Gods Effectual Calling, Treatise · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. Of the authenticall Edition of the Bible.
WHereas there be extant many Editions of the Bible in diuers languages, as the Hebrue, Greek, and Latine, & other proper tongues, it is a queſtion which of theſe muſt be reputed for authenticall? I anſwer, the Hebrue edition of the old, and the Greek of the new Teſtament, is authenticall; & ſo muſt be accounted: ſo that all things are to be determined by theſe, & all other editions muſt be approoued ſo far as they agree with theſe. Wee will therefore firſt ſpeake of the Hebrue edition of the old Teſtament: we auouch then, that the Hebrue edition of the old teſtament is authenticall. This propoſition ſhall hauehave his confirmation, after we hauehave giuen a ſhort preface touching the Hebrue tongue, and the writing of the old teſtament in that language, and the preſeruation of theſe bookes of the old teſtament, written in the Hebrue tongue to this day.
The Hebrue tongue was the firſt, and the *The Hebrue tongue onelyonly before the floud. Gen. 11. 1.only language on earth to the floud, and to the building of the tower of Babel, Gen. 11. 1. 9. The whole earth was of one lauguage, and of one ſpeech, or *Et verba erant eadem.had the ſame words. At the building of Babel began the confuſion of languages, and from the Hebrue, as from the mother of all the reſt, all other tongues had their firſt beginning: for all other languages are nothing els in a manner, but as Dialects to the The Hebrue tongue mother of all the reſt.Hebrue tongue, of which ſome reſemble their mother more then other: ſome be more eſtranged from her. In that confuſion of tongues, the Hebrue was preſerued as the wombe or mother (as Hierome ſpeaketh) of all the reſt; this was preſerued (I ſay) in the family of Heber, who was the fourth from Noah, and liued that verie time Hebers family kept the Hebrue tongue.that the tower of Babel was built, and when the confuſiſion of languages began. The Hebrue tongue then was ſo called firſt of Heber, & from him it came to his poſteritie, not to all, but to them onelyonly of whom came Abraham: and from him continued to the verie laſt of all the Prophets: for Haggai, Zacharias & Malachie wrote their prophecies in this very language. Thus farre of the Hebrue tongue.
The olde teſtament was written firſt in this Hebrue and holy tongue. The firſt writer was Moſes: the prophets The old teſtamēt written in Hebrue.followed him: of whom ſome wrote before the captiuitie; ſome in the captiuitie; ſome after the captiuitie: and they writ all in Hebrue, except Daniel and Ezra, which wrote ſome things in the Chaldee tongue. And this letteth not but that we may ſay, that all the old teſtament was written in the Hebrue tongue, for that the Chaldee and Hebrue hauehave no great diuerſitie.
Now to ſpeake of the preſeruation of theſe bookes of the old Teſtament: the bookes of Moſes & the prophets, that is, the old Teſtament written in Hebrue, was kept by the admirable prouidence of almighty God vntounto this day. They were preſerued (I ſay) in moſt perillous & hard times, as in the burning of the citie and of the temple of The admirable prouidence of God in the preſeruation of the Bible.Ieruſalem, in the captiuity, & in that moſt grieuous perſecution of Antiochus Epiphanes: for hee raged alſo againſt theſe very books; & in the great perſecutions which were after Chriſt, vnderunder the Roman Emperours.
