Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 9 · Part 12
EXERCITAT. XII. That the Hebrew Text is not corrupted.
Pſal. 119.140. Thy word is very pure: therefore thy ſervant loveth it.
THe Church of Rome, The Church of Rome maketh the vulgar Latin tranſlation to be canonicall.that they may advance the authority of the vulgar Latine tranſlation, which they have made canonicall; doe labour to diſgrace the originall Text, the Hebrew and Greeke,Controverſ. 1. Gordonij. cap. 9. holding that they are corrupt in many things.
Maſter Iames Gordon our Country man, obſerveth foure diſtinct periods of time. The firſt period, he maketh to bee the Iewes Synagogue before Chriſt came in the fleſh; he granteth that all this time, the Hebrew Text was not corrupted by the Iewes. The ſecond period of time he maketh to be from the aſcenſion of Chriſt untill the dayes of Hierome and Auguſtine, and he ſaith, that in this ſecond period, the Iewes went about to corrupt the tranſlation of the Seventy: becauſe the Chriſtians then began to uſe arguments taken out of that tranſlation againſt them, as Iuſtine Martyr teſtifieth, writing againſt Tripho. The third period he maketh to be after the death of Saint Hierome, untill the time that the Talmud was compoſed and ſet together, and then he ſaith, there aroſe great contention betwixt the Orientall and Occidentall Iewes: (the Orientall Iewes were thoſe who dwelt upon the Eaſt ſide of Euphrates in Babylon Media & Perſia, What Iewes were called orientall, and what occidentall.thoſe Peter called the Church at Babylon, 1 Pet. 5.13. The Occidentall Iewes were thoſe to whom he wrote, Scattered abroad in Pontus Galatia, Cappadocia, Aſia, and Bithynia, 1 Pet. 1.1.) becauſe of the diverſity of their reading, and corruptions in the Text. He ſaith that the Iewes met at Tiberias, Anno 508. and there ſet downe the Points; and made their Maſora; to obviat this, that no more corruption ſhould enter into the Text. The fourth period he maketh to be after the Iewes had met at Tiberias; they decreed that none ſhould uſe any copy, but ſuch as were corrected by the Maſoreth: and ſo from this time he freeth the Text from corruption: but hee laboureth much to prove that the Hebrew Text was corrupt before, and that the vulgar Latine is ſound and free from corruption, which was tranſlated by Saint Hierome under Pope Damaſus; and ſo continued in the Church of Rome.The Iewes kept faithfull the booke of God without corruption.
The Iewes to whom The Oracles of God were committed, Rom. 3.2. (therefore it was called Their Law, Ioh. 8.17.) would they have corrupted their owne Evidents? Auguſtine calleth the Iewes Capſarios noſtros, who faithfully kept the booke of God, and reſerved it unto us without corruption, & he ſaith, Diſperſos eſse Iudaeos, infidelesut teſtarentur Scripturas eſſe veras. The unbeleeving Iewes were ſcattered through the world, that they might teſtifie the Scriptures to be true:The Iewes numbred the Verſes, Words and Letters of the Bible. and ſhall wee thinke that the Iewes would have corrupted the Text, who have numbred the words, letters, and verſes of the Bible: and R. Zaddias hath numbred the letters words and verſes, and ſummed up all the verſes at the end of every booke, and they have obſerved that all the letters are found in one verſe, Zeph. 3.8. as alſo foure of the finall letters: they carry ſuch reſpect to the Law, that if it but fall to the ground, they inſtitute a faſt for it.They would write no language but in Hebrew letters.
The ſuperſtitious Iewes at this day, are ſo carefull to keepe the letters and words of the Law, that they will have neither Chaldee, Syriacke, nor Hebrew words wrirten; but in Hebrew letters: and it greeved them when they ſaw in Origens Hexupla, Vide Guiliel. Schiekardum de jure regio.Hebrew words written in Greeke Characters, when they ſaw the copie which was preſented to Alexander the Great,foreign having the name Iehova ſtill written in Golden letters, they were much greeved at it, and when they ſee any thing changed in our copies now, in diſdaine they call it, Hhomeſh peſul ſhel gelahhim, that is, Pentateuchus raſorum Monachorum, the Pentateuch of the ſhaven Monkes.
The Iewes after the death of Chriſt were diſperſed among many Nations and they never met together againe: and albeit they would have corrupted the Scripture, how could they have falſified all the Copies?
