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Presbyterii.

year 436.

had their flocks and cure of souls, as followeth in the same place. They make St Paul speak thus to Timothy: "Neglect not the gift," (so they xápioμa. Bib. 1579. had rather say than " grace," lest holy orders should be a sacrament,) 1577. "given thee with the laying on of the hands of the eldership," or, "bу TоÛ πρеσthe authority of the eldership1." 1 Tim. iv. What is this company of BuTepiou. "eldership"? Somewhat they would say like to the apostle's word; but they will not speak plainly, lest the world might hear out of the scriptures, that Timothy was made priest or bishop even as the use is in the catholic church at this day. Let the fourth council of Carthage speak Can. 3. in the for both parts indifferently, and tell us the apostle's meaning: "A priest Where S. Auwhen he taketh his orders, the bishop blessing him and holding his gustine wad hand upon his head, let all the priests also that are present hold their subscribed. hands by the bishop's hand upon his head." So do our priests at this day, when a bishop maketh priests; and this is the laying on of the hands of the company of priests, which St Paul speaketh of, and which they translate, "the company of the eldership." Only their former translation of 1562 in this place (by what chance or consideration we know not) let fall out of the pen, "by the authority of priesthood."

present

Fulke. We desire not to be more holy in the English FULKE, 8. terms, than the Holy Ghost was in the Greek terms: whom if it pleased to use such a word as is indifferent to signify the "ancients of the Jews," "the senators of Rome," "the elders of Lacedæmonia," and "the christian clergy," why should we not truly translate it into English?

tibi per prophetiam,"
"Despise not the gift

[ Μὴ ἀμέλει τοῦ ἐν σοὶ χαρίσματος, ὃ ἐδόθη σοι διὰ προφητείας μετὰ ἐπιθέσεως τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ πρεσβυτερίου. 1 Tim. iv. 14. "Noli negligere gratiam, quæ in te est, quæ data est Vulg. "The grace which is in thee," Wiclif. that is in thee, which was given thee through prophecy, and with laying on of the hands of an elder," Tyndale, 1534. "Despise not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee through prophecy, with the laying on of hands by the authority of the priesthood," Cranmer, 1539, 1562. "Despise not that gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of hands by the eldership," · Geneva Test. 1557. "Despise not the gift, &c. with the laying on of the hands of the company of the eldership," Geneva bible, 1560. "Despise not the gift, &c. with the laying on of hands by the authority of the eldership," Bishops' bible, 1584. "Neglect not the grace that is in thee, which is given thee by prophecy, with imposition of the hands of priesthood," Rheims. 1582. "Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery," Authorised version. "Despise not the gift," Edit. 1579, 1568.]

MARTIN, 9.

But I pray you in good sadness, are we so profane and secular, Acts xx., in calling those whom Saint Paul sent for out of Ephesus, "elders"? What shall we say then of the vulgar Latin text, which calleth them majores natu, as though they obtained that degree by years, rather than by anything else? And why do you so profanely and secularly call them the "ancients of the church"? Is there more profaneness and secularity in the English word "elders,” than in the Latin word majores natu, or in your French-English term, "ancients"? Surely you do nothing but play with the noses of such as be ignorant in the tongues, and can perceive no similitude or difference of these words, but by the sound of their ears. But now for the word πρεσβυτέριον, used by St Paul, 1 Tim. iv., which we call the "eldership," or "the company of elders," I have shewed before, how it is used by St Luke in his gospel, chap. xxii., and Acts xxii. You say, we "will not speak plainly, lest the world should hear that Timothy was made priest or bishop even as the use is in the catholic church at this day." And then you tell us, out of the council of Carthage, 4 chap. that all the priests present should lay their hands on the head of him that is ordained, together with the bishop. We know it well, and it is used in the church of England at this day. Only the term of "eldership" displeaseth you, when we mean thereby the company of elders. But whereas the translators of the bible, 1562, called it "priesthood," either by priesthood they meant the same that we do by "eldership;" or if they meant by "priesthood" the office of priests, or elders, they were deceived. For peoẞUTÉpiov signifieth "a company of elders," as it is twice used by St Luke, and oftentimes by the ancient writers of the church, both Greeks and Latins.

πρεσβυτέριον

Martin. Otherwise in all their English bibles all the bells ring one note1, as, "The elders that rule well are worthy of double honour."

[ Οἱ καλῶς προεστώτες πρεσβύτεροι διπλῆς τιμῆς ἀξιούσθωσαν. 1 Tim. v. 17. “Qui bene præsunt presbyteri, duplici honore digni habeantur," Vulg. "The elders that rule well are worthy of double honour," Tyndale, 1534, Cranmer, 1539, 1562; Bishops' bible, 1584, Geneva, 1560. "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour," Authorised version. "The priests that rule well, let them be esteemed worthy of double honour," Rheims.

