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. V. Heretical translation against the CHVRCH.

1 AS they suppresse the name, Catholike, euen so did they in their first English bible the name of Church it self: because at their first reuolt & apostasie from that that vvas vniuersally knovven to be the onely true Catholike Church: it vvas a great obiection against their schismatical procedings, and it stucke much in the peoples consciences, that they forsooke the Church, and that the Church cōdemned them. Vvherevpon very vvilely they suppressed the name Church in their English translation, so,* 1.1 that in al that Bible so lōg read in their cōgregatiōs, we can not once finde the name thereof. Ludge by these places vvhich seeme of most importance for the dignitie preeminence & authoritie of the Church.

2 Our Sauiour saith,* 1.2 Vpon this Rocke I vvil build my Church, and the gates of Hel shal not preuaile against it. They make him to say, Vpon this rocke I wil build my cōgregation. Againe,* 1.3 If he heare not them, tel the Church: and if he heare not the Church, let him be to thee as an Heathen and as a publicane. they say, Con∣gregation. Againe, vvho vvould thinke they vvould haue altered the vvord Church in

the epistle to the Ephesians?* 1.4 their English translation for many yeres redde thus, Ye husbands loue your vviues, as Christ loued the congrega∣tion, and clensed it to make it vnto him self a glorious cō∣gregation vvithout spot or vvrinkle. And, This is a great secrete, but I speake of Christ and of the congregation. And to Timothee, The house of God, vvhich is the congregation of the liuing God,* 1.5 the pillar and ground of truth. Here is no vvord of Church, vvhich in Latin and Greeke is, Ecclesia Dei viui, columna & firmamentum veritatis. Likevvise to the Ephe∣sians againe, He hath made him head of the congrega∣tion,* 1.6 vvhich is his body. And to the Hebrues they are al bold to translate:* 1.7 The congregation of the first-borne, vvhere the Apostle nameth hea∣uenly Hierusalem, the citie of the liuing God, &c.

3 So that by this translation, there is no more Church militant and triumphant, but congregation, and he is not head of the Church, but of the congregation: and this congregation at the time of the making of this trāslation, vvas in a fevv nevv brethren of England, for vvhose sake the name Church vvas left out of the English Bible, to commend the name of congregation aboue the name of churche. vvhereas S. Au∣gustine telleth them,* 1.8 that the Ievves Syna∣gogue, vvas a congregation: the Church, a conuocation: and that a congregation, is of beasts also: a conuocation, of reasonable

creatures onely: and that the Ievves con∣gregation is sometime called the Church, but the Apostles neuer called the Church, Congregation. do you see then vvhat a goodly change they haue made, for Church, to say cōgregation: so making them selues a very Synagogue, & that by the propertie of the Greeke vvord, vvhich yet (as S. Augustine telleth them most truely) signifieth rather a conuocation?

4 If they appeale here to their later trans∣lations, vve must obtaine of them to con∣demne the former, and to confesse this vvas a grosse fault committed therein. and that the Catholike Church of our contrie did not il to forbid and burne suche bookes vvhich vvere so translated by Tyndal and the like, as being not in deede Gods booke, vvord, or Scripture, but the Diuels vvord. Yea they must confesse, that the leauing out of this vvord Church altogether, vvas of an heretical spirit against the Catholike Ro∣mane Church, because then they had no Caluinistical church in any like forme of religion and gouernement to theirs novv. Neither vvil it serue them to say after their maner, And if a man should translate Ecclesiam, congregation: this is no more absurditie, then in steede of a Greeke vvord,* 1.9 to vse a Latin of the same signification. This (vve trovv) vvil not suffise

them in the iudgement of the simplest in∣different Reader.

