Common Places, Part 2 · Chapter 4 · Section 3
Of the Iewes.
Looke part 2. pla. 16. art. 31.46 Now there remaineth to ſpeake ſomewhat particularlie of Iewes and Heretikes: for this kind of men are ſuffered almoſt in all cities, prouinces, and kingdomes; and they dwell togither with Chriſtians. Why the Iewes ſhould be ſuffered, Auguſtine.Auguſtine among others bringeth certeine reaſons. He De ciuitate Dei, the fourth booke, the 18. chapter, as alſo vponupon the 58. pſalme, and in other places, writeth; that Therefore they be ſuffered, bicauſe they before other men had the promiſe of ſaluation; neither are they paſt all hope, ſéeing that ſome of them manie times, although few in number, doo returne vntounto Chriſt. Rom. 11, 25.Blindneſſe (ſaith Paule vntounto the Romans) fell partlie vponupon Iſrael: as though he would ſaie; Not vponupon all. And to this the ſame apoſtle addeth; Ibid. 25, 26.When the fulnes of the Gentiles is come in, then all Iſrael ſhalbe ſaued. And leaſt peraduenture thou ſhouldeſt thinke, that theſe words are ſpoken allegoricallie; Paul writeth them as a myſterie. And to prooue his ſaieng, he bringeth the propheſie of Eſaie the prophet; to wit, Ibidem.that The iniquitie ſhall be then taken awaie from Iacob. Furthermore, they be now called enimies vntounto God for our ſakes, but friends in reſpect of their fathers. The ſame Auguſtine, in his queſtions vponupon the goſpell, the ſecond booke, and 33. queſtion (if thoſe be Auguſtines bookes) when he interpreteth the parable of the prodigall ſonne, he ſaith; Luk. 15, 11.that That ſonne doth betoken the Gentils. For it is written, that he departed into a far countrie; bicauſe the Ethniks were ſo far departed from God, as they worſhipped idols publikelie, and in open profeſſion. But the elder ſonne, vnderunder whom is ſhadowed the Hebrue people, went not ſo farre off. And although he were not within his fathers houſe, which is the church; yet neuertheleſſe he abode in the field. For the Iewes are occupied in the holie ſcriptures, which they vnderſtand not rightlie, nor with ſuch ſpirituall ſenſe as the church of Chriſt dooth knowe them; but take them in an earthlie and carnall maner, whereby not vnaptlie they be ſaid to hauehave their abode in the féeld. This elder ſonne dooth not at the beginning enter into his fathers houſe, but in the latter daies he ſhall alſo be called and come.
47 The ſame father alſo, for the proofe of this doctrine, bringeth that which is written in the 59 pſalme, as he readeth it; Doo not kill them, leaſt they forget thy lawe, Pſa. 59, 12.but ſcatter them in thy power. The ſonne of God (ſaith he) praieth vntounto the father, that the ſame nation might not be deſtroied, but that it might wander euerie where in the world. Other prouinces, when they were ouercome of the Romans, followed the lawes and rites of the Romans; ſo that at length they became Romans: but the Hebrues, notwithſtanding they were ouercome by the Romans, yet would they neuer yéeld vntounto their lawes, rites, and ceremonies. They ſtill obſerue their owne, as much as they may; and being diſperſed, they wander abroad. Neither hauehave they vtterlie forgotten the lawe of God; not that the godlie applie themſelues to obſerue it, but doo onelie read it, and kéepe certeine rites and ceremonies, wherby they are diſcerned frō other nations. Verelie it ſéemeth, that God hath put a ſigne vponupon them, Gen. 4, 15.as he did vponupon Caine, for killing his brother Abel; namelie, that euerie man ſhould not kill them.
Neither is this ſcattering of them abroad in the world vnprofitable vntounto the chriſtians, bicauſe (as it is written to the Romans) they are ſhewed vntounto vsus as broken bowes. Rom. 11, 17And for ſomuch as we were graffed in their place, when as we ſée that they were ſo miſerablie cut off, we acknowledge the grace of God towards vsus: and by beholding of them, be taught to take héed, that for our infidelitie ſake, for the which they were broken off, we alſo be not cut off in like maner. Moreouer, there is another commoditie, which commeth vntounto vsus by the diſperſing of them. Bicauſe our bookes are ſaued by them; I meane the holie bible, which they carrie euerie-where about them, and read it. And although, bicauſe they be blinded, they beleue not; yet they confeſſe, that thoſe writings are moſt true. Indéed they be in hart our deadlie enimies; but yet by theſe bookes, which they hauehave and reuerence, they are a teſtimonie to our religion. Wherefore I cannot maruell ſufficientlie at thoſe, which doo ſo much hate the Iewiſh toong, and bibles in Hebrue, as they deſire to hauehave them deſtroied and burnt; ſéeing Auguſtine De doctrina christiana thinketh, Auguſtine.that whereſoeuer we doubt of the Gréeke or Latine tranſlation, we muſt flie vntounto the truth of the Hebrue. And Ierom in manie places writeth the ſame.
