A Censure of the Late Translation for our Churches, Articles of censure
A Cenſure of the late tranſlation for our Churches: ſent vntounto a Right Worſhipfull knight, Attendant vponupon the King.
THE late Bible, Right Worshipful, was ſent me to cēſure: which bred in me a ſadnes that will greeve me while I breath. It is ſo ill done. Tell his Maieſt. that I had rather be rent in pieces with wilde horſes, then any ſuch tranſlation by my conſent should bee vrged vponupon poore Churches. I will article.
I.
My advertiſement they regarded not, but ſtill make SETH a foole to name his ſonne ſorowfull Enosh: whē, as they tranſlate, men began to call vppon the Name of God. All the ten Fathers names beare ſadnes that the ſeede of the ſerpent would bring the flood. Thus Moyſes meant. SETH called his ſonne ſorrowfull Enosh: (becauſe) Then ſprange corruption in ſteed of calling vponupon God with good vnderſtanding, as 1. Pet. 3. handleth the cauſe. And the Babel Thalmud: and Iarchj 600. yeares old: & 900. Arabiq Sadaias: and the late Iewes Pagnin, & Tremelius. This ſtubburne errour deſerved all punishment: dashing all the vein of the old world.
II.
Where IESVS is called the ſonne of God, Luke cap. 3. and Luke should shew by whom, & had nothing to doe with Ioſeph, they in fiftene verſes bring fiftene ſcore idle wordes for accomptes in the day of iudgement: and bring Ioſeph to bee the ſonne of all the men there: where thus Saint Luke meant: IESVS was called of the Father My Sonne, beeing ſonne of Ioſeph (as men thought) Filius not Filij, Eli filius, to each vp, filius Adam, filius Dei: ſo ſeaventie five men are by Saint Luke above the Angells (as Iewes ſay commonly) the Iuſt is above the Angells. And heere we have a cleare record how Chriſt came of David: and Heathen for Saint Luke, and Theophilus kept no leſſe then Iewes this moſt royall Genealogie. Now when ours ſay, ſeaventie five times which was the ſon ſeaventie five times, they trifle. The relation of each is to Chriſt: and ſeaventie five times they obſcure the comfort of mankinde. A Iew of Amſterdam obiected the Bishops errour to deny the New Teſtamēt: that omitted how Chriſt should come of David. Therevpon I cleared our Lordes Familie. Bancroft raved. I gave the Anathema. Chriſt iudged his owne cauſe. The New edition croſſeth me, I require it be burnt.
III.
It denyeth David ever to have bene in the worlde, and ſo by a conſequent Chriſt him ſelfe, Act. chap. 13. verſ. 20. where they ſay: God gave them Iudges about the ſpace of foure hundred & fiftie yeares. It is but foure hundred and foure ſcore yeares from the Lambe to the Temple. Now David was not borne before Elies death, but ten yeares after. About 30. of the fourty yeres in the Wildernes, with about foure hundred and fiftie yeares, will make foure hundred and foure ſcore yeres. So by our Bishops all the holie ſtorie should bee a lye. My warning was large herein. And two and twentie yeares agoe admired by French in London, and by them to Zurick, how by Iewes I cleared the text: and by my enemies in London, as my friends wrote vponupon the advertiſement, to ſuper-admirable report: that none before me did, nor would after match my heed. And what a prank is this: That tranſlaters sould ſo mocke with the King. This meaneth S. Luk: God gave them Iudges after a forte (of Law accomptes in troubled ſtates) foure hundreth and fiftie yeares. King Edw. the IV. and K. Henry the ſixt did breede ſuch yeares. I humbly deſire the King to bid the BB. anſwere to this.
IV.
I warned how Baaſa K. of Iſraell was a warrier againſt Aſa, being ten yeres dead: and Ochozias was made two yeares elder then his Father, and twentie yeares elder then him ſelfe. The Bb. will not take the warning. The K can iudge.
V.
Iewes denie the New Teſt for theſe lies, Act. 7
1.
Iacob died and our Fathers, and were caried over into Sichem. The Iewes obiect: If the N. Teſtament ſo ſpeak, God never wrote it. Iacob was caried to Hebron not to Sychem. S. Stephen and S. Luke have trueth. The BB. have not.
2.
And they were put in the grave which Abraham bought. S. Stephen & S. Luke never meant that all thirteen were put in one grave. They meant that Iacob was buried in Hebron: and the Patriarks in Sichem: and who would thinke that ſcholers should be ignorant of this? and that after open advertiſemēt in two impreſsions? what vſe shalbe of opening trueth, if men may deſpiſe it?
3.
