Answer to a Popish Pamphlet of Christs Descent to Hell, Part 1
THE POPISH DEMAND.
I Demaund; How your two BIBLES can bee both truelie translated, in the second Chapter of th' Acts, vers. 27. Where-in, in one, printed at London, 1598. (and in sundrie others) is sayde of CHRISTS Soule, Thou wilt not leaue my Soule in Graue: In another, printed at London, 1619. Thou wilt not leaue my Soule in Hell? I demaund, then, if Graue and Hell bee one thing, or no? Infernus, and Sepulchrum? foreign, and foreign? Sheol, and Keber? And if they bee one thing in signification, I desire testimonies of authenticke Authors, in the foresayde Languages, which holde this Opinion, &c.
THE PROTESTANT REPLY.
CHAPTER I. That the word INFERNVS, doeth often-tymes signifie the Graue: and so, that both INFERNVS and SEPVLCHRVM, are frequentlie of one signification.
WHere-as it is first demaunded, How our two BIBLES can bee both truely translated, Act. 2.27. where-in, in one, printed at LONDON, 1598. it is sayde, Thou wilt not leaue my Soule in Graue: And in another, printed also at LONDON, 1619. it is sayde, Thou wilt not leaue my Soule in Hell? The Demaunde… there-fore, desireth to bee resolved; If Infernus and Sepulchrum, or Hell and Graue, foreign and foreign, Sheol and Keber, bee one in signification? And if they bee, hee requyreth Testimonies of authenticke Authors, in the fore-sayde Languages, which holde this Opinion.
Where-in, before we satisfie his desire, wee must put him in mynde, of as great diversitie, in translation of this selfe-same Testimonie, in their owne BIBLES: Their vulgar translation, printed at LIONS, 1546. translating that place of the PSALME, cited Act. 2.27. after this manner,Psal. 16.10. Non derelinques animam meam in Inferno, or Hell. But their interlinear BIBLE, set foorth at the Expences of their Catholicke King, and approven by the Censure of the Vniversitie of LOVANE, printed at ANTWERPE, 1572. translating that place of the PSALME thus, Non derelinq…es animam meam in Sepulchro, or the Graue. And so, in our translation, wee are not found singular.
But,Lyra in Isai 5. accipitur autē Infernus in Scriptura dupliciter: uno modo profossa, ubi ponuntur mortuorum cadavera: alio modo pro loco ubi descendunt animae damnatorum. to satisfie this Demaund in particular; Whether Infernus and Sepulchrum, or Graue and Hell, be one thing in signification? I aunswere shortlie, in their owne LYRA his wordes, That Infernus is taken in Scripture, not onelie for the place of the Damned; but also for the Pit, or Graue, (sayeth hee) where the bodies of the dead are layde. And, lest that LYRA shoulde seeme to hauehave spoken so without warrand, I will cleare the trueth of his speach, 1. by Scripture, and their owne translation there-of, 2. by Fathers, 3. by them-selues.
1. In Scripture, then, wee finde, that, PSAL. 89.48. it is sayde, What man is hee that liveth, that shall not see Death? or, deliver his Soule è manu Inferi? Which must bee rendered (as PAGNIN and VATABLVS expound it) out of the hand, or power, of the Graue: because if Hell, or place of the damned, were signified there-by, it might bee aunswered, That the Soule… of the Godlie shall bee delivered è manu Inferi: and so the question, Quis homo? (excepting none) should bee vnfitting, and fal…e.
Agayne, PSAL. 141.7. Our bones are scattered (sayeth the PSALMIST) secus Infernum, or, ad os Inferni: which PAGNIN, and EMMANVEL SA, the Iesuit, expound to bee Sepulchrum, or the mouth of the Graue: because, doe what Popish Sophists can doe, they can not bee so absurd, as other-wise to make the dispersion of the bones of dead men, to bee in the infernall place of the punishment of Souls.
