Capels Remains, Part 2
N 2 Of tranſlations. How Anabaptiſts overthrow all Tranſlations.
Hiſtory of Trent. p. 155.I No way like that of Cajetan, That to underſtand the Latine Tranſlation, was not to underſtand the infallible Word of God, but the word of the Tranſlatours ſubject to errour. Though he took it from Hierome, that to write holy Books proceeded from the Holy Ghoſt, but to tranſlate them into another Tongue was a work of humane skill. For if an Ambaſſadour deliver his minde by an Interpreter, are not the words of the Interpreter the words of the Ambaſſadour? Right, ſay you, if the Interpreter do it truely: So, ſay I, a Tranſlation, is a tranſlation no further then he doth tranſlate, and interpret truely: for a falſe tranſlation, Verum & cus convertuntur.as farre as it is falſe, is no tranſlation.
Can. lib. 2. cap. 14.I have read in a great Papiſt, That it is a great error for a man to think, that he can underſtand, or interpret the holy Scriptures without ſome peculiar guift of the Holy Ghoſt. And ſith the Lord hath commanded his people to heare and read the word, and the cōmon people cannot read the word, but in ſome tranſlation of other, that therefore tranſlations are in ſpecial a ſpecial Ordinance of God, and that therefore God being in his providence very careful, that his Church ſhall not want ſufficient proviſion for their ſoules, hath ever, doth, and will ever ſo aſſiſt Tranſlatours, that for the main they ſhall not erre. I am of minde, that there was never any Chriſtian Church, but the Lord did ſo hold the hands, and direct the pens of the tranſlators, ſo that the tranſlations might well be called the Word of God.
The vulgar Latine (which the Papiſts out of a veine of oppoſition do advance too much) is faulty enough, yet it is ſo ſound, that I think many have beene led by it to their converſion. Why may I not think that thoſe many who have been converted from Popery in the Church of Rome, and joyned themſelves to our Church, have beene beholding for the moſt of them (next to God) to their vulgar tranſlation, as Martyr, Zanchius, Luther, Oecolampadius, and a many others?
The Epheſians were builded in their faith on the Prophets and Apoſtles: the Apoſtles were living, but the Prophets were dead, and gone long ſince, & they could no way build their faith on the Prophets, but on their writings: For 600. years after Chriſt the Church uſed no tranſlation but the Greek called the ſeventy ſixt. Se…en. l. 8 haereſ. 13. Rain. prael. 28. p. 241. Bellar. cont. 1. l. 1 …. 20. Aug. de Civ. Dei l. 18, c. 43Now the writings of the Prophets in the Original were in Hebrew; and I take it for granted, that the Epheſians being bred and borne Grecians, did not underſtand the Hebrew tongue, and that therefore there were tranſlations of the Prophets, which tranſlations were made by ſuch men as were ordinary as ours are, ſubject I confeſſe to ſome errour, but not ſuch errour, but that it did ſerve to help the Church to faith, for the ſalvation of their ſouls.
In the Apoſtles time I know that they that did know the Apoſtles to be Apoſtles, and that they did preach, they did preach as Apoſtles, they were to take them at their words. But when they did heare them preach (as the Bereans did not, ſo I think aPaul did not always ſpeak in the Church by Revelation 1 Cor. 14. 5 many elſe) did not look on them as Apoſtles, and infallible ſpeakers: And no queſtion there were many Paſtours, and Teachers then, who, though many had more then a common gift of prophecying, yet had not the infallible ſpirit of the Apoſtles. Thoſe Prophets had not the ſame ſupreame ſpirit which the Apoſtles had (as ſaith (to me)Rain. prael. 34. 299, 300. the moſt Learned amongſt the Learned) but yet, ſaith he, they had a more extraordinary ſpirit, (not to write, nor to tranſlate, but) to interpret Scripture then the ordinary Paſtors and Teachers had: but I think that gift of interpreting died with them.
Now what the Bereans did to Paul, ſo all ſtood bound to do to the ordinary Paſtors and Teachers, even to examine by the Scriptures, whither thoſe things they taught were right or not: And thoſe who were thus to examine the Sermons of the ordinary Paſtors and Teachers, were to do it by the Greek Tranſlation, ſith many did not underſtand the Hebrew; and they that did underſtand the Hebrew, yet were to do it (no queſtion) by Tranſcripts made by ordinary men after the Prophets ended with Malachi, which Tranſcripts of the Hebrew text ſome quarrel at as done by ordinary gifted men, which were (they ſay) ſubject to miſtake in tranſcribing, as well as tranſlatours might miſtake in tranſlating: In which neither of them muſt be looked as free from all miſtake.