Bellarmin maketh this objection to himſelfe.Bellarm. lib. 2. Cap. 2. De verbo dei. Some men will ſay, that the Hebrew Text was corrupted after the dayes of Saint Hierome and Auguſtine. Hee anſwereth, that Auguſtins reaſons ſerve for all times againſt the corruption of the Hebrew Text:Serrarius in prolegom. Bibliac…s. And Serrarius acknowledgeth, that there is but ſmall or no corruption in the Hebrew Text,Corruptio Phyſica Mathematica Moralis. & he maketh a threefold corruption. The firſt Phyſicall, the ſecond Mathematicall, and the third Morall. Phyſicall corruption he maketh to be this, when it wanteth any member which it ſhould have. Mathematicall corruption hee maketh to bee this, when there are ſome faults in the print which we call foreign. And a morall corruption he maketh to be this, when one of purpoſe goeth about to corrupt the Text, and in effect he commeth to this, that the errours which are found in the Text, are but errours in the print, and not in the matter.
But now lately there is one riſen up, called Morinus, who hath ſet himſelfe to improve the originall Hebrew Text, and to preferre the Samaritan to it as the originall.
Difference betwixt hebraeo-ſamaritana, and hebraeo-ſamaritano-ſamaritana, in their Copies.We muſt put a difference betwixt Hebraeo-Samaritana and Hebraeo-ſamaritano-ſamaritana. Hebraeo-ſamaritana is that which Moyſes wrote from the Lord and delivered to the Iewes, it is called Hebraeo-ſamaritana; becauſe the Hebrew was written in the Samaritan Character at the firſt and ſo kept ſtill till after the captivity; and this wee grant to be the firſt and originall writing by which the Church ſhould be ruled.
But that this Hebraeo-ſamaritano-ſamaritana ſhould be the firſt originall; that in no way muſt we grant, and the reaſons are theſe.
Reaſon 1 Reaſons to prove that the Samaritan copy is not the originall.Firſt, the Samaritans were Idolaters they were brought out of Aſſyria by Salmanaſſes, and they erected a falſe worſhip in Iudea, for the which they were hated by the people of God, Ioh. 4. They branded them alwayes with theſe two letters, Gnaijn Zain, that is,foreign pro foreign cultus alienus. ſtrange worſhip. The Lord concredited his oracles to his owne people, Deut. 33.4. The Law is the inheritance of the congregation of Iacob. Therefore the Law was not committed to their cuſtodie, who were not Gods people, they had no right to his inheritance.
Reaſon 2 Secondly, if the Samaritan copie were the originall, then it ſhould follow that the Church hath wanted the true originall Text untill the yeare of God, 1626. when Petrus de Valle brought it from Damaſcus.
Reaſon 3 The Samaritan Copie differed as much from the originall,The Samaritan differeth as much from the originall, as the Seventy doe. as the Seventy doe, but none of them hold that the tranſlation of the Seventy is the originall by which all others ſhould be tryed, why then ſhould they give this prerogative to the Samaritan Copie, to be the originall? this Samaritan Copie addeth to the originall Text which was The inheritance of the Iewes, Deut. 33.4. and diminiſheth alſo from it. It addeth to the originall Text, Ioſh. 21. two Verſes, 36.37. Verſes. So Gen. 4. it addeth a long ſpeech or conference betwixt Cain and Abel which is not in the originall Text. So Targum Hieroſolymitanum ſupplyeth the ſame 28. verſes here, which are not in the originall Hebrew Text, a conference betwixt Cain and Abel, whether there be any providence of God or not? or whether there be any reward for the juſt, or puniſhment for the wicked? Abel holdeth the affirmative, and Cain the negative part.foreign But this note of the Maſoreth in the margent ſhould not be read this wayes, Peſu peſuki bimtzegno peſuk. Viginti octo verſus deſiderantur in medio hujus verſus, There are twenty eight Verſes wanting in the midſt of this verſe. But it ſhould be read this wayes,foreign Peſukim paſekin bimtzeghnoth paſuk, that is, There are twenty eight verſes whoſe ſenſe endeth in the midſt of the verſe: therefore when the Scripture ſaith that Cain talked with his brother, it was to perſwade him to goe out to the field, and not that he had a long conference with him. Both the Samaritan Copie then, and the Targum of Ieruſalem wrong the Text as defective, putting in theſe 28. verſes which the Spirit of God never indited.
As it addeth to the originall Hebrew Text, ſo it diminiſheth ſomethings from it, Hoſ. 4.11. I have called my Sonne out of Egypt. Theſe words are not in the Samaritan Copie. So theſe words, Zach. 12.10. They ſhall behold him whom they pierced.
Reaſon 4 If this Samaritan Copie were the originall Copie, what is the reaſon that Origen ſetteth it not downe in his Octupla, as hee hath done other tranſlations? and what is the reaſon that Hierome never citeth it, nor followeth it in his tranſlation, if it be the originall?
