An Epistle of a Hebrew Willing to Learn Christianity, Dedication
AN EPISTLE OF AN EBREW WILLINGE TO LEARNE CHRISTIANITY: SENT by him to London: & thence, by the Archb. of Canterburies aduiſe, to Baſil: thence returned vuith ſome further ſpech vponupon it vntounto the Quene of Englandes moſt excellent maieſty.
BY HVGH BRVGHTON: foreign
foreign.
Rom. 9. 4.
PRINTED AT BASIL. BY CONRADVS VVALDKIRCH 1598.
TO THE MIGHTIE PRINCE ELISABET BY TE GRACE OF GOD Quene of England, Fraunce & Ireland, deſendour of the fath, &c.
FROM the ſeas of ELISA, ſouerain lady, & from the city built by the ſonne of the Bretan Helena, there came to your highnes King dome, an epiſtle from a Lerned Ebrew, full of Eloquence, & rabbi que skill: iudged to conteyne ſparkes of matter, which with due nourishment might geue occaſion to kindle far off the light of the Goſpell, winninge ſuch fauour of migthy ſtates that it might turne to the comon good of Chriſtendome. This Iew ſemeth by his epiſtle to be of great autority, not only amonge Iewes, which are in Conſtantina the chiefeſt of the world, that he carying them after him, the reſt over the eaſt will ſoner folow: but alſo with the greateſt there: of whoſe affection nothing may be ſpoken, vntill it pleaſe him ſelf to open his mynde. He writeth in the tongue that was firſt vſed in the world: in which all the holy prophetes bookes are written: and all diuinity graduates muſt know, or bethought to ſee with other mens eyes: & by English vniuerſities they are bound to know: ne ther may plead ignorance: but as they are higheſt in your maieſties praeferment, ſo the care to awnſwer toucheth them principally. His epiſtle penned with exquiſite care sheweth in his firſt entrance, skill putting all to the tryall, ether to overmatch Chriſtianes by Iudaiſme, for all theyr groūdes, yf they graunt his, & paſſe thē ouer as not dashing all faith: or, yf by modeſty & dexterity he be taught, how both Talmudes wilfully diſturbe the Bible, that the Light of Chriſt should not shine to them being in Satans darkenes: he cannot by Lerning lenger reſiſt: but by all Turkes iudgement, vponupon his owne groundes of Scriptures auctority, he shalbe vtterly overthrowen. After his begininge, he continueth ſundry poinctes in Lerned reuerence: Firſt commending, matters of England: next, requeſting ſome petitiones of inſtruction. Our diuinity is in his ſpech highly eſtemed: as ſtanding vponupon the clear power of Gods hand: & removing weedes: ſuch as I think he blameth in Grekes. For as the Iewes, ſo they, hauehave overwhelmed all the Scripture, as with netles: which being vncutdowne, the thrueth cannoth be ſene. Then he thinketh that N. hath great occaſion to reioyce for a greate nomber that he hath broght on to the knowlegde of God: from which help he alſo the Iew him ſelf ſtretched out his hand: & caught an Omer full: while he ſtandeth behind the wall: looking through the lattice, & knocking at the gates of vnderſtanding. After this he slideth vntounto commendation of your highnes Ligier, at the city of Conſtantine, for his great care to ſettle him in Chriſtianity, And after this praeparation he floweth moſt plentifully into your maieſties commendation: that by your ſpeciall tendering hauehave diuines ſo ready in the Golden candelſtick of the Law for the generalles to bring them vntounto few heades: & for the particulares, the bowles, Knoppes, & flowres. Others he commendeth, as may appeare in his Epiſtle: and after, he cometh to his requeſtes: wherin firſt he sheweth a fervent deſire, & moſt harty affection to hauehave N. ſent to teach all the ſynagoges in Conſtantina, promiſing that he shalbe receaued as an Angel. But firſt he wold hauehave the ſum of all the Scripture plentifully handled: & endeth his Epiſtle with à Lerned ſonnet. This Letter was brought vntounto my Lordes grace, to croyden: where he should be beſt at leaſure. But his grace ſeing an English Endorcement, and ſaing that he could rede no further, bade the bringers ſend it to me. Others alſo counted ready in the tongue of diuinity, could or wold ſay litle to it. Here