But here it is demanded, whether the ſame very books which were written by Moſes & the Prophets before the captiuity, be come into our hands? I anſwer, for this matter, diuers men hauehave thought diuerſly. For there were that thought, that thoſe bookes which Moſes & the prophets left, were loſt when the temple and the citie were deſtroyed with fire, and that theſe which we hauehave, were repaired and written ouer againe by Ezra the Scribe, inſpired by God, & called extraordinarily for this purpoſe. Of this iudgment are theſe, aEpiſt. ad Chilonem.Baſil, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clemens Alexandrinus, bLib. de Offic.Iſidorus, Rabanus Maurus, Leontius. It may be they were thus minded, becauſe of that ſtorie or fable rather, which we may reade Eſdras 4. 14. But that booke is Apocryphall, and reiected not onelyonly of our Church, but alſo of the Church of Rome. The point may be thus refuted. If Ezra had written ouer theſe bookes againe, then aſſuredly it is moſt like, that he would hauehave written them, not in the Hebrue, but in the Chaldee tongue, or in a mixt language of Hebrue and Chaldee together: for that Ezra did write two bookes in that mixt maner, euen thoſe two bookes of Eſdras. Secondly, Nehem. 8. Ezra is ſaid to hauehave brought forth, and to hauehave read, not his owne bookes, or bookes which he had written, but the bookes of the law of Moſes. Thirdly, it is not like, but ſome godly man, or Prophet, or ſome other was left, which in that time of the fire, preſerued theſe ſacred books, or kept ſome copie of them: & the rather, for that thē, out of al doubt, Ezechiel & Daniel the prophets liued. 4. The very name which Daniel giues to the Chaldee monarchie (calling it the golden empire) doth argue that this did not ſo rage againſt the ſacred books of God: for if this monarchy had laide ſuch violent hands on Gods books, aſſuredly the holy Ghoſt would not hauehave giuen it a name of ſuch excellency. Therefore that aſſertion is falſe: and the contrary is true, to wit, that the books of Moſes & the old Prophets were preſerued from daunger, when the Temple and the City were conſumed with fire, as alſo in the captiuity, and ſo be reſerued by diuine prouidence, and ſo deliuered by Gods owne hand at laſt into our poſſeſſions. Neither yet do we gaine-ſay, what the godly hauehave recorded, that is, that Ezra after the captiuity, did reuiſe the books of Moſes and the Prophets, digeſted them into one volume, and ſet them downe in this certaine order. Thus farre of this queſtion.
Now it reſteth, after the premiſſes, that we prooue the Hebrue edition of the old Teſtament to be only authenticall. That edition which was written in the firſt language that euer was, and firſt in the primarie language, and hath beene preſerued in that tongue, purely & fully, euen vntounto our times; I ſay, that edition of the old Teſtament is authenticall: But ſuch is the Hebrue edition: Ergo.
The aduerſaries cannot deny, but that it was written, in the firſt language and mother tongue, and alſo that it was firſt written in it; and they cannot deny, but that it was preſerued in ſome purity euen vntounto this day: but they will not graunt, or allow it this excellency of ſincerity and purity which we auouch. Bellarmine hath obſerued out of all the old Teſtament, 5. places only, whereby hee would prooue that the Hebrue fountaine hath loſt ſome part of this puritie. The firſt place is Eſay, 9. 6. And he Vajikra Schemo Pele.ſhall call his name (to wit, the Lord) Wonderfull. But the vulgar Latine readeth, and he ſhal be called, which reading Caluin approoueth: And therefore by Caluins confeſſion, heere the Hebrue fountaine it ſelfe is not cleere. I anſwere firſt; the ſenſe is the ſame, whether ye reade ſhall call or ſhall be called. Secondly, the letters are the ſame in both words in the Hebrue, ſhall call, and ſhall be called, the Vajikra.points being diuers do not make the body of the word to be of diuers ſignifications. Thirdly, the Hebrue Doctors, as Uatablus, ſay often, that with the Hebrues a verbe perſonal of the third perſon, is taken for an imperſonall, as heere, ſhall call, for ſhalbe called. Fourthly, Tremelius and Iunius retaine the Hebrue reading, and ſay thus, and he doth cal his name, &c.
The ſecond place is Ier. 23. 6. And this his name, wherewith he ſhal cal him, the Lord our righteouſnes: But the vulgar Vezeh Schemo aſher jikreo, Iehouah Tſidkenu.Latin edition ſaith, that they ſhall cal him, the Lord our righteouſneſſe: and this tranſlation alſo Caluin approoueth: Therefore by Caluins teſtimony, the very Hebrue text is here corrupted. I anſwer, the ſenſe ſhall not de greatly vnfitting, if ye read whereby he ſhal cal him, to wit, the Lord our righteouſneſſe: The name going before is the name of a people of ſecuritie, of a people that dwell ſafely, as Tremelius and Iunius vnderſtand and reade the place. Thirdly, Ieremy leaues it to our free choiſe▪ Fourthly, the Hebrue Doctors Vatable, Pagnine, Arias Montanus, read vocabit, he ſhal cal; and yet turne the word, vocabunt, they ſhal cal.
