Answer unto a Crafy and Sophistical Cavillation, Debate · Confutation of book 3 · Section 66
Winchester.
Cirill.The author sayth, such answer as he made to Hilary will serue for Cyrill: and indeede to say truth it is made after the fame sort, and hath euen such an error as the other had sauing it may be excused by ignorance. For where the author trauayleth here to expound the word (corporally) which is a sore word in Cirill agaynst this author, and therfore taketh labour to temper it with the word (Corporaliter) in S. Paule, applied to the dwelling of the diuinity in Christ, and yet not content therwith, maketh further search, and would gladly hauehave somewhat to confirme his phansy out of Cirill him selfe, and seeketh in Cirill where it is not to be found, and seeketh not where it is to be found. For Cirill telleth him selfe playnly, what he meaneth by the word (corporally) which place and this author had found, be might hauehave spared a great many of wordes vttered by diuination, but then the truth of that place hindreth and quayleth in manner all the booke. I will at my perill bring forth Cirils owne wordes truely vponupon the seuententh chapiter of S. Iohn.
Lege Cuillum in Io. li. 9. c. 47.Corporaliter filius per benedictionem misticam nobis vt homo vnitur, spiritualiter autem vt deus. Which be in English thus much to say. The sonne is vnite as man corporally to vsus by the misticall benediction, spiritually as god. These be Cirils wordes, who nameth the sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ the misticall benediction land sheweth in this sentence, how him selfe vnderstandeth the wordes corporally and spiritually, That is to say, when Christ vniteth him selfe to vsus as man, which he doth geuing his body in this Sacramēt to such as worthely receaue it, then he dwelleth in them corporally, which Christ was before in them spiritualy, or els they could not worthely receaue him to ye effect of ye vnity corporal, & corporal dwelling, by which word (corporal) is vnderstanded no grossenes at all, which the nature of a mistery excludeth, and yet kepeth truth still, being the vnderstanding onelyonly attayned by fayth. But where the author of the booke alleadgeth Cirill in wordes to deny the eating of a man and to affirme the receauing in this sacrament to be onelyonly by fayth: It shall appeare I doubt not vponupon further discussion, that Cirill sayth not so, and the translations of Cirill into Latine after the print of Basill, in a booke called Antidotum, and of whole Cirils workes printed at Colen, hauehave not in that place such sentence. So as following the testimony of those bookes set forth by publique fayth in two sundry places, I should call the allegation of Cirill made by this author in this poynt vntrne, as it is indeede in the matter vntrue. And yet bicause the originall errour proceedeth from Decolampadius, it shall serue to good purpose, to direct the originall fault to him: as he well deserueth to be, as he is noted gilty of it, whose reputation deceaued many in the matter of the sacrament, and being well noted how the same Decolampadius corrupteth Cirill, it may percase somewhat worke with this author, to consider how he hath in this place bene deceaued by him. I will write here the very wordes of Cirill in Greeke, as they be of Decolampadius brought forth and published in his name, wherby the reader that vnderstandeth the Greeke (as many do at this tyme) may iudge of Decolāpadius consciēce in handling this matter. The wordes of Ciril be alleaged of Decoclāpadius to be these in Greeke. foreign.