5 But, my Maisters, if you vvould confesse the former faults and corruptions neuer so plainely, is that ynough to iustifie your corrupt dealing in the holy Scriptures? Is it not an horrible fault so vvilfully to falsifie and corrupt the vvord of God vvritten by the inspiration of the holy Ghost? May you abuse the people for certaine yeres vvith false translations, and aftervvard say, Lo vve haue amended it in our later trans∣lations?* 1.10 Then might the Heretike Beza be excused for translating in steede of Christs soul in hel, his carcas in the graue. and because some freende told him of that corruption, and he corrected it in the later editions, he should neuerthelesse in your iudgemet, be counted a right honest man. No (be ye sure) the dis∣crete Reader can not be so abused, but the vvil easily see, that there is a great difference in mending some ouersightes vvhich may escape the best men: & in your grosse false translations, vvho at the first falsfie of a prepensed malice, and aftervvards alter it for very shame. Hovvbeit, to say the truth, in the cheefest and principal place that con∣cerneth the Churches perpetuitie and stabi∣litie, you haue not yet altered the former translation, but it remaineth as before, and

is at this day readde in your churches thus, Vpon this rocke 1 vvil build my congregation.* 1.11 Can it be vvithout some heretical subreltie, that in this place specially and (I thinke) only you change not the vvord congregation into Church? Giue vs a reason & discharge your credite.

6 Vvhat shal I say of Beza, vvhom the English bibles also folovv, translating actiuely that Greeke vvord, (vvhich in common vse, & by S. Chrysostoms and the Greeke Doctors exposition is a plaine pas∣siue) to signifie, as in his Annotations is cleere, that Christ may be vvithout his Church, that is, a head vvithout a body. The vvordes be these in the heretical tran∣slation,* 1.12 He gaue him to be the head ouer al thinges to the Church, vvhich (Church) is his body, the fulnes of him that filleth all in all. S. Chrysostom, saith Beza, (he might haue said al the Greeke & Latin auncient fathers) taketh it passiuely, in this sense, that Christ is filled al in al, be∣cause all faithful men as members, and the vvhole Church as the body, concurre to the fulnes and accomplishmēt of Christ the head. But this (saith he) seemeth vnto me a for∣ced interpretation. Vvhy so beza?

7 Marke his Doctors vvhom he oppo∣seth to the fathers both Greeke and Latin. Because Xenophon (saith he) in such a

place, and Plato in such a place, vse the said Greeke word actiuely. Iomit this miserable match, & vnvvorthie names of Xenophon & Plato in trial of S. Paules wordes, against al the glorious Doctors: this is his common custom. I aske him rather of these his owne doctors, hovv they vse the Greeke vvord in other places of their vvorkes? hovv vse they it most cōmonly? yea how do al other Greeke vvriters either profane or sacred vse it? Vvhat say the Greeke readers of al vniuersities? Surely not only they, but their scholers for the most part, can not be igno∣rant,* 1.13 that the vse of this vvord and the like, is passiue, though sometime it may also si∣gnifie actiuely: but that is so rare in compa∣rison of the other, that no man lightly vvil vse it, and I am vvel assured it vvould be counted a fault and some lacke of skill, if one novv in his vvritinges that vvould ex∣presse this in Greeke, God filleth al thinges vvith his blessing, should say, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: and The vvine filleth the cuppe,〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Aske them that haue skill, and controule me. Contrarievvise, if one vvould say pas∣siuely, Al thinges are filled vvith Gods blessing, The cuppe is filled vvith vvine, Such a prophecie is fulfilled, Vvhat meane Graecian vvould not say, as S. Chrysostom here expoūdeth this vvord, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, vsing it passiuely?

8 Yet (saith Beza) this is a forced inter∣pretation,

because Xenophon forsooth & Plato (once perhaps in al their vvhole vvorkes) vse it othervvise. O heretical blindnes or rather stubburnenes, that cal∣leth that forced, vvhich is most common and vsual: and seeth not that his ovvne translatiō is forced, because it is against the common vse of the vvord. but no maruel. For he that in other places thinketh it no forced interpretation,* 1.14 to translate 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to be conteined, Vvhich neither Xenophon, nor Plato, nor any Greeke author vvill allovv him to doe, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, carcas, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,* 1.15 pouidence, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, them that amend their liues, may much more in this place dissemble his forced interpretation of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. But vvhy he should call S. Chrysostoms inter∣pretation forced, vvhich is the common & vsual interpretation, that hath no more rea∣son, then if a very theefe should say to an honest man, Thou art a theefe, and not I.