The third place is in the 22. Pſalm. 17. ver. They pierced Caari Iaddai Veraglai.my hands and my feete. In the Latine edition it is, Foderunt, they digged or pierced, and ſo read all Chriſtians; but the Hebrue is, Sicut Leo, as a Lion: Wherefore in this place the Hebrue text is corrupted. I anſwer, ye Maſorites teſtify that they hauehave read in ſome Hebrue copies Caru, which ſignifieth to dig into or to pierce. They alſo which hauehave ye word Caari in their books, ſay it is not to be taken here in Caari.the proper and common ſignification. The Chaldee Paraphraſt doth knit both particles together: As a Lion ſmites with his teeth, ſo hauehave theſe pierced, &c. But theſe were before Ierom, I meane the Maſorites, and the Chaldee Paraphraſte: therefore it is falſe, that this place was corrupted by the Iewes after Ieroms time. Ierom in his Pſalter keeps this reading Caari, and yet he tranſlates the word, foderunt, they digged or pierced. Laſtly, a certaine Popiſh writer one Auguſtine Iuſtinianus, who ſet forth the book of Pſal. coliected of many languages, doth plainly auouch it, this place is not corrupted, but that there is a defect of a word which the Chaldee Paraphraſt hath ſupplyed.
The fourth place is Pſal. 19. 5. Their line is gone forth Becol haarets iatſa kauuam. foreign.through al the earth. Here not only the vulgar, but the Septuagint alſo, whom the Apoſtle to the Rom. 10. followeth, doe reade, their ſound is gone &c. therefore this place is corrupted. Let Genebrard alone anſwer this in his obſeruations on the Pſalmes, who ſaith, the Septuagint and Paule, did rather expreſſe the ſenſe of the word, then the proper and naturall▪ ſignification thereof.
The fift place is, Exo. 2. after the 22. ver. in ye vulgar Latine edition, all this place is read of a ſecond ſon of Moſes. And ſhe bare a ſecond, whoſe name he called Eliezer, ſaying, the God of my Father is my helper, and hath deliuer…d me from Pharaohs hand. But all this place is not to be found in the Hebrue text: Ergo. To this I anſwere: the very Louaine editions hauehave here their marginal note, to put vsus in mind that this place hath crept into the text, and the better ſort of the Papiſts are of this iudgement, that this place is not the natural or very text of Gods worde, as Caietanus, who writes of this place in this manner: All this clauſe of a ſecond ſonne is ſuperfluous. Wherefore Bellarmine can not conclude by theſe places, that the Hebrue edition is corrupt, and therefore is not authenticall.
I ſhall conclude contrarily with this one argument, that the Hebrue edition is not corrupt: If the Iewes corrupted it, it was before Chriſt or after: But not before Chriſt; which point (to paſſe by all teſtimonies of auncients) The Iewes before Chriſt did not corrupt the Hebrue: Chriſt is witneſſe, and ſo the apoſtle, Rom. 3. 1.I make euident with this one reasō. If the Iewes had corrupted the Hebrue text, Chriſt would hauehave texed them for ſo horrible an offence: But we neuer find that Chriſt ſo chargeth them for any ſuch cauſe: but contrarily, we reade that hee ſends them to that very Hebrue edition, which they had in their hands: Search the ſcriptures, ſaith he, Io. 5. 39. The Scripture was not corrupted after Chriſts time: which aſſertion I proue (to paſſe by the authority of auncients) with this one argument. The Iewes could not corrupt al the Hebrue copies, albeit they were neuer ſo willing to effect it, for that they were now for the moſt part come to the hands of Chriſtians. Hence it followeth, that if the Hebrue text was not corrupted neither before Chriſts time, nor after his comming; then was it not corrupted at all. But happily they will ſay, that the Iewes corrupted it after Auguſtine and Ieromes The Iewes coulde not corrupt the Hebrue after Chriſts commingtime? I anſwere, in what places? For as touching Bellarmines 5. places, we hauehave already ſhewed, that both in Ieroms time and before, theſe places were thus read, as we read them this day. Wherefore we conclude, the Hebrue edition is moſt pure, and conſequently in the old Teſtament, this edition only is authenticall.