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. XX. Heretical translation by ADDING TO THE TEXT.

1 BECAVSE in the last corruption I spake of adding to the text, though it be their common and vniuersal fault in euery contro∣uersie, as is to be seen in euery chapter of this booke: yet here I vvil adde certaine places not yet mentioned. As,* 1.1 The rest of the actes of Iehoakim, and his abominations vvhich he did, and CARVED IMAGES THAT VVERE LAID TO HIS CHARGE, BEHOLD THEY ARE WRITTEN &c. these vvordes,* 1.2 carued images laid to his charge, are more then is either in the Greeke or the Hebrue.

2 Againe,* 1.3 Saul confounded the Ievves prouing (by conferring one Scripture vvith an other) that this is very Christ. These vvordes,* 1.4 by conferring one scripture vvith another, are added more then is in the Greeke text: in fauour of their presumptuous opi∣nion, that conference of Scriptures is ynough for any man to vnderstand them, and so to reiect both the commentaries of the Doctors, & exposition of holy Councels and Catholike Church. it is so much more I say then is in the Greeke text, and a notorious corruption in their Bible read daily in their churches as most authen∣tical. See the rest of their Bibles, and thou shalt finde no more for al those vvordes, but, affirming, or, confirming.* 1.5 and the self same Bible in the first epistle to the Corinthians translateth the same Greeke vvord thus,

Vvho shal instruct?* 1.6 And in deede that is the true and vsual signification of the vvord, both in the old Testament, and in the nevv. as Deut. 4. Thou shalt teach them thy children. And Esa. 40. Vvho shal instruct our Lord? the Hebrue vvord also in both places signifying no more but instructing and teaching.* 1.7 And so doth the Apostle cite it to the Corinthians out of Esay, & he vseth it to the Colos. (c. 2. v. 2) in the same signification, as the Church readeth and expoundeth it, and so conse∣quently S. Luke in the place vvhereof vve novv treate, saith nothing els, but that S. Paul earnestly taught or instructed them that Iesus is Christ. And yet our nevv Translators vvithout respect of Hebrue or Greeke, haue coined a nevv signification, of conferring one Scripture vvith an other. So ignorant they are in the signification of Greeke vvordes, or rather so vvilfully ma∣litious.

3 Againe,* 1.8 in the first epistle of S. Peter they translate thus: The vvord of the Lord endu∣reth euer: and this is the vvord vvhich by the Gospel vvas preached vnto you. vvhere these vvordes, by the Gospel, are added deceitfully and of il intent, to make the reader thinke that there is no other vvord of God but the vvritten vvord, for the common reader hearing this vvord, Gospel, conceiueth nothing els. But

in deede al is the Gospel vvhatsoeuer the Apostles taught either by vvriting, or by tradition and vvord of mouth, as S. Paul speaketh 2. Thess. 2. and S. Peter saith no∣thing els in the place alleaged, but,* 1.9 This is the vvord vvhich is preached among you, as the Geneua bibles translate, or more significantly, vvhich is euangelized among you, as vve translate. for though there be greater significancie in the Greeke vvord, then is expressed by bare preaching or telling a thing, as hauing a goodly relation and allusion to the vvord, Euangelium, Gospel:* 1.10 yet neither do they in any other place, neither can they translate it, to preach by the Gospel: but simply, to preache, to tel, to shevv. as, preaching peace by Iesus Christ,* 1.11 Act. 10. v. 36. so them selues translate it. and Ps. 95 (or 96. v. 2) Be telling of his saluation from day to day. Vvhich in other places is spoken by other Greeke vvordes, that haue no signi∣fication at al of Gospel. as immediatly in the said Ps. 95 (or 96. v. 3) & Ps. 104. (or 105. v. 1.) & Act. 13. v. 5. and c. 17. v. 23. and Io. 1. vers. 3.

4 Al vvhich vvordes signifie only to tel, to shevv, to declare, and are vsed indif∣ferently for & with the other word vvhich they here only translate, to preache by the Gospel. Vvhereas in al others places vvhen they

vvil translate it most significantly,* 1.12 they ex∣presse it by bringing glad tidings: and in some places vvhere it should be expressed most significantly in respect of euangelizing or preaching the Gospel,* 1.13 there they trāslate it barely, preachers, & preaching. Only S. Peters place aforesaid, must be stretched to signi∣fie, The word preached by the Gospel, to insinuate & vphold their heresie of the vvritten Gospel only, or only vvritten vvord, against Apo∣stolical traditions not vvritten. If this be not their meaning, let them giue vs a good reason vvhy they translate it so in this one place only.

5 It is vvritten of Luther that he for the self same heresie,* 1.14 in his first translation into the Germane tonge, left out these vvordes of S. Peter altogether, This is the vvord vvhich is euangelized or preached to you. Vvhy so? because S. Peter doth here define vvhat is the vvord of God: saying, that vvhich is preached to you, & not that only vvhich is vvritten. Vvhich false dealing of Luther is no smal presum∣ption against the like heretical meaning of our English Protestants, vvho (I am sure) in this point of controuersie of the vvord vvritten & vnvvritten, vvil not deny that they agree vvith the Lutherans.