9 Is it forced Beza, that Christ is filled al in al by the Church? doth not S. Paul in the very next vvordes before, call the Church the fulnes of Christ, saying,* 1.16 Vvhich is the fulnes of him that is filled al in al? If the Church be the fulnes of him, then is he filled or hath his fulnes of the Church, so that he is not a maimed head vvithout a body. This would S. Paul say, if you vvould giue him leaue, and this he doth say, vvhether you vvill or

no. But vvhat is the cause that they vvil not suffer the Apostle to say so? because (saith Beza) Christ needeth no such complement. And if he neede it not, then may he be vvithout a Church, and consequently it is no absurditie, if the Church hath been for many yeres not only inuisible, but also not at all. Vvould a man easily at the first ima∣gine or conceiue that there vvere such se∣crete poison in their translation?

10 Againe, it commeth from the same puddle of Geneua,* 1.17 that in their bibles so called, the English Bezites translate against the vnitie of the Catholike Church. For vvhereas them selues are ful of sectes and dissensions, and the true Church is knovv∣en by vnitie, and hath this marke giuen her by Christ him self,* 1.18 in vvhose person Salo∣mon speaking saith, Vnaest columba mea, that is, One is my doue, or, My doue is one. therfore in steede hereof, the foresaid bible saith, My doue is alone: Neither Hebrue not Greeke vvord hauing that signification, but being as proper to signifie one, as Vnus in latin.

11 But vve beseeche euery indifferent Reader, euen for his soules health to con∣sider that one point specially before men∣tioned of their abandoning the name of Church for so many yeres out of their En∣glish Bibles: thereby to defeate the stron∣gest

argument that might and may possibly be brought against them and all other He∣retikes: to vvit, the authoritie of the Church vvhich is so many vvaies and so greatly recommended vnto all Christians in holy Scriptures. consider (I pray you) vvhat a malitious intētion they had herein. First, that the name Church should neuer found in the common peoples eares out of the Scriptures: secondly, that as in other things, so in this also it might seeme to the ignorant a good argument against the au∣thoritie of the Church, to say, Vve sinde not this vvord (Church) in al the holy Scriptures. For as in other articles they say so, because they finde not the expresse word in the holy scripture, so did they vvell prouide, that the vvord (Church) in the holy Scriptures should not stay or hinder their schismaticall and here∣ticall procedings, as long as that vvas the onely English translation, that vvas read and liked among the people; that is, so long till they had by preaching taken avvay the Catholike Churches credite and authoritie altogether, among the ignorant by oppo∣sing the Scriptures therevnto, vvhich them selues had thus falsely translated.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Bib. 1562.
• * 1.2

  Mat. 16.
• * 1.3

  Mat. 18.
• * 1.4

  Eph. 5.
• * 1.5

  1 Tim. 3.
• * 1.6

  Eph. 1.
• * 1.7

  Heb. 12. v. 23
• * 1.8

  In ps. 81 in ioitio. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.9

  Confut. of M. Houlet so. 35.
• * 1.10

  See his nevv Test. in La∣tin of the yere 1556, printed by Robert Ste∣uen in fol. Act. 2. v. 27.
• * 1.11

  Mat. 16. v. 18. Bib. 1577.
• * 1.12

  Eph. 1. v. 21.23. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.13

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

  Recipere.
• * 1.15

  Animam. Prescientiā. Poenitentiā.
• * 1.16

  Eph. 1.
• * 1.17

  Bib. 1579.
• * 1.18

  Cant. 6. v. 8. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