2. Secondlie; by testimonie of Fathers, who lived within the first …00 yeares, wee will proue, that Infernus and Sepulchrum, are oft put for one.
1. ORIGEN (who lived Anno 230.) sayeth thus;Orig. tract. 35. in Math. cap. 27. Qui illum post diem tertium revocavit ab inferis, & nos revocabit tempore oportuno: that is, Hee who raysed, or recalled, CHRIST, after the third day, from the infernall partes; will also rayse, or recall, vsus from thence, in the owne tyme. Now, it is from the Graue, and not from Hell, that the Godlie are raysed, or called foorth, at the last day: There-fore, by INFERI, the Graues, and not Hell, must bee vnderstood.
2. HILARIVS also (who lived Anno 360.) speaketh in this manner;Hilar. de trinit. lib. 11 CHRISTI caro (sayeth hee) vivificata per se etiam, ex inferno exiit: that is, CHRIST'S Flesh beeing quickened by Him-selfe, came out of the Graue.
3. AVGVSTINE lyke-wyse (who lived Anno 410.) sayeth thus;Aug. orat. cont. Iudeos, Pagan. & Artan. tom. 6. cap. 17. Nonne inferna CHRISTO testimonium perhibuerunt? &c. that is. Did not the Graues (sayeth hee) giuegive testimonie to CHRIST, when loosing their power, they reserved LAZARVS, (whom they had received to dissolue) for foure dayes together, that they might restore him safe agayne, when they heard the voyce of the LORD commanding it?
Prim. in Hebr. 13.4. PRIMASIVS in lyke manner, (who lived Anno 450.) by way of explication, sayeth; Deus Pater Filium reduxit è mortuis, hoc est, de Inferno, vel de Sepultura: that is, GOD the Father (sayeth hee) brought His Sonne from the dead, that is, from the infernall place, or graue.
Ruffin. in expos. Symboli.Whence it is, that RVFFINVS, (who lived Anno 390.) having declared, in his Exposition of the Creed, That in the Symboll of the Church of Rome in his tyme, neyther in the Easterne Churches, there was no such Article, as, Hee descended vntounto Hell. Yet, hee presentlie subjoyneth, That where it is found, Vis verbi (sayeth hee) eadem videtur esse in eo, quod Sepultus dicitur: that is, That the force, or meaning of the word, seemeth to bee the same, with that where-in it is sayde, that Hee was buried.
Last of all, out of them-selues, and Iesuiticall owne confessions, wee will proue, that Infernus and Sepulchrum, are often-tymes one.
Omitting, therefore, Lyra his fore-cited testimonie, Alcuinus, Alcuin. in Gen. interrog. 256.an auncient Doctor, moving the question, howe that speach of Iaakob should bee vnderstood, Genes. 37.35. Descendam ad Filium cum luctu in Infernum. Inferni nomine (sayeth hee) Sepulchrum significavit: that is, By the word Infernus, hee signified the Graue, (sayeth hee.) So sayeth the Iesuit, Gaspar Sanctius; Gasp. Zanctius, in Act. 2. Sect. 56.Est in Scriptura frequens, Infernum pro Sepultura, atque adeo pro morte sumi: that is, It is vsuall (sayeth hee) that the word Infernus, in Scripture, is taken for Buriall, and for Death it selfe.Emm. Sa, in Indice Phraseon, Sac. Scripturae. Alphonsus Mend. controv. Theol. q. 1. positiv. Sect. 5. And Emmanuell Sa particularizeth sixteene places in the Olde Testament, where Infernus is put for the Graue. Imo fere semper Inferni nomen Sepulchrum sonat in Veteri Testamento, sayeth ALPHONSVS MENDOZA: that is to say, Yea, almost ever the name Infernus, signifieth the Graue, in the Olde Testament.
