine the worde to that signification? You saide beefore, that wee were at the iumps and turnings of an hare beefore the houndes, suche mightie hunters you are, and wee suche fearefull hares before you. I am not skilful in the termes of hunting, but in plaine Englishe I wil speake it, that if al the traiterous wolues and foxes, that bee in the kennell at Rhemes, woulde doe their beste, to saue your credit in this section, nay in this whole preface, they shall neuer be able to maintaine their owne, with anye indifferent reader.
MART. 47. Wel then doth it like you to reade thus, according to Bezaes translation, Thou shalt not leaue my carcasse in the graue? No, we are content to alter the word carcas, (which is not a seemely word for our sauiors bodie) and yet wee are loath to say soule, but if we might, we would say rather, life, person, as appeareth in the margent of our Bibles. but as for the Hebrue word that signifieth Hel, though the Greke & Latin Bible throughout, the Greke and Latin fathers in al theyr writings, as occasion serueth, doe so reade it and vnderstande it, yet wil we neuer so translate it: but for Hel, we wil say graue, in al such places of scripture, as might infer Limbus patrum, if we shoulde translate, Hel. These are their shifies, and turnings, and windings, in the olde Testament.
FVLK. 47. I hauehave shewed you before, that in the newe Testament, we like better to translate according to the proper and vsual signification of the Greke word. But the Hebrewe worde in the olde Testament may bee translated according to the circumstaunce of the place, life, person, selfe, yea, or dead bodie, and in some place perhaps carcase. You folow vsus very neare▪ to seeke aduantage of the English worde carcase, which commonly is taken in contempt, & therfore we would not vse it, speaking of the bodie of our Sauiour Christe, when it was dead. But you hunt your selfe out of breath, when you woulde bring the same contempt to the Latine worde Cadauer, which Beza vsed. For Cadauer signifieth generally a dead bodie of man or beast, and by your vulgar Latine translator, is vsed for the dead bodies of sacrifices, ofCadauer. Saincts, and holy men, as indifferently, as for carion of beastes, or carcases of euill men. Namely in Iob. 39. v 33.foreign wheresoeuer the dead body is, thether will the Eagle resort, which similitude our Sauiour Christe applieth to him selfe, Math. 24. v. 28. wheresoeuer the dead bodie is, thether wil the Eagles be gathered, where he compareth him selfe to the dead body, and the faithfull to the Egles.
Now concerning the other Hebrue worde, which you say signifieth hell, because the Greeke, and vulgar Latine interpretor do so translate it. When iust occasion shal be giuen afterwarde Cap. 7. I will shew that it properly signifieth a graue, pit, or place for dead bodies, and that in this place of the 16. Psalme, it muste needes so signifie, not onelyonly the later part of the verse, expressing in other wordes that which was saide in the former: but also the Apostles prouing out of it the resurrection of Christe, doe sufficiently declare. If you hauehave no place therefore in the Scriptures, to proue your Limbus patrum, but where the holy Ghost speaketh of the death and buriall of the fathers, no maruaile though you must straine the Hebrue worde, which properly signifieth graue, and the Greeke worde, which properly signifieth a darke place, and especially the Latine, whiche signifieth generally a lowe place: none of all the three wordes signifying hel, as wee commonly vnderstande the worde hell, properly and onelyonly, but by a figure where mention is made of the death of the vngodly, whose rewarde is in hell. These be the poore shiftes, turninges and windings that you hauehave to wreath in those fables of Limbus patrum, & Purgatorie, which the Church of God, from the beginning of the worlde vntounto the comming of Christ, neuer heard of, nor many hundreth yeares after Christe, vntill the Mōtanists, or such like hethenish heretikes brought in those fantasies.
MART. 48. In the newe Testament, wee aske them will you be tried by the auncient Latine translation, which is the texte of the fathers and the whole Churche? No, but wee appeale to the Greeke. What Greeke, say wee, for there bee sundrie copies, and the beste of them (as Beza confesseth) agree with the saide auncient Latine. For example in Saint Peters wordes, Labour that by good workes you may2. Pet. ca. 1. make sure your vocation and election. Duth this Greeke copie please you? No, say they: wee appeale to tha… Greeke copie, which hath not those wordes, by good workes, for otherwise wee shoulde graunt the merite and efficacie of good workes towarde saluation. And generally to tell you at once, by what Greeke we will be …ried, we like best the vulgar Greeke texte of the new Testament, which is most common and in eueryevery mans handes.
FVLK. 48. Wee neede not appeale to the Greeke; for any thing you bring out of the vulgar Latine against vsus. As for that text, 2. Pet. 1. Labour that by good works, &c. I hauehave answeared before in the 36. Section. Wee like well the Latine, or that Greeke copie which hath those wordes by good workes, for we must needes vnderstand them, where they are not expressed: and therefore you do impudētly beelie vsus to say they do not please vsus. Caluin vponupon that text saith, Nonnulli codices habent bonis operibus, sed hoc de sensu nihil mutat, quia subaudiendum est etiā si non exprimatur. Some bookes hauehave By good works, but this chaungeth nothing of the sense, for that must be vnderstoode although it be not expressed. The same thing in effect saith Beza: that our election, and vocation must be confirmed by the effects of faith, that is by the fruites of iustice, &c. therefore in some copies wee finde it added by good workes. So farre of is it, that Beza misliketh those wordes, that hee citeth them to proue the perpetuall connection of Election, Vocation, Iustification, and Sanctification. This is therefore as wicked a slaunder of vsus, as it is an vntrue affirmation of the vulgar Latine, that it is the texte of the fathers, and the whole Churche: whereby you shewe your selfe to be a Donatiste, to acknowledge no Churche, but where the Latine texte is occupied. So that in Greece, Syria, Armenia, Aethiopia, and other partes of the worlde, where the Latine texte is not knowen, or vnderstood, there Christ hath no Churche by your vnaduised assertion. That we like best the most common Greeke text, I am sure that we doe it, by as good reason, if not by better, than you in so great diuersities of the Latine texte, who like best of that which is most common, and in eueryevery mans handes.