These wordes be by Decolampadius translated in this wise. Nonne igitur …um qui videtur filium & Christum, alium a deo verbo, qui ex deo esse affirmant, cui apostolatus functio tributa sit? Non enim sacramentum nostrum hominis manducationem asserit mentes credentium ad crassas cogitationes irreligiose introtrudens, & humanis cogitationibus subijcere enitens, ea qua sola, & pura, & inexquisita fide capiuntur. This is Decolampadius translation of the Greeke, as the same is by Decolampadius alleadged. Which compared with the Greeke and the congruite and phrase of the Greeke tongue considered, doth playnly open a corruption in the Greeke text. First in the word foreign which should be a participle in the singular number foreign, as foreign, and foreign, all which participles depend of the third person reproued of Cirill, and nominatiue case to the verbe foreign which hath the nown foreign, his accusatiue case: for congruity will not suffer foreign to be the nominatiue case, as Decolampadius maketh it: bicause foreign and foreign should then depend on it, which be the masculine gender, and foreign the neuter: and besides that the sence hath so no good reason, to attribute assertion to the mistery by the way of declaration, the mistery of nature secret hath neede of declaration, and maketh none but hideth rather: and the mistery cannot declare properly that should lead or subdue men to vayne imagination. But Cirill intending to reproue the conclution of him that attributeth to that is seene in Christ (the nature meaning, the person of his humanity) the office of the apostle, and so therby semeth to make in Christ two seuerall persons, esteming that is seene an other sonne from the second person, sheweth how that man so *foreign.concluding doth affirme an absurdity. That is to say, †foreign.declareth that mistery of our (humanam commixtionem) for so hath the publique translation and not foreign which should signifie eating of a man, as Decolampadius would hauehave it, and cannot with this construction to make foreign the accusatiue case hauehave any sence, and then that man so concluding, may be sayd therwith *foreign.lea…ing the mynd of them that beleeue, into slender and darke imaginations or thoughtes, and so †foreign.going about to bring vnderunder mans reasonings such things as be taken or vnderstanded by an onelyonly simple bare, and no curious fa…th. And this is vttered by Cirill by interogation: foreign, which continueth vntounto the last word of all that is here written in Greeke, ending in the word foreign. But Decolampadius to frame these wordes to his purpose, corrupteth the participle foreign, and maketh it, foreign, wherby he might cut of the interrogatiue, and then is he yet fayne to ad euidently that is not in the Greeke, a copulatiue causal (enim) and then when foreign is by the cutting of the interrogation and the addition of (enim) made the nominatiue case, then can not foreign and foreign depend of it, bicause of the gender and foreign, bicause of the article determineth the principall mistery in Christes person, and after publique translation it should seeme the Greeke word was not foreign, but foreign which in the publique translatiō is expressed with these two wordes humanam comm…xtionem. This one place, and there were no mo… like, may shew with what conscience Decolampadius handeled the matter of the sacrament: who was learned in the Greeke tongue, much exercised in translations, and had once written a grammer of the Greeke, and yet in this place abuseth himselfe and the reader in peruerting Cirill agaynst all congruites of the speach, agaynst the proper significations of the wordes, agaynst the conuenient connection of the matter, with deprauation of the phrase, and corruption of certayne wordes, all agaynst the common and publique translation, and when he hath done all this, concludeth in the end that he hath translated the greeke faythfully, when there is by him vsed no good fayth at all, but credite and estimation of learning by him abused, to deceaue well meaning simplicity, and serueth for some defence to such as be bold to vse and follow his authority in this matter. As the author of the booke semeth to hauehave followed him herin, for els the publique autentique translations which be abroad, as I sayd of the printes of Basill and Colon hauehave no such matter, and therfore the fault of the author is to leaue publique truth and search matter whispered in corners. But thus much must be graunted, though in the principall matter, that in the mistery of the sacrament we must exclude all grosen…s and yet for the truth of Gods secret worke in the sacrament, graunt also that in such as receaue the Sacrament worthely, Christ dwelleth in them corporally, as Cirill sayth and naturally, and carnally as Hilary sayth. And with this true vnderstanding, after the simplicity of a Christian fayth, which was in these fathers, Hilary and Cirill, the contention of these three enuious wordes, in grose capacities grossely taken, naturall, carnall and corporall, which carnality hath engendred, might soone be much asswaged, and this author also considering with him selfe, how much he hath bene ouerseen in the vnderstanding of them, and the speciality in this place of him selfe, and Decolampadius, might take occasion to repent and call home himselfe, who wonderfully wandreth in this matter of the sacrament, and hauing lost his right way, breaketh vp hedges, and leapeth ouer diches, with a wonderous trauayle to goe whether he would not, being not yet (as appeareth) determined where he would rest, by the variety of his owne doctrine, as may appeare in sundry places, if they be compared togither.