Andrad. defen. Concil. Trid. l. 2.And, to conclude; Andradius, the defender of the Councell of Trent, speaking of this same place of the Acts, sayeth; Nullum erit inter Latina Graecaq́ue exemplaria dissidium, si animadvertamus INFERNVM hoc loco pro morte atque Sepulchro Hebreorum dicendi more usurpari: that is, There will be no discord betweene the Latine and Greeke Copies, if wee remarke that the word Infernus, after the Hebrew phrase, is taken for Death, and the Graue.
So that, I hope, wee hauehave satisfied, to the full, the Iesuits first demaund, Whether Infernus and Sepurchrum bee one in signification; and hauehave given him authenticke Authors, according to his desire, and whom he can not reject, who holde this Opinion.
CHAP. II. That foreign and foreign are frequently put for one, and are of a-lyke and the same signification.
THe Iesuits next Question, being, Whether foreign and foreign bee all one thing? and where-in hee desyreth a-lyke proofe, and evidence, as in the former, wee are, there-fore, to proue the same, 1. by Scripture, 2. by the Fathers, 3. out of the Liturgies of the Greeke Church; and last, by their owne Confessions.
First, then, for proofe by Scripture: Revel 20.13.14. it is sayde, That as the Sea gaue vp her dead, (which were buried in the waters;) So foreign gaue vp her dead, (which were buried in the earth.) Which therefore, can not bee Hell, which contayneth no dead bodies to surrender; but onlie the Graue, Death proper jayle.
Agayne, it is sayde, verse 14 That Death and foreign were both casten into the fyerie Lake, which is Hell, or the second Death. Now,… foreign were Hell it selfe there, and not the Graue, or state of corruption, then Hell should bee sayde t… bee casten into Hell, or the fyer… Lake; which were vnfitting. Therefore, it seemeth, that Basil of Selencia had relation to this place, wh… hee bringeth in CHRIST, saying I will teach foreign, that it mu… expect the resurrestion to succe… vntounto it. Now, wee knowe, th… what succeedeth, importeth th… abrogating of that which praece… ded. Therefore, by foreign, H… can not bee meant; because the… surrection can not bee sayde to succeede there-to, but it rather in full impletion to the resurrection, but the Graue is fitlie meant; because after the resurrection, there shall be no more corruption of bodies, nor place destinate or proper for that vse.
Secondlie, for probation out of the Fathers, that foreign and foreign are all one.
1. Gregorie Nyssene, Greg. Nyssen. in Pasch. & Christi resur. tom. 2. oper. Gracolat. p. 824,moving the question, how CHRIST could bee at one tyme, hoth in foreign, and in PARADISE? he aunswereth, That Hee was in foreign onelie with His Bodie, which was dead; but in His Soule, Hee brought the Thiefe into possession of PARADISE. Nowe, seeing all confesse, that the Bodie of CHRIST lay onelie in the Graue; therefore it followeth, that foreign and the Graue heere are all but one thing.
2. Chrysostome also sayeth, That our Saviour spoyled foreign, by descending into foreign:Chrys. orae catechet. in S. Pascha tom. 5. oper. Chrys. edit. San…, p. 916 foreign. Caesar. dial. 4. foreign. Athan. Graecolat. tom. 2. p, 59. tract. de defin. Hee made i… bitter, (sayeth hee) when it tasted of His Flesh. Now, all consent, that the Graue onelie tasted o… CHRIST'S Flesh; there-fore foreign, which was made bitter by that tasting, was onlie CHRISTS Graue. And there-fore the sam… Father sayeth a little after, It received a Bodie, and lighted vponupon GOD: It received Earth… and met with Heaven: It received that which it saw, and fel… vponupon that which it saw not.
3. Caesarius also sayeth, that foreign, where-in the divine Bodie was hidden by buriall, did laven al… man (sayeth hee) vntounto resurrection, and lyfe.
