A discouerie of the manifold corruptions of the Holy Scriptures by the heretikes of our daies specially the English sectaries, and of their foule dealing herein, by partial & false translations to the aduantage of their heresies, in their English Bibles vsed and authorised since the time of schisme. By Gregory Martin one of the readers of diuinitie in the English College of Rhemes.

CHAP. XIX. Heretical translation against the distinction of LATRIA and DVLIA.

1 IN this restraining of the Scripture to the sense of some one Doctor, there is a famous example in the epi∣stle to the Hebrues,* 1.1 vvhere the Apostle saith either Iacob adored the toppe of Iosephs scepter, as many read and expound: or els, that he adored tovvard the toppe of his scepter, as other read and inter∣pret: and beside these there is no other in∣terpretation of this place in al antiquitie, but in S. Augustine only, as Beza cōfesseth:* 1.2 yet are they so bold to make his exposition only, and his commentarie peculiar to him alone, the text of the Scripture in their trās∣lation, saying, Iacob leaning on the end of his staffe, vvorshipped God, and so excluding al other senses & expositions of al the other fathers, excluding and condemning their ovvne former translations,* 1.3 adding tvvo vvordes more then are in the Greeke text, leaning, God: forcing 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to signifie 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, vvhich may be, but is as rare, as virgae eius, for virgae suae: turning the other vvordes cleane out of their order and place and forme of constru∣ction vvhich they must needes haue corres∣pondent

and ansvverable to the Hebrue text from vvhence they vvere translated:* 1.4 vvhich Hebrue vvordes them selues trans∣late in this order, He vvorshipped tovvard the beddes head. If he vvorshipped tovvard the beddes head, according to the Hebrue: then did he vvorship tovvard the toppe of his scepter, according to the Greeke: the difference of both being only in these vvordes, scepter, and, bedde (because the Hebrue is ambiguous to both) and not in the order or construction of the sen∣tence.

2 To make it more plaine, vvhen the Pro∣phet Dauid saith, Adorabo ad templum sanctum tuum Psal. 5. & 137. is not the true translation,* 1.5 and grāmatical sequele of the vvordes thus: I vvil adore tovvard thy holy temple? Is it not a common phrase in the Scripture, that the people of God adored tovvard Hierusalem,* 1.6 tovvard his holy mount, before the arke, tovvard the place vvhere his feete stood? May any man be so bold, by adding and transposing to alter and obscure al such places of holy Scripture, that there may appeare no maner of adoration tovvard or before a creature? and for vvorshipping or adoring tovvard the things aforesaid and the like, may vve say, leaning vpon those things to vvorship or adore God? Vvere they afraid lest those speaches of holy Scrip∣ture

might vvarrant and confirme the Ca∣tholike & Christian maner of adoring our Sauiour Christ toward the holy Roode, at, or before his image and the Crucifixe be∣fore the altar, and so forth? For had they not feated this, vvhy should they translate 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, caning vpon, rather then, tovvards, yea, vvhy in Genesis, tovvards his beddes head, & here not, tovvards?

3 And (vvhich is more) vvhen the aun∣cient Greeke fa••hers, Chrys. Oecum. in Collectan. Damesc. li. 1. pro imaginibus, Leont. apud Damasc. put so litle force either in this preposition 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 (or the other alleaged) that they expound al those speaches as if the prepositions vvere of phrase only and not of signification,* 1.7 saying, Iacob adored Iosephs scepter,* 1.8 the people of Israel adored the temple, the Arke, the holy mount, the place vvhere his feete stoode, and the like, vvhereby S. Damascene proueth the adoration of creatures named Dulia,* 1.9 namely of the crosse and of sacred images: if I say they make so litle force of the prepositions, that they inferre not only adoration to∣wards the thing, but adoratiō of the thing: hovv do these goodly translatours, of al other vvordes so straine and racke the litle particle 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to signifie, leaning vpon, that it shal in no vvise signifie any thing tending tovvards adoration?

