An Advertisement of Corruption in our Handling of Religion, Part 89 – Part 93
Of the Paſcha called Chagigah, or holy day Feaſt, or peace-offring with the Lambe, of Oxkind, that might be eaten two dayes.
THE New Teſtament ſearcheth all the Thalmud: and in few wordes telleth of the Paſcha called Chagigah, ſo much as the Iewes in many leaues. Moſes ſaith Deut. 16. Thou ſhalt ſacrifice a Paſcha vntounto the Lord: of the flock & of the heard. The practiſe came notable in Ioſias, 2. Chro 35. Ioſias gaue the people flockes of ſheepe, & kids, all for the Paſſeover, and three thouſand Oxen. This paſſeover is handled pla…nly by Aben Ezra, (vponupon Deut. 16.) comparing the Law with the ſtory. And thus ſayth Iarchi there: If to a Paſſeover many belong, they adde to it Chagiga, Oxen, for the holy day Feaſt. And ſoone after. The propre ſence of the Scripture is: The fleſh of the Chagigah Paſſeover, which thou doeſt ſacrifice in the evening, ſhall not continue through the firſt good day, vntounto the morning of the ſecond: But it is eaten the fourtenth day and the fiftenth. And ſo it is handled in the Maſſeceth or treatiſe of the Paſſeouer: in the Babylonian Thalmud: Limmed Al chagigath Arbaa eſſer neeceleth le ſene iamim ve lailah echad. He teacheth: The Paſcha Chagigah of the fourteenth day, is eaten for two dayes & one night. And of this addition the Law Deut. 16. ſpeaketh. And thou ſhalt reioyce before the Eternall thy God: and thou ſhalt be throughly mery. Wherin was vſed all feaſtiuity, as men doe to chere vp them ſelues. Now for the Lamb Paſcha, they worked half the day, as the Ieruſalemy and the Babylonian noteth: and if it fell vponupon a Sabbath, they did kill it, and doe all the Temples duty: but did not roſte it at home that day: for the Law, Thou ſhalt not kindle fire on the Sabbath. Wherefore our ignorance is vnſpeakeable, the eare can not bee filled with the hearing of it, nor the ey with beholding. That ſhall appeare better by laying downe S. Iohns wordes. ch. 18.28. It was morning, & they went not into Praetorion, that they ſhould not be defiled, but might eate the Paſſeouer. This ſheweth not the Lamb but the Ox, an addition for ioy, here ioyned. And to make S. Iohn yet more plain, the wordes of Maymonides in korban Paſcha, ch. 10. ſhalbe tranſlated.
Thus hee ſaith: When they offred the Paſcha in the firſt monethmonth, they offred it with the peace offrings of the fourtenth day: Oxen or flock beastes, great or litle, male or female, as all the ſacrifices of the peace offrings, &c. The Chagigah was not offred: if the Lamb ſufficed the company: and it was a voluntarie: not of commaundement: and it was eaten for two dayes and one night. Thus Maymonides cleareth the Ghoſpell: and telleth that Saint Iohn ſpake from the depth of the Thalmudiques knowledge.
Of HEL, Helliſh in our Creed.