Wotton ſaith, & ſaith truly, that many thouſands were converted, Tryal. c. 14 p. 243and many Churches ſettled, by the preaching of the ſeveral Apoſtles ſent abroad to convert the world amongſt the Jewes and Gentiles, without the knowledge, and before the penning of the Books of the New Teſtament; but that they did it without the uſe and authority of the Old Teſtament, and the Word of God written there, there is no proof, nor I think can there be any.
Beſides the Apoſtles carried the Word of God in their boſoms, having that holy Library in their Heads, by immediate and infalible inſpiration. I doubt not but the Epheſians were converted by Paul, but yet Paul when he did convert them, did it by the truth of doctrine left behinde them by the Prophets; which is cleare in that the Apoſtle makes the Prophets, the Foundation, as well as the Apoſtles.
By Prophets, I take it for granted he meanes the writing Prophets of the Old Teſtament, not the preaching Prophets of the New. And I take it alſo to be clear of it ſelfe, that the Epheſians living ſo long after all thoſe Prophets were dead and gone, had their writings only; ſo then the Epheſians were converted by the truth of doctrine left for them by the Prophets, and preached to them by the Apoſtles.
I will alſo take it for granted till I heare, or reade any deny it, that the Epheſians underſtood not the Hebrew. (In which tongue the Prophets left their doctrine as the Canon of the Church.) And hence it cannot but follow, that (ſaving what help the Epheſians had from Paul) they were to have recourſe to the doctrine of the Prophets (not in Hebrew, which they underſtood not, but) in ſome Tranſlation of others, which without diſpute muſt be the Greek tranſlation of the Seventy, there then being no other tranſlations: The Epheſians being alſo not Jewes, but Grecians.
The reſolution
1. As touching the Originals.
2. As touching the Tranſlations.
1. I cannot but confeſſe that it ſometimes makes my heart ake, when I ſeriouſly conſider what is ſaid, That we cannot aſſure our ſelves that the Hebrew in the Old Testament, and the Greek in the New, are the right Hebrew and Greek, any further then our Masters and Tutors, and the General conſent of all the Learned in the world do ſo ſay, not one diſſenting. But yet ſay theſe, ſince the Apoſtles, there are no men in the world but are ſubject to deceive, and to be deceived. All infallibility in matters of this nature having long ſince left the world. Again, too like unto this is that of Maſter Wotton, who Anſw. to Art. 3cantell (ſaith he) what the ſignification of the Hebrew and Greek words is even in the Bible, but by the report of men? And to the like purpoſe is that obſervation, That the two Tables written immediately by Moſes and the Prophets, and the Greek Copies immediately penned by the Apoſtles, and Apoſtolical men are all loſt, or not to be made uſe of, except by a very few. And that we have none in Hebrew or Greek, but what are tranſcribed. Now tranſcribers are ordinary men, ſubject to mistake, may faile, having no unerring ſpirit to hold their hands in writing
Theſe be terrible blaſts, and do little elſe when they meet with a weak head and heart, but open the doore to Atheiſme, and quite to fling off the bridle, which onelyonly can hold them and us in the wayes of truth and piety: this is to fill the conceits I have r…ad how Auſtin (contra Fauſtum) calls the Jews Scriniarios Eccleſiae chriſti; that is the Keeppers of the Rolls of the Church i e. the Scriptures▪ Can. 588.of men with evil thoughts againſt the Purity of the Originals: And if the Fountains run not clear, the Tranſlation cannot be clean.
The beſt is, this doth concern the learned, who can beſt get out of ſuch ſcruples as theſe, it being made plaine to them by the Jewes themſelves (no friends to Chriſtian Religion) That the Hebrew Text is curiouſly preſerved by them in its integrity. For if the Oracles of God were (as they were, Rom. 3. 2.) committed them, it deeply concernes the Providence of God to look to it, that the Jewes ſhould keepe the Oracles of God not onelyonly ſafe but pure, not onelyonly from Rain. Conf.not being loſt, but alſo from not being corrupted.
It's out of queſtion that the ſame God, who committed the Oracles to the Jews, did alſo take care that they ſhould preſerve them fafe and ſure, uncorrupt and pure.
It is the uſe of Saint Paul, much to follow the Greek tranſlation, which doth uſe to uſe the foreignGreek word tranſlated Oracles, to meane the Scriptures of Moſes and the Prophets. And what if there be ſcapes in ſome Copies, yet other Copies runne clear? But ſith this concernes the Learned, whom I much look not after, from the Originals, let us turne to the buſineſſe of the Tranſlations. As for other matters about the Greek and Hebrew, which it is, and what is the meaning of the words, I paſſe, as a meere excrement of wit, ſith this is cried downe by all the learned world, whither Chriſtian or unchriſtian, and therefore is not like to take to doe any hurt unto the ſoules of any.