6 Againe in the epistle of S. Iames,* 1.15 they adde the vvord, Scripture, into the text, say∣ing,

But the Scripture offereth more grace. Vvhere the Apostle may say as vvel, and indifferently, The Spirit or holy Ghost giueth more grace, and it is much more probable, and is so expounded of many. Let the good reader see the circū∣stance of the place, and abhorre their sau∣cines in the text of holy scripture.

7 One addition of theirs I vvould not speake of, but only to knovv the reason vvhy they doe it, because it is very strange, and I knovv not vvhat they should meane by it. this I am sure, if they do it for no pur∣pose, they doe it very folishly and forget∣fully and contrarie to them selues. In the Gospel of S. Marke,* 1.16 in the reckening of the Apostles, they adde these vvordes, And the first vvas Simon,* 1.17 more then is in their Greeke text. Vvhich addition they learned of Beza, vvhose contradictions in this point are worthie noting.* 1.18 In S. Matthew where these vvordes are, he suspecteth that, first, vvas added by some Papist, for Peters primacie: here, vvhere the vvord is not, he auoucheth it to be the true text of the Gospel, & that because Matthevv readeth so. there he al∣leaged this reason, vvhy it could not be said the first, Simon, because there is no consequēce nor coherence of second, third, fourth, &c: here he saith, that is no impediment, be∣cause

there be many exāples of such speach, & namely in the said place of S. Matthevv. there he saith it is not so, though al Greeke copies haue it so: here it must needes be so, though it be only found in certaine odde Greeke copies of Erasmus, vvhich Erasmus him self (as Beza confesseth) allovved not, but thought that these vvordes vvere ad∣ded in them out of S. Matthevv. Vvhat these contradictions meane I knovv not, and I vvould learne the reason thereof, of his scholers our English translators, vvho' by their Maisters authoritie haue made the self same addition in their English trans∣lation also.

8 There is also an other addition of theirs, either proceding of ignorance, or of the accustomed humor, vvhen they trans∣late thus:* 1.19 if ye continue stablished in the faith, and be not moued avvay from the hope of the Gospel, vvhich ye haue heard hovv it vvas preached to euery creature: or, vvhereof ye haue heard hovv that it is preached: or, vvhereof ye haue heard, and vvhich hath been preached to euery creature, &c. For, al these varieties they haue, and none according to the Greeke text, vvhich is vvord for vvord, as the vul∣gar Latin interpreter hath most sincerely translated it, Vnmoueable from the hope of the Gospel vvhich you haue heard,* 1.20 vvhich is or hath been preached among al creatures, &c. So that the Apostles ex∣hortation is vnto the Colossians, that they

continue grounded and stable in the faith and Gospel vvhich they had heard and re∣ceiued of their first Apostles:* 1.21 as in the epi∣stle to the Romanes, and to the Galatians, and to the Thessalonians, and to the He∣brues, and to Timothee, and S. Iohn in his first epistle c. 2. v. 24: and S. Iude v. 3. & 20: al vse the like exhortations.

9 But this doth not so vvel like the Pro∣testants vvhich ** 1.22 vvith Hymenaeus & Ale∣xander and other o! Heretikes haue fallen from their first faith, and therfore they alter the Apostles plaine speache vvith certaine vvordes of their ovvne, and they vvil not haue him say, Be vnmoueable in the faith and Gospel vvhich you haue heard and re∣ceiued: but, vvhereof you haue heard hovv that it is preached: as though he spake not of the Gos∣pel preached to them, but of a Gospel vvhich they had only heard of, that vvas preached in the vvorld. Certaine it is, these vvordes, vvhereof you haue heard hovv it vvas prea∣ched, are not so in the Greeke: but, vvhich you haue heard, vvhich hath been preached. Vvhich is as much to say, as that they should continue constant in the faith and Gospel vvhich them selues had receiued, and vvhich vvas then preached and receiued in the vvhole vvorld. So say vve to our deere countrie∣men, Stād fast in the faith & be vnmoueable

from the hope of the Gospel vvhich you heard of your first Apostles,* 1.23 vvhich vvas & is preached in al the vvorld. If the Prote∣stants like not this exhortation, they do ac∣cording to their translation.

Notes

• * 1.1

  2 Paral. 36. v. 8. in Bib. 1562.
• * 1.2

  Against images.
• * 1.3

  Act. 9. v. 22. Bib. 1577.
• * 1.4

  For Confe∣rence of Scriptures, against fa∣thers, Coun∣cels &c.
• * 1.5

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. c. 2. v. 16.
• * 1.6

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.7

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

  1 Pet. 1. v. 25. Bib. 1562. 1577. Against tra∣ditions.
• * 1.9

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

  Euangelizo.
• * 1.11

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.12

  Luc. 2. v. 10. Act. 13. v. 32. Gal. 3, 8.
• * 1.13

  Dominus dabit verbū euangelizan∣tibus. Qui Euangelizas Hierusalem. Ps. 67. Isa. 40.
• * 1.14

  Lind. Dubit. pag. 88.
• * 1.15

  Ia. 4. v. 6.
• * 1.16

  Marc 3. v 16
• * 1.17

  Bibl. 1579.
• * 1.18

  Mat. 10. v. 2.
• * 1.19

  Col. 1. v. 23.
• * 1.20

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.21

  Ro. 16. Ga. c. 1. & 2. 2 Thess. 2. Heb. 13. 1 Tim. 6. 2 Tim. 1. & 2.
• * 1.22

  1 Tim. 1. & 6.
• * 1.23

  CHAP. 21.