IEwes ſeek no more nor euer ſought, thē that we ſayd our Lord went to HEL. Therevpon they adventure their ſalvation and ſafely may, that ſo he ſhould not be the ſonne of God. For his own wordes ſay: Luc: 16. That none cā paſſe frō the one place to the other. Yet in England the Princes Religion was diſturbed. Our Princes ſwear to the Goſpell. And it is Atheiſme to ſay that it is not plain, to the Godly. Paradiſe, the hand of God, the Holy, Heauē, receaued our Lords only holy ſoule going hence. By the Greek Creed Hades: as Hades hath for the godly, euē by Heathen, the medowes of the godly. And by the Latines: Apud inferos, the good hauehave: Certū in coelo & definitum locum. D. Bilſon diſturbeth all. He graunteth, that our L. went, not hence to Hell, but hence to Heauen. And we never heard of contention but for one of theſe two poinctes. The firſt he pretended to defend: but hee betrayeth that: and agreeth with his aduerſary, reformed Churches, and moſt conſtant trueth. After all he inventeth new, & rageth vponupon him that forced him to faith, in theſe wordes: in his Sermon booke againſt M. Iacob, folio 419. Tell then your abettor that all the Realme will take him not only for a rayler againſt all honestie, but a lier againſt all duty that voucheth ſo confidentlie: King Edw. the ſixt and his ſubiectes held that Chriſt his ſoule neuer went to Gehenna: and the Realm knoweth the Qu. oath, as alſo the Q. adventureth her eternall ſtate. A mā wold not thinke that a reaſonable creature would ſo rage againſt one for the comō opinion of Chriſtendome. With the ſame ſkil hee maketh S. Paul Rō. 10. ſpeake matter ſenſeles: and Abyſſon nether after Heathē, nor Lxx Pſ …1. (wc place he regarded) nor any Ebrewe, nor Thalmu…iques: but after the Deuels Luc. 8. and Diueliſh Zoh…t vponupon Gen. ….Theſe be no ſtates to come within his vnclean mouth. He may doe wel to remember who they be of whom it is written: They deſpiſe governement: and ſpeake ill of them that be in authority, as raging waves of the ſea, foming out their own ſhame. Now to confute him the Zurick confeſſion ſhalbe ſufficient: it was allowed in England. Thus it ſtandeth. Per inferos intelligimus non locum ſupplicij deſignatum impijs, ſed defunctos fideles, quemadmodum per ſuperos adhuc ſuperstites in vitâ. Proinde anima Chriſti deſcendit ad inferos, id eſt, delata eſt in ſinum Abrahae: in quo collecti fuerunt omnes defuncti fideles. Ergo cum Latroni ſecum crucifixo dixit, hodie mecum eris in Paradiſo, promiſit ei conſortium vitae, & beatorum ſpirituum. Licet enim Dominus deſcendiſſe dicatur, fit tamen ex more loquendi. Confitemur in hoc articulo animas eſſe immortales, eaſque protinus à morte comporeâ tranſire ad vitam. To this may come his own wordes, fol. 219. Wee hauehave no warrant in the word of God ſo to fasten Christes ſoule vntounto Hell for the time of his death, that it might not bee in Paradiſe before it deſcended into Hell. And for his new, theſe: fol. 154. The ſenſe of the Creed may & muſt be, that Chriſt after his body was buried in ſoule, deſcended vntounto that place which the Scripture properly calleth (Hades) HEL. The Lybian ſandes may aſwell be reckoned as Bilſons hereſies vponupon this courſe. His pen telleth all learned, he is a babe: and he deliteth to ſhew his folly. Archb. WH. could confeſſe errour: & ſend Geffrey King his Chaplein for Baſill to confeſſe ſo: when he ſaw, all the world ſhould force him. D. Bilſon hath a mind to be famous for millions of errours. But your Majeſtie will make him yeeld. Francfurt mart would make all loth him. If it pleaſe your highnes that ſhall diſcuſſe the Queſtion. I will defend your Maieſties Religion: and accuſe him of ſtrange, new fangled, and moſt deteſtable hereſie.
Of a greater iniurie to Chriſt and his nation.
THE Archiſynagogue of Byzantum or Constantinople, ſent an Epiſtle to England, deſirous to be taught in the conference of both Teſtaments: and how all things falling out in our life may bee diſcuſſed without traditions, which Iewes ſay, Moſes gaue by word of mouth to Ioſuah or Ieſus: and ſo man vntounto man ſtill. VponUpon this, all the Thalm. ſpeaketh. And his demaund argued a ſcholer: who knew that none of witt would medle with him, that knew not the Prophets & Thalmuds as well as he. This Epiſtell was ſent to England: thence to me to Baſil. There I printed two impreſſions. And gaue the copies to be diſperſed quickly ouer Europe and Turky: And I printed in Ebrew and Greek to Archb. WH. and his brethren, how they might honour Chriſtianity, handling ſuch and ſuch poinctes learnedly. And I continually ſent treatiſes to Constantina, ſhewed afore to Iewes of Germany. For this a libell was allowed, againſt God, & againſt your M. termed the Scottiſh miſt: & aganſt my poore ſelfe, that the printed Epiſtle was forged by me. For this I gaue I.C. the Anathema Maran Atha: and if he had done ſo in Germany, an axe had cut off his head. His G. proteſted he never ſpake, never dealt againſt me: and turned the Anathema vponupon his Chaplein. This contempt of Chriſtianitie was the greateſt that euer hath bene heard in Chriſtendome: and a Greek Oration complayning of it to all Chriſtendom was allowed by the Lords of Francfurt, a little before Q. Elizabeths death: vponupon that, not printed: that if iuſtice be ſhewed at home, forrain complaintes may ſurceaſe. God will plague all that put vp ſuch iniuries againſt Chriſt: and the clearing of all the Bible for Iewes and Gentiles: wherein our Machmadean errours hauehave bene detected to be ridiculous to all Iewes.