4. Athanasius lyke-wyse, or the Author of the Definitions amongs… his Workes, sayth thus of CHRIST; That Hee was the first-begotten o… the dead; because Hee was the first that rose from foreign; as wee shall also ryse (sayeth hee) at His second comming. Now, it is well a-nough knowne, that our bodies shall ryse at His second comming, not from Hell, but from the Graue: there-fore by foreign, the Graue is vnderstood.
5. Last of all, sayeth the two Cyrills: hee of Alexandria, Cyril. Alex, Glaphyr. in Gen. l. 5. p. 121.That CHRIST was raysed vp for vsus: For, (sayeth hee) Hee could not bee detayned by the gates of foreign, (or power of the Graue.) And Cyrill of Hierusalem, having sayde,Cyril. Hierosol. catech. 14. That our Saviour descended into foreign, doeth presentlie subjoyne, as an explanation, foreign: For Hee descended vntounto Death (sayeth hee.)
Thirdlie: To qualifie that foreign and foreign, are all one in the Liturgies of the Grecian Church at this day, who best know the signification of Greeke words, let these two instances testifie.
In one of these Liturgies they sing thus,Graeci in Octoecho. Anastas. foreign: that is; The corruption-working Pallace of the Graue was dissolved, when Thou, O LORD, arose out of the Tombe. Where wee see, that the worke of corruption is attributed to foreign, which is the propertie onelie of the Graue, and not of Hell, where there is no consuming, by anie putrifaction.
Bibliothee. tom. 6. par. ed. an. 1589 col. 128.Agayne, in another Liturgie, these are their wordes; foreign: that is; Thou who spoyledst foreign, or the Graue, by Thy buriall there-in, bee myndfull on mee.
Fourthlie, for evidence out of them-selues, that foreign and foreign are often put for one, our probation shall bee, 1. from their dictionarie direction, 2. from their locall expositions of Scripture, 3. from their reconciling of places seeming contrarious, and last, from force of argument, out of Bellarmines owne confession.
As for the first: In the Greeke Dictionarie, set out by them-selues,Lexic. Graecol. in sacro appar. Biblior. Reg. Antverpia, anno 1572. for the better vnderstanding of the Bible, it is intimated vntounto vsus, that foreign doeth not onelie signifie that which is the place of the damned, but the Graue also; as is cleare there, in the word foreign.
Next, for locall exposition of Scripture: In the Olde Testament, where the Septuagint, in the Greeke, Psal. 89.48. hath foreign; Pagnin expoundeth it, E manu Sepulchri. As also, Psal. 141.7. where the Septuagint hath foreign; the fore-named Pagnin, and Emmanuel Sa, the Iesuit, doe translate Sepulchrum, or the Graue. Lyke-wyse, in the New Testament, where it is, 1. Cor. 15.55. O, foreign, where is thy victorie? Pagnin, and Arias Montanus, expound the same, the Graue.
Thirdlie, for reconciling of discordant-seeming places, especiallie of that, Acts 2.24. some reading, the dolours of Death; and others, the dolours of Hell: Andrad. defen. Trid. fid. l. 2.ANDRADIVS sayeth, That will bee no disagreement betweene the Latine and Greeke Copies, if wee remarke, (sayeth hee) that foreign, in this place is vsed for Death, and the Graue, according to the Hebrew phrase of speach, Psal. 15. which Peter presentlie after citeth, saying, Because Thou wilt not leaue my Soule foreign, or in the Graue.
