Certain Questions, Answer 1 – Reply 1
Mr HENRY AINSVVORTH HIS vvriting concerning this queſtion: VVHither the High ſacrificers attire were made of ſilk or of wooll.
THat they were not made of ſilk, this reaſon is alleged: Becauſe the worm (wherof ſilk cometh) was vnclean by ceremonie, & therfore might not be in ceremonie figuring holines.
And to prove they vver of wool, it is ſayd; That the Iewes vniverſally hold, that wool threed blew & purple & ſcarlet, & white linen, & golden plates cut as threed, was the matter wherof thoſe garments wer made.
BVt vntounto the former it may be anſvvered;
That though it wer granted to be worm-wrought ſilk, yet it need not be counted vnclean becauſe the worm was vncleā: for vnclean creatures whiles they wer aliue defiled not a man; but the eating of their fleſh, or touching of their carkeſſes being dead. Levit. 11.8.11.24, 31.41. Deut. 14.8. And the Iewes vſed the ſervice of vnclean beaſts continually, as of horſes, aſſes, camels &c, without pollutiō. Now ſeing Gods law limiteth their vncleānes in theſe two points; how may we extend it further?
Againe, the Bee was by ceremonie vnclean, Deut. 14.19. yet the honie which ſhe gathered & wrought was not vnclean, eyther to touch or to eat.
But if it be granted, that the ſilk as it is firſt taken from the worm, is vncleā; yet it foloweth nor, that after it is waſhed wound & woven by art of man, that it ſhould continew vnclean ſtil: ſeing that the hayr of vnclean beaſts when it was wrought into cloth had no vncleannes. The camel was vnclean, Deut. 14.7. yet Ioh. Baptiſt wore a garmēt of the hayr. Alſo the Eliphant, yet Solomō made a throne of the tooth, 1. king. 10.18. And it is holdē of the Iewes,*foreign that the bones, teeth, ſkins, hayr &c. of vnclean beaſts ar in ſuch vſe excepted, and pollute not a man. Why then ſhould the work of the ſilk-worme be alwayes vnclean?
If the ſilk which the worm maketh be vnclean, then the fleſh blood & humors of wormes & other like creatures, muſt needs be holden vncleā likewiſe, & ſo the vſe of them forbiddē about the ſanctuarie as wel as the ſilk. But the Iewes do ſome of them hold thoſe colours mentioned Exod. 25. to be died in the blood of wormes. as foreign Techeleth, which is tranſlated Blew, they ſay was wool died in the blood of a worm called foreign Hhalazon. And it is known that purple is vſually made & named of the liquor of the Plin. lib. 9.….36.Purpure & Murex, which ar ſhelfiſhes, & therfore by the law vncleā. Deut. 14.9.10. and ſcarlet of the graine called †Dioſcorid.foreign which is more then any ſubiect to breed worms, & is therfore named foreign (ſkol…kion) and in French Vermillon, of foreign (ſkolex) and Vermis a worm.
But it may be further anſwered, that it mought be ſilk, though not ſuch as the worm worketh, for as al wool groweth not on the ſheeps back, but ſome is gathered from plants, as cotton wool: ſo is ther ſome kind of ſilk that groweth, as the Byſſe of *Ezek 27.7.Aegipt, finer then linen, and ſilk graſſe in Perſia & other countries. And if it wer ſuch that was vſed about the tabernacle, then was ther not that impuritie in the ſtuff which is affirmed.
VntoUnto the later point it may be ſayd,
That the Iewes which with ſo general conſent make wollē threed died into thoſe colours, & fine linē, & gold, the matter of thoſe ornamēts, ſeem herin to go againſt the playn law of God, which forbad that a man ſhould wear any garments of divers ſorts, as of linen & wollen togither, Deut. 22.11. and how is it like that God would then hauehave the High prieſts garments made of ſuch mixture. If it be anſwered, God might diſpenſe with that law: it may be replied; firſt let it be ſhewed that God would & did ſo diſpēſe, vvhichwhich wilbe hard to ſhew from ſcripture, which mentioneth the die & colour onelyonly, blew, purple & ſcarlet, and not the ſtuff. Secondly as he might diſpenſe for linſey woolſey, ſo might he do the like for ſilk, even of the worm; & then the tranſlation of ſilk is no more abſurd or erroneous then that of wollen. Thirdly if we conſider, the end of thoſe ornaments, which were ”Exod. 28.2.for glorie & bewtie, and the commandement afterwards expreſſed by Ezekiel, forbidding the prieſts to wear wool in their adminiſtration, (Ezek. 44.17.) it may ſeem probable, the garments were ſilken, or of ſuch like ſtuff, rather then woollen.