48 But they ſaie, that the holie bookes were abuſed and corrupted by the Hebrues. To this Ierom vponupon Eſaie the ſixt chapter, Ierom.towards the end, Looke part 1. place. 6. art. 25.anſwereth thus; Either they did this before the comming of Chriſt, and the preaching of the apoſtles, or elſe afterward. If a man will ſaie, that it was doone of them before; then, ſéeing Chriſt and his apoſtles reprehended the moſt gréeuous wicked acts of the Iewes, I maruell why they would ſaie nothing of that ſacriledge, and ſo deteſtable a wicked act. Vndoubtedlie, they would hauehave reprooued them for marring and corrupting of the ſcriptures. But if thou wilt affirme, that the falts were brought in by them afterward: then will I ſaie, that it had behooued them to corrupt thoſe places chéeflie, which doo teſtifie of Chriſt, and of his religion; and which were alledged by the Lord himſelfe and his apoſtles in the new teſtament. But thoſe places remaine ſound; and the verie ſame ſentences, which they cited, doo remaine ſtill in the Hebrue bibles: for they were not ſo greatlie carefull for the words, and it is not likelie, that they in other places hauehave corrupted the holie ſcriptures. Yea, if a man diligentlie read ouer their bookes, he ſhall find in them a great manie more teſtimonies, and thoſe more plaine and manifeſt, than our common tranſlation hath. Doo they not read in the ſecond pſalme; Kiſſe the ſonne: which our men hauehave tranſlated; Take ye hold of diſcipline? Which words vndoubtedlie are referred vntounto Chriſt. But I doo not meane at this preſent, to bring all ſuch like teſtimonies: it is ſufficient, if I prooue with Ierom, that the bookes of holie ſcriptures are not corrupted by the Hebrues. The which ſurelie, if they would hauehave doone, yet had they miſſed of their purpoſe. For manie of the moſt ancient books are found, and that in written hand, which hauehave béene kept a verie long time by the chriſtians, which neuer came in their hands to abuſe.
49 But let vsus returne to diſcourſe of that commoditie, which Auguſtine hath declared; There be verie manie (ſaith he) which would peraduenture thinke, that the things, which we affirme to be doone of the ancient people, and of the prophets, were but vaine, and imagined by vsus; vnleſſe they ſawe the Iewes yet aliue, who with their bookes mainteine that, which we profeſſe, whether they will or no. The Hebrues and their books be our moſt euident teſtimonies.For although the Hebrues be blinded in their hart, and be againſt vsus with as much power as they can; yet we hauehave themſelues, togither with their books, moſt euident teſtimonies of our religion. And doubtleſſe, among all teſtimonies, that teſtimonie is of greateſt account, which is teſtified by the enimies. And of this kind of witneſſes God hath prouided great ſtore for his church: for we not onelie hauehave the Hebrue bookes, to make on our ſide; but alſo the verſes of the Sibyls, The verſes of Sibyl.which were borne in ſundrie countries. Neither muſt it be thought, that thoſe verſes were inuented by our forefathers themſelues: for in the time of Lactantius, Euſebius of Caeſaria, and Auguſtine, which alledged thoſe verſes, the bookes of the Sibyls were rife in euerie mans hand. So as, if they had added anie counterfet verſes vntounto them; the Ethniks, which were then manie in number, and were full of eloquence, and deadlie enimies vntounto our religion, would hauehave reprooued them as vaine and lieng. What then remaineth, but that God would woonderfullie defend his church, euen by the teſtimonies of his aduerſaries? Now then, the Iewes are tollerated among the chriſtians; partlie for the promiſe ſake, which they hauehave of ſaluation to be giuen to their kindred; and partlie bicauſe of the commodities, which I hauehave now recited out of Auguſtine. Wherefore they be not onelie borne withall, but they hauehave alſo ſynagogs, where they openlie read the books of the holie ſcripture; and one with another doo call vponupon the God of their fathers.
In which thing neuertheleſſe, the diligence of magiſtrates and biſhops is to be required, who ought to prouide, that they do nothing elſe there; and by all means to beware, that in their publike praiers, exhortations, and ſermons, they doo not curſſe nor raile vponupon Chriſt our God. And this if our magiſtrates and biſhops doo not looke vntounto, they cannot eſcape a iuſt accuſation. But it is not lawfull to grant vntounto the Turks anie religious aſſemblies; for that they hauehave not anie particular promiſe of their ſaluation: neither would they read there, either the old teſtament or the new, but onelie their moſt deteſtable Alcoran. Ouer this, the Iewes ſhould be prohibited to exerciſe falſe bargaining and vſurie among chriſtians; thereby to vex and afflict the poore chriſtians before our face: the which cannot be doone without great indignitie. But our princes exact a good great tribute of them; and of thoſe gaines, which come by vſurie and naughtie bargaining, they obtaine great praie: ſo farre are they from forbidding them theſe euill arts. Furthermore, (a thing no leſſe hurtfull) they prouide not to hauehave them taught; when as they ought to compell them to come often to godlie chriſtian ſermons: otherwiſe, while they be ſo negligentlie left, they become dailie worſe and worſe. Whereby, either naughtie fruit, or in a maner none at all can be looked for, by the conuerſation which they hauehave among chriſtians. It muſt alſo be looked diligentlie to, that they corrupt not chriſtiās, in ſeducing them to their Iewiſh religion. The hereſie of the Marrans.By reaſon of neglecting herof, the hereſie of the Marrans hath much increaſed, ſpeciallie in Spaine. Moreouer, it is méet, that they may by ſome apparell, or certeine token be knowen from chriſtians; leaſt anie vnwittinglie ſhould be familiar with them, no leſſe than with the chriſtians. And theſe things ſhall ſuffice concerning this ſort of infidels.