Last, by force of argument, out of Bellarmines owne confession, wee proue it thus: The Septuagint, (sayeth Bellarmine) doeth everiewhere put bades for sheol, Bell. l. 4. de Christo c. 10in the interpretation. But the Septuagint translating sheol in hades, taketh hades often-tymes for the Graue. ERGO, by sheol, or hades, in the Septuagint, often-tymes the Graue is signified. The minor resteth onelie to bee proven, which I doe, by these instances following: Genes. 44.31. In the Septuagint, (where the Hebrew word is Sbeol) Iaakobs sonnes say, Wee shall bring downe the gray hayres of our Father, with sorrow, foreign: which is, the Graue; because no lower place can bee vnderstoode, than that, where-vntounto gray hayres doe goe downe: Hell beeing a place for Soules onelie immediatelie after death; and not for dead bodies, or anie parte there-of. There-fore, Tobi 3.10. where it is sayde, I shall bring my Fathers olde age with sorrow, foreign, ad infernum; it is clearlie set downe, Chap. 6. vers. 14. what hee meaneth by foreign saying, I shall bring my Fathers lyfe with sorrow, foreign, to the Graue, sayeth …e Text. So, 1. Kings, 2.6. DAVID …ineth charge to SALOMON, concerning IOAB: Let not his hoarie head, (sayeth hee) goe downe to foreign in peace. And, vers. 9. concerning SHIMEI, hee sayeth, His hoarie head bring thou downe to foreign with blood. In both which places, by SHEOL in the Hebrew, and HADES in the Greeke, no-thing else can bee vnderstood, but the Graue, seeing thither onelie the hoarie head, or carcases of the dead, and slayne, doe descende allanerlie. There-fore, Isai 14.11. after these words of the Prophet, Thy pompe is brought downe to SHEOL, or, as the Greeke hath, HADES, immediatelie is subjoyned the description of the Graue; to show, that by Sheol or Hades, no-thing but the Graue is there to bee vnderstood: saying, The Worme is spred vnderunder thee, and the Wormes doe cover thee: which … knowe to bee done in the, bye onelie, and not in the place of the damned.
So that the Iesuit, I hope, may, in this, also, rest fullie satisfied, according to that parte of his Demaund, That out of authenticke Authors, HADES and TAPHOS, are both one. So that it resteth nowe onelie, to showe, if SHEOL and KEBER, bee lyke-wyse one, according to his inquirie.
CHAP. III. That SHEOL and KEBER (in the Hebrew) are frequentlie put for one, and are of a-lyke, and the same, signication.
THE Probation, there-fore, that SHEOL and KEBER, (which properlie signifie the Graue) doe frequentlie signifie one thing, shall bee, 1. out of Scripture it selfe: 2. out of Popish Expounders of Scriptures them-selues: and 3. out of Rabbinicall Interpreters of the Olde Testament, who best knowe the proper signification of their owne Language.
First, then, for Scripturall proofe. In the 88. Psalme, that same which is Sheol in the thirde verse, is called Keber in the 5. and 11. verses: which Arias Montanus testifieth to bee true, by expounding both to bee Sepulchrum, or the Graue. There-fore, Sheol and Keber are both of one signification.
Agayne, Psal. 141. verse 7. the Prophet sayeth, Our Bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol. Which Pagnin, and the Iesuit, Emmanuel Sa, declare to bee all one with Keber, and to signifie the Graue onelie; because it is vndenyable, that the bones of the dead are scattered onelie at the mouth of the Graues, when they are opened, and cast vp; and not in anie infernall place, destinate for soules.
Lyke-wyse, in all the praeceeding places, where-in wee proved a-before, Hades to bee put for the Graue, the Hebrewe Text hath Sheol. Whence wee inferre, That in all these places, as Hades and Taphos are all one; so Sheol and Keber are all one: which can not bee avoyded.
There-fore, where Iob sayeth, If I wayte, Iob, 17.13.Sheol is my House; to show, that Keber, or the Graue, (as Arias Montanus expoundeth it) is signified there-by; for this cause he subjoyneth the properties thereof, putrefaction, and consumption, saying, I sayde to Corruption, Thou art my Father: and to the Worme, Thou art my Mother, and Sister.