Abraham bought no ſepulchre in Sichem. And the ſepulchre there was bought for sheep. Thriſe the terme Keshita is vſed, and ſtill in the Chaldie and Greeke for sheepe. The margent note for sheepe burneth the hart of the Tranſlatours: who bade them put the errour in the text, and right in the margent?
VI.
The Angel Gabriels meſſage to Daniel the goodlieſt of men, is the Lampe to both Teſtamentes: But the trāſlation now, as the former, maketh it bitter: and foolish. By it Chriſt was to end Moyſes after ſeauentie weekes: that is foure hundred and ninetie dayes. The Angel ſpake of yeares. And why should the Church bee vexed with a doubtfull terme? And what can this meane? Hee shall confirme the covenant with many for one weeke. The Covenant is perpetuall: not a covenant for week. Beſides, Prince there twiſe is Meſsias: and his People were the Iewes: ſo the Iewes should deſtroy their owne Citie. and many more vnlearned ſpeeches darken the Angell ſpeaking of the Angel of the Covenant: who wil not beare with our ſinnes, Exod. 23.
VII.
In Chap. 11. 38. They leave atheiſme in the text: blaming worship of the God almightie: & put my tranſlation in the margent, and would make the Angells ſpeach vncerten, about the name of God.
VIII.
The precious twelve ſtones, Exod. 28. be everie one tranſlated by the Ho. Ghoſt, Apoc. 21. So that the dumbe ſtones ſpeak of the Bibles ſtorie. This made a learned Rabbi affect the goſpel. And I have handled all often, to approbation of the beſt learned. They who can cite Rabbines varietie to diſturbe the New Teſt. & to croſſe opened trueth, muſt be told they halt before a cripple. I will ſuffer no ſcholer in the world to croſſe me in Ebrew and Greek, when I am ſure I have the trueth. Men that meant quietnes, would never have dealt thus.
IX.
The H. Ghoſt ſhould not be cōtemned in Greek ſpelling of Ebrew, as in Ragau, Luc. 3. after the 70 Gen. 11. It is barbarouſly perverted into Reu.
X.
Sadik and Ain in Chaldea had one forme and ſouud, as in Daniels Chaldie: the Ebrew S. is expreſſed by ain. and ſo Saint Peter calling Balaam the ſonne of Boſor, sheweth that he was then in Chaldea: where ain was expreſſed by an S. as Thalmud Ieruſalemy in Megilah and R. Azarias in a learned treatiſe noteth. This was a litle before Saint Peters martyrdome: and as from Babylon he wrote his firſt Epiſtle, shewing that God had his Church there, as was tolde Pſal. 87. So from Babylon he wrote his ſecond. And being a Prophet he would not goe to Rome to Saint Paules Bishoprick to be kild, where he had not taught. The Bishops had fell the bridgemaker of Rome, by one letter Ain pronounced S in Chaldea and Arabia only: if they had followed the Holy Ghoſt to call Baalam the ſonne not of Beor or Boor, but of Boſor: ſo it had appeared that he was never neare Rome. And Origen in Euſeb. the firſt auctor of his being there: yet telleth that be kept in Aſia til a litle before his death. And if Peter ever had bene neare Rome, he being a Prophet, & ſeeing what ſtirres would ariſe, had written ſome note of his being there: and of the occaſions of his cariage … that hated Citie that killed Chriſt, as S. Luke and Paule shew Pauls occaſiō. but not one ſyllable hath he bent that way. And Balaam the ſonne of Boſor had beaten Italy, no leſſe then whē he ſayth: and that people shall afflict Heber (whereof Chriſt was more then all the reſt together) and shall hold on to deſtruction. As Iohn moſt grammatically tranſlated the Ebrew.
EPILOGE.
I blame not this that they keepe the vſual ſtyle of former tranſlations in the Church: that the people ſhould not be emazed. For the learned the Geneva might be made exact: for which paynes whole 30. yeres I hauehave bene called vponupon, and ſpent much time to my great loſſe by wicked hinderance. When you find the K. at leaſure ſhew his M. this ſhort advertiſement. And if his Highnes bid me again as once by the Earle of Pembroke, ſhew faultie places. I will in a few ſheetes tranſlate what I blame moſt: that they may be ſent to all Churches, that hauehave bought Bibles. So all may be well pacified. The K. meant Royally: but froward would be froward: who hauehave felt it: as I was ſure they ſhould. Of late by Mr. Pat. Balfour I heard of moſt Royall bent: and many of Germanie write me the ſame. Tell his H. it ſhall not be loſt, by Gods helpe.
Your Worships in heartie reverence, H. BROVGHTON.
End of the text · Hugh Broughton, A Censure of the Late Translation for our Churches (1611)