4 And if the Greeke Doctors suffise not to satisfie these great Grecians herein, tel¦me you that haue skil in the Hebrue, vvhether in the foresaid speaches cited out of the Psalmes, there be any force in the Hebrue prepositions?* 1.10 surely no more then if vve should say in English vvithout pre∣positions, Adore ye his holy hil: vve vvil adore the place vvhere his feete stoode:* 1.11 Adore ye his footestoole: For you knovv that there is the same pre∣position also vvhen it is said, Adore ye our Lord: or as your selues translate, vvorship the Lord: vvhere there can be no force nor significa∣tion of the prepositiō.* 1.12 And therfore in these places also your translation is corrupt and vvilful, vvhen you say thus: Vve vvil fall dovvne before his footestoole. fall ye dovvne before his footestoole, before his holy mount, or vvouship him vpon his holy hil: Vvhere you shunne and auoid first the terme of adoration, vvhich the He∣brue and Greeke duely expresse by termes correspondent in both languages,* 1.13 through out the Bible, and are applied for the most part to signifie adoring of creatures. Secondly you auoid the Greeke phrase, vvhich is at the least, to adore tovvards these holy things and places: & much more the Hebrue phrase, vvhich is, to adore the very things rehearsed: to adore Gods footestoole (as the Psalme saith) because it is holy,* 1.14 or, because

he is holy, vvhose footestoole it is, as the Greeke readeth.

5 This being most manifest to al that haue skil in these tongues, it is euident that you regard neither Hebrue nor Greeke, but only your heresie: & that in S. Paules place aforesaid of adoring Iosephs scepter, you alter it by your ovvne fansie, and not by S. Augustines authoritie, vvhom I am sure you vvil not admit reading in the Psalme, Adore ye his footestoole: and so precisely and reli∣giously reading thus, that he examineth the case, and findeth thereby that the B. Sa∣crament must be adored, and that no good Christian doth take it, before he adore it. Neither vvil you admit him vvhen he readeth thus of Dauid,* 1.15 He vvas caried ī his ovvne handes, & interpreteth it mystically of Christ, that he vvas caried in his ovvne handes, vvhen he gaue his body and bloud to his disciples. Yet are S. Augustines interpreta∣tions (hovvsoeuer you like or mislike them) very good, as also that aboue named of Ia∣cobs leaning vpon his staffe, and adoring, may be one good sense or commentarie of that place, but yet a commentarie, and one Doctors opinion, not the sacred text of Scripture, as you would make it by so trans∣lating.

6 And if S. Hierom like not the Greeke Doctors interpretation in this place of ado∣ring Ioseph and his scepter, yet he also saith that Iacob adored tovvard Iosephs rodde, or tovvard the beds head, and not leaning vpon his staffe he adored, vvhich you make the text of Scripture. And though he thinke that in this place is not meant any adoratiō of Ioseph, yet I am sure, for adoration of holy things, namely Relikes, the holy land, and al the holy places and monuments of Christs being & doing vpon the earth, you vvil not be tried by S. Hierom. And againe, why S. Paul should say, that by faith he ado∣red, & in respect of things to come, it is not othervvise easie to vnderstand, but that he partly foresaw the kingdom of Ephraim, in the posteritie of Ioseph: partly the kingdom of Christ prefigured in Ioseph then Prince of Aegypt, & so by faith adored his scepter or tovvard his scepter (vvhich is al one) as the Greeke fathers for the most part expoūd it. But let vs hasten tovvard an end.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Heb. 11. v. 21
• * 1.2

  Quaest. in Gen. Bib. 1579.
• * 1.3

  Bib. 1562. 1577.
• * 1.4

  Gen. 47. v. 3. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.5

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.6

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Dan. 6. 3 Reg. 8. Psal. 98. Ios. 7. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Ps. 131.
• * 1.7

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.8

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.9

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.10

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Psal. 98.131.
• * 1.11

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Psal. 95. or 96.
• * 1.12

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• * 1.13

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.14

  Psal. 98.
• * 1.15

  Praef. in Ps. 33.