vponupon it returned towardes the eaſt, not with ſmall hazard: yet▪ by Gods goodnes, it came ſafe to me to Baſil. I durſt not returne the Letter: being of ſo weighty importance, to abide new daunger. But I printed an awnſwer to my Lordes grace: shewing the principall effect: thinking that his gr. wold hauehave ſent for an whole copy or hauehave written: that in this ſo weighty byſines, to doe good to all the world, no shadow of negligence or delay should appeare. But becauſe that is not done, I hauehave printed the whole Epiſtle vntounto your M. whom the care should chiefly touch: & will shew, according to my leaſure more then others had hereyn, my poore opinion of proceding: yf your highnes geue me leaue. My care is the greater: for his G. dealinges in as great matters about the Bible, Labored in, ten whole yeres, vponupon your M. word: & croſſed after all that labour, & charges of ſo great time, by his Graces will & autority. I shewed his G. how, vponupon Dan. 11. 38. vnskilfulnes, allowed by his skill, betrayd Gods name, & whole religion, to Satan. Yet there, three Greke translationes, yf they had bene knowen in England, might hauehave geuen light vntounto à ſure trueth: beſides the moſt ſtedfaſt certenty of the Ebrew terme: So Polychronius the Greke, might for all Daniel. Then his G. yelded: with high Promiſes. Since a new differēce as great fell. That, this Iew may end: whoſe Epiſtle foloweth.
foreign foreign foreign
THvs your M. ſeeth the Epiſtle: deſired of many ſent to Englād: thēce to Baſil: of one made many: that all may ſee it. The awnſwerer should be, my L. G. for Lerned fame & auctority. A Greater cauſe his G. never dealt in: then to open all te bible, both Teſtamentes in Ebrew. And yf his G. knoweth nought in Ebrew: Greke will doe as well, for Byzantium: and better for England: to calme waues blowē of late, to the ruine of all religiō, & lerning, which this Epiſtle to the Iew will quiet: & brede a windeleſſ Cymatolegen. His G. knoweth who ſtirred a diſſention: for the principal article of the Crede: for Chriſt his paſſion, wether his ſoule went from his body. The Greke tongue, in ſpech to this Iew will cut off all cōtrouerſy: as Lerned linguiſtes & the ſure in Scripture groundes know that all was euer plain to the Simpleſt. The Euangeliſtes told that Chriſt his ſoule should goe preſently from his body to his kingdome, to Paradiſe, to the hand of God; euen through the veile of his flesh into heauen. This the Euangeliſtes taught: and no one ſyllable in te Prophetes euer taught otherwiſe. Now the prophetes phraſe of all ſoules departing this life is: a deſcendinge to Sheol, or foreign And in ſpech of full death amonge ſuch as held the ſoules immortality in an other world: with the bodies death, they mentioned the ſoules deſcent to ſcheol, & foreign, Inferos, Hell So Homer V. 3. for thouſandes: ſo Demoſthenes for 4000. slain at one fight by K. Philip. yet they held them to be in happy caſe: & with theyr Goddes. So the Crede is penned by a phraſe vnwreſtable: plain to all Iewes & Gentiles: till the Barbarous wold Lerne Diuinity, as from Dauus in the market, againſt religion & all Lerning. This all his G. may cure ſaffely by writing in Greke, wher none may ſay that Chriſt deſcended to Gehennuo: & wher foreign, to him & all good, is Paradiſe. So his Graces foreign, wold win him Eternal fame. And I truſt your M. will not appoint a meaner then his G. to this charge But, I muſt leaue that, to your Maieſties wiſdome. yet I hope, all in a caſe of ſo weighty importance, may doe well, when occaſion forceth them to deale, then to ſpeak in humble care, ſomwhat touching te weight of Lerned buſines: wherin they hauehave beſt occaſion to ſee the right: and what should be done. Thus I wish your M. all good meditationes, and one that conteyneth all: how God ſitteth on à fiery throne, & that all men muſt foreign. where foreign that there not Gehenna but paradiſe may be your bleſſed reſt.
your Maieſties moſt humble ſubiect. HVGH BROVGHTON.
End of the text · Hugh Broughton, An Epistle of a Hebrew Willing to Learn Christianity (1598)