How the Iew ſhould be anſwered.
THE Lords of Bearne in Zuitzerland offred me a good place of profeſſing Ebrew and all my charges for Printing aunſweres to this Iew: But with this addition. No ſtranger that meaneth not to dye amongſt them, ſhalbe preferred: who afterwards may greue them, in opening of their affayres. That I refuſed: and told of my hope in your Maieſty. Now if it be your highnes will to allow me a penſion to buy all Hebrew and Thalmudiques helpes, and to hyre comon Ebrew ſetters at Venice or Baſil, the Bible and the Thalmud ſhalbe opened by Gods help, to the contentment euen of the Rhomiſts: or if your highnes graunt me but your princely letters of fauour to Germanie Princes, they will deffray my charges. A Prince to whoſe anceſtors all the Iewes of the Empire payd for their dwelling: ſauing them of Francfurt, & hath many of them now his tenants, would willingly hauehave employed me that way. But without your highnes leaue, I could not then reſolue.
Epilogue.
THVS I hauehave ſhewed your Highnes of our corrupt dealing againſt our own Religion. And your Maieſties bare word may cauſe the Biſhops to put furth ſome litle book: as amending faultes eſcaped. Seeing many thouſand copies tranſlations of the Ebrew and Greek Teſtament hauehave bene ſolde, their eſcapes will vex many, vnleſſe particular warnings be given of thē. Only the time of our Lord his birth as we hold it: where the conception ſhould be, this comon errour can not & nedes not to be amended: Seeing we reckon frō the conception. And the memory of ſtory we may celebrate, as we hold it convenient But he that ſhall defend S. Luke muſt be circumſpect herein: Iewes hauehave long examined what to obiect. I hope your M. ſhall ſee that by the right handling of this cauſe, Iewes ſhal more cōfeſſe that your highnes kingdome, in the ends of the earth, is a chief poſſeſſiō of Chriſt: and hath a Cherub, an oincted defender of faith in the Garden of Eden, in the holy mountain of God, Sion the Heauenly: & fiery ſtones of noble Princes: where one is the Beryl that beareth all the Tribes: and the flaming carbuncle overſhining all: and that ſuch ſhalbe in your glorious Maieſty, and in your moſt noble poſteritie, while the ſun ſhineth.
Your Maieſties moſt humble, harty and faithfull ſubiect, HVGH BROVGHTON.
Amend the faultes thus.
A. pag. 8. hightened read lightened.
B. pag. 4. Athoſſkes, read Atoſſ. pag. 8. Alexander read Philip.
C. pag. 2. greath reed great. pag. 3. for, in Babylon read vnderunder Perſia. pag. 4. the ſtretch. read to. Exatoſt read Erat. pag. 7. line vlt. for 10▪ rede 20.
D. pag. 3. wee fetched. reed were.
E. pag. 1. of here, read or. Eraunce read Fraunce.
F. pag. 7. Ocharias, read ſtill Ochoſias.
G. pag. 1. is bed. read his. pag. 2. in the marg. meanes read Madnes. pag. 7. hige read high. pag. 8. kowen, read knowen.
H. pag. 5. in the margent for vnderſtand, read vnderſtood.
I. pag. 3. appeared: bad. read appeared bad, in k. pag. 1. for 423. read 543.
K. pag. 2. ſmak read ſpake. pag. 8. for 130▪ read 60.
L. pag. 5. for ſorowfull Enoch, read Enos. pag. 8. for Iaſpes read Iaſpis.
M. pag. 1. Beniaminus read Beniamins. pag. 6. dnm read dum.
N. pag. 1. dead read deed. pag. 2. Gemehel, reed Gamaliel. pag. 8. greather read greater.
End of the text · Hugh Broughton, An Advertisement of Corruption in our Handling of Religion (1604)