Moreover, touching the opinion of the Iewes, of pollution by a worme, it ſeemeth rather to ſavour of the Rabbines ſuperſtition, then of ſound religion, & to be without approbatiō of ſcripture, of other learned men, or of themſelves. For wheras this poſitiō of theirs is alleged out of the Thalmud. If a worm be in a mās hād, though he waſh himſelf in the waters of Siloā, or in al the waters that God made, ”foreignhe ſhal not find abſolute cleannes: Firſt, Gods law maketh no other vncleannes, then by eating the fleſh, or touching the dead carkeſſe▪ as before is ſhewed. Againe of wormes, the Iewes them … that their R…bbi… ſ…y the … that a… found in dates &c. ar not forbidden (to wit, to be eaten) becauſe they creep not vponupon the earth. If this be true (which I affirm not) how ſhould the worm in a mans hand, which creeps not on the earth any more then the other, cauſe ſo vnclenſible pollution, & that by touching onelyonly?
As for other learned men▪ they ſeem not to diſcerne any ſuch vncleā nes in the ſilk of wormes. Tremellius being himſelf a learned Iew, togither with Iunius, conſtantly tranſlate foreign (Sheſh) Exod. 25. (which we cal fine linen) linum xylinum. And this xylinum ▪ ”Lib. 19. c.Plinie (from whom they take it) writeth to be ſponn of the Bombyx *Bomby… properly is the ſilk-worm, but may be here t…ken for ſilk, the efficient cauſe for the m… ter.or of the worm, in the fruit as it groweth. Note alſo that the ſaid Iunius taketh the ſilke worm to be a cleā creature, & therfore the (foreign) Solghnam, which we cal Solean, and God permitted the Iewes to eat, he tranſlateth bombycem, the ſilk worm, Levit. 11.22.
Marcus Marinus in Arca Noe, of the word foreign tolaghnath (tranſlated ſcarlet) which ſignifieth properly a worm, ſayth, becauſe that of the threeds of the bombyces which be worms, ſilk is made, therfore is this name elegantly vſed for ſilk.
Munſterus vponupon the word foreign techeleth ſayth, that the Iewes expound it to be (ſericum) ſilk.
Vatablus vponupon Exod. 25. caleth the ſcarlet ſericum coccineum ſiv… …occo tinctum, ſcarlet died ſilk. Of like iudgement ar Pelicanus, Lyra, and others.
Arias Montanus ”In ſacr. appar. in▪ A… ron.ſayth tha… foreign tolághnath is the ſame that the Ancients cal Murex, and that of the blood of that ſhelfiſh, & other things mixed, clothes wer died.
Forſterus on foreign techéleth ſayth, men write of it to be a worme whoſe humor is of yelow colour.
To conclude, it may ſeem as probable to be but one ſtuff, even the ſame foreign ſheſh, that is fine white linen (or *If with Tremellius we take this foreign ſheſ… to be xylinum, of it was a very white & ſoft ſtuff, wherof the prieſts of Aegypt vſed to make their garments. Plin. …. 19. c. 1.like thing) died into the foreſayd colours, as to be linen & wollen, & more agreable to the law of God, which forbad linſey wolſey ▪ Or, we may vnderſtand by wool, ſuch ſtuff as groweth vponupon plants &c. as Plinie caleth that xylinum aforeſayd by the ”Lib. 19 c. 1name of lanugo, a fine moſſy wool, & the trade which the ſilk men S…res vſed, he calleth †Lib. 6 c. 17lanicium, vvoolvvork or cloth making.
Alſo the hebrue foreign (tſemer) is a commune name of al wool, even ſuch ”Avenariu… on foreign.as groweth on trees.
This for the preſent, til better aſſurance of the contrary.
Henr: Ainſworth.
Mr Broughtons Reply.
MR Ainſworth, a tedious writing I ſaw: and ſenſeles. If you check a thing in print: vvit would bid you do it in print. 3000 yeres Ebrevves you will teach Ebrevv: Arias alone might teach you. and you confute your ſelf: Silk you vvere ſaid to defend. from that you flee: and bable by-matter from your ovvne head: and dreame of foreign to help your turne: as though all Ievves 3000 yeres ſhould be overraught by Mr Ainſworth. The text might alone have taught you: in naming 3. coloures: vvithout the ſtuff: and linen: as an other kind. white is our addition. But Egyptian linen is vvhite of it ſelf: and that addition is more of our ſelves then of the ſtyle. And vvholy you ſhew vnſpeakeable vnlernedſhip that geſſe againſt 3000 yeres ſtudy of an vvhole nation for matters vſed 1400 yeres openly in their common vveale. Your vvriting ſhalbe ſhevved to many that many may tell how far you are from all iudgement: and how you croſſe and vveary your ſelf. And vvhen you number the commandements: you ſhould have told whom you folovved: foreign or Maimony. But belike you neuer ſaw them: only Munſter. Know now all agree not in the particulars: though they make the ſame ſumme. Yf you meane to confute my book: put a ſtyle promiſing ſo much: and folow it logically: without idle citing of men to by-purpoſes: and I vvill print your vvordes and a reply.
Broughton.