Reaſon 5 Fiftly, the manner of the Samaritans writing ſheweth that this was not the originall, wch Moſes received from the Lord, and delivered to the people of God afterwards, as you may perceive in the page following, out of Exod. 31. from verſ. 12. to 18.
foreignforeignforeignExemplar Samaritanum.foreignHebraiè ſic.
Et dixit Iehova Moſi dicendo, Latinè ſic.& tu al loquere filios Iſrael dicendo, nunc il la Sabbatha mea ſerua tote: quia ſignum eſt in terme & inter vos per generationes veſtras ad cognoſcēdū quod ego Iehova ſanctificans vos. et obſervate Sabbathum quia ſanc tum erit illis profanātes illud morte morietur, quia omnis faciens in illa opus utique excinde turanima il la emedio populorum ſuorum:ſ ex di ebus opera beris opus, & in die ſeptimo Sabbathū ſabbatulū ſanctum Ie hovae: omnis faciens o-pus in die illo ſabbathi morte morietur: & obſervanto filij Iſrael ipſum ſabbathum, celebrando ſabbathum per generationes ſuas faedere aeter no interme & inter filios Iſrael ſignum erit in aeternum: quia ſex diebus fecit Iehoua caelum et terram & in die ſeptimo quievit et reſpiravit
Exod. 31.12.In Engliſh thus. And the Lord ſpake vntounto Moſes ſaying 13. Speake thou alſo unto the Children of Iſrael, ſaying, verily my Sabbaths ſhall ye keepe: for it is a Signe betweene me & you, throughout your generations, that yee may know that I am the Lord that doth ſanctifie you. 14. Ye ſhall keepe the Sabbath therefore: for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it, ſhall ſurely be put to death, for whoſoever doth any worke therein, that Soule ſhall be cut off from amongſt his people, 15. Sixe dayes may worke bee done, but in the Seventh is the Sabbath of reſt, holineſſe to the Lord, whoſoever doth any worke in the Sabbath day hee ſhall ſurely bee put to death. 16. Wherefore the Children of Iſrael ſhall keepe the Sabbath, to obſerve the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetuall Covenant. 17. It is a ſigne betweene me and the children of Iſrael for ever: for in ſixe dayes the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the ſeventh day he reſted and was refreſhed.
Obſerve the forme of this writing of the Samaritans and yee ſhall finde it to be meere Cabbaliſticall, by which they would finde out the diverſe readings, in framing the lines, words and letters, and ſetting them downe after ſuch a curious forme,foreign as the Cabbaliſts doe, by their Gematrija, notaricon, and temura: that is, by the number of letters, the diverſe ſignifications of them, and the diverſe ſituation and placing of them, they make diverſe ſenſes in the Scriptures, as by elbham, and ethbhaſh; ſometimes putting the laſt letters for the firſt, and the firſt for the laſt; ſometimes reading up and downe; ſometimes croſſwayes, and ſometimes from the left hand to the right: this we may ſee in this example of the Samaritan Copie, where they ſumme up the obſervation, the breach, and puniſhment of the Sabbath in a round circle; which curioſity the Spirit of God never uſed in writing the holy Scriptures.
Chriſt ſpeaking of the originall Text, and the perpetuity of the Law which we have, he ſaith, One jote, or one title of the Law ſhall not paſſe, in the originall it is, foreign anſwerable to the Hebrew Iod; and foreign, which is not properly tranſlated, A tittle, as if it made a difference betwixt ſome letters,foreign as the top of Daleth from Reſh: for the Syriacke calleth it Sharat, inciſura vel inciſio, the ſmall lines which are in ones hand. The meaning is then, that not one part of a letter, neyther the leaſt letter, nor any part of the leaſt letter ſhall periſh, hence we may reaſon from Chriſts words. In that copie whereof the Lord ſpeaketh, foreign or Iod muſt be the leaſt letter; but in the Samaritan copie Iod is not the leaſt, but the biggeſt of all the Letters: therefore the Samaritan copie, is not that copie which Chriſt ſpake of,י Hebrae. but the Hebrew as we may ſee by the difference of the Letters in the margent here:foreign Samarit. hence we may gather that this Samaritan letter was aboliſhed in Chriſts time, and therefore wee ought neyther to imbrace the copie nor the Characters, as authenticke or originall.
The Concluſion of this is, Concluſion. If the light that is in the body be darkeneſſe, how great is that darkeneſſe, Matth. 6.23. The Scriptures are the light of the Church, and if the originall Text were corrupted,Inſtrumenta gratiae. conjuncta. remota. how great were the darkeneſſe of the body; God hath Conjuncta inſtrumenta, & remota inſtrumenta gratiae. Remota inſtrumenta gratiae are the Preachers and their writings, and they may be corrupted. But Conjuncta inſtrumenta gratiae are the Prophets and Apoſtles and their writings, theſe the Lord kept from errour and corruption for the good of his Church.