Secondlie, For proofe out of Popish Expounders of Scripture, that Sheol signifieth the Graue, as well as Keber, and so, consequentlie, that both are of one signification, Lyra's wordes are cleare, saying, In Hebreo pro Inferno ponitur SHEOL,Lyra, in Psal. 114. quod non solum significat Infernum, sed etiam Fossam, seu Sepulturam, ut hic: that is, In the Hebrew, (sayeth he) for Infernus, is put Sheol; which doeth not onelie signifie Hell, but also the Graue, or Buriall place, as the meaning is heere.
Agayne: The Hebrew worde SHEOL, properlie signifieth the Graue, (sayeth both Iansenius, on Prov. 15.12. and Arias Montanus, in his Aunswere to Leo à Castro) and Hell, metaphoricallie. Yea, where-so-ever Saynct Ierome (sayeth Augustinus Stenchus) or the Septuagint, hauehave translated Infernus, or Hades, Aug. Stench. in Gen. 37.35it is in the Hebrew SHEOL: That is, (sayeth hee) the Ditch, or Graue.
Thirdlie, (ut de Hebreis ad Hebreos provocetur) for proofe out of the Rabbinicall Doctors of the Iewes, and Masters of that Language, That Sheol and Keber, (which signifie the Graue) are all one, let these foure, moste famous amongst them, giuegive a full testimonie. R. Aben Ezra, on Genesis 37.35. interpreteth Sheol in that place, by Keber, or the Graue: and so doeth R. Salomo Iarchi the same, saying, Iuxta proprietatem ejus, significatio est Sepulchrum: that is, According to the proper signification there-of, (sayeth hee) it denotateth the Graue. R. Mardochai Nathan, in his Hebrew Concordance, also, giveth no other exposition of Sheol, Psalme 31. verse 17. but Keber, or the Graue. And Kimchi, in his Radicibus, doeth, in lyke-manner, expound Sheol, Psalme 16. verse 10. to bee nothing else, but KEBER, or the GRAVE.
This onelie is to bee remarked, that when Sheol doeth signifie the Graue, that the tearme of [Graue] must bee taken in as large a meaning, as it is in that speach of our SAVIOVRS, Iohn 5. verse 28. vvhere it is sayde, that all that are in the Graues, shall heare His voyce, and come foorth. By which Origen showeth,Orig. in Isai l. 28. citat. ab Euseb. in apol. pro Origine. That not onelie builded Tombes, or digged Graues in the earth, are to bee vnderstoode; but everie place (sayeth hee) where-in a man's bodie lyeth, eyther intiere, or in parte: it beeing no absurditie, that all those places, where-in anie parte of the bodie dispersed doeth lye, should bee called the Sepulchre there-of.
So that Bellarmines reason is ridiculous,Bell. l. 4. de Christo, c. 10. §. jam vero. vvhy Genesis 37. Sheol can not bee interpreted the Graue; when Iaakob sayeth, I will goe mourning to my Sonne, vntounto the Graue▪ for (sayeth hee) the wilde Beastes hauehave devoured him (as Iaakob thought,) and so hee had no Graue. Not considering, that Sheol is taken, not onelie for a formall, or digged Graue in the earth; but also for that which is in place of a Graue to one, or where-so-ever the bodie, or anie parte there-of is, in what-so-ever manner, whether the mothers wombe, as is sayde in Ieremie, Ier. 20.17.O that my Mothers Wombe had bene my Graue, (sayeth hee:) or the bellie of a Beast, as it is called in Ionas, Out of the bellie of Sheol I cryed, (sayeth hee:) meaning there-by the bellie of the Whale, where-in his bodie was, in a sorte, intombed. Neyther meaned Iaakob, that hee would goe to that Graue, where his Sonne was; but vntounto his Sonne by Death, and so to the Graue, as was sayde to ABRAHAM, Gen. 15.15.
Thus is the IESVITS Demaund, in all the particulars, aunswered; and Infernus and Sepulchrum, foreign and foreign, Sheol and Keber, proven to bee frequentlie of one signification.