τῆς ἐκκλησ

Lib. iii. de

And, "Against an elder receive no accusation, but under two or three witnesses," 1 Tim. v. And, "If any be diseased among you, let him Tous peσcall for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, and βυτέρους anoint him with oil," &c. Jacob. v. Whereas St Chrysostom out of oías. this place proveth the high dignity of priests in remitting sins, in his Sacerdotio. book entitled, "Of Priesthood," unless they will translate that title wepi iepwalso, "Of Eldership." Again, they make St Peter say thus: "The elders σúns. which are among you I exhort, which am also an elder, feed ye Christ's flock, as much as lieth in you," &c. 1 Pet. v.

Fulke. In these three texts you triumph not a little, FULKE, 9. because your vulgar Latin text hath the Greek word presbyter. "The high dignity of priests, or elders, in remitting sins," we acknowledge with Chrysostom, in his book entitled "Of Priesthood:" which seeing it is repì iepwovvns, we will never translate" eldership." But we may lawfully wish, that both Chrysostom and other ancient writers had kept that distinction of terms, which the apostles and evangelists did so precisely observe. In the last text, 1 Pet. v., your vulgar Latin saith, seniores and consenior, yourselves in English, "seniors," and "fellow senior." What trespass then have we committed, in saying “elders," and "fellow elder," or an elder also?

10.

readeth,

Martin. Where if they will tell us, as also in certain other places, MARTIN, that our Latin translation hath seniores, and majores natu: we tell them, as heretofore we have told them, that this is nothing to them, S. Hierom who profess to translate the Greek. Again we say, that if they meant Presbyteros no worse than the old Latin translator did, they would be as indifferent as he to have said sometime "priests" and "priesthood," when he hath

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Κατὰ πρεσβυτέρου κατηγορίαν μὴ παραδέχου. 1 Tim. v. 19. “ Adversus presbyterum accusationem noli recipere," Vulg. Against an elder receive none accusation," Tyndale, Cranmer, Bishops' bible, Geneva, Authorised version. "Against a priest receive not accusation," Wiclif, Rheims.

προσκαλεσάσθω τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς ἐκκλησίας. James v. 14. "Inducat presbyteros ecclesiæ," Vulg. "Let him call for the elders of the congregation," Tyndale, Cranmer. "Let him call for the elders of the church," Geneva, Bishops' bible, 1584. Authorised version. "Let him bring in the priests of the church," Rheims. IIpeoßurépovs Toùs ἐν ὑμῖν παρακαλῶ ὁ συμπρεσβύτερος. 1 Pet. v. 1. "Seniores ergo, qui in vobis sunt, obsecro, consenior," Vulg. "The elders which are among you, I exhort, which am also an elder," Tyndale, Cranmer, Bishops' bible, Geneva, Authorised version. "The seniors therefore that are among you, I beseech, myself a fellow senior with them," Rheims, 1582.]

ego compres

byter, Ep. 85. ad Evag. et in i. ad Gal. proving the

dignity of priests; and

yet in Gal. iv.

he readeth

according to the vulgar Latin text, Seniores in vobis rogo

consenior et ipse. Whereby it is evi

dent, that se

the words presbyteros and presbyterium; as we are indifferent in our translation, saying "seniors" and "ancients," when we find it so in our Latin; being well assured that by sundry words he meant but one thing, as in Greek it is but one, and as both Erasmus and also Beza himself always translate it, keeping the name presbyter and presbyteri ; of whom by reason they should have learned, rather than of our Latin translator, whom otherwise they condemn. And if they say they do nior here, and follow them, and not him, because they translate not senior and major natu, but the word presbyter, or πрeσßúτepos, an "elder," in all trary, pres- places; we tell them, and herein we convent their conscience, that they do it to take away the external priesthood of the New Testament, and to suppress the name "priest," against the ecclesiastical, and (as now since Christ) very proper and usual signification thereof, in the New Testament, councils, and fathers, in all common writing and speaking; specially the Latin presbyter, which grew to this signification out of the Greek, in the foresaid places of holy scripture.

in the Acts, is a priest, and not con

byter, an

elder.

FULKE, 10.

Fulke. I have told you already, and you could not but know that it should be told you, that seeing we translate none otherwise than your vulgar Latin translator, we are no more to be blamed of falsehood, corruption, profaneness, novelty, than he is, who professed to translate the Greek as much as we do. But if we had meant no worse (say you) than he, we would have been as indifferent to have said sometimes "priest" and "priesthood," where he hath the word presbyteros and presbyterium. I answer, presbyterium he hath but once, and for that you have "priesthood" once, as you confessed before. And if the name "priest" were of the same understanding in common English that the word presbyter is, from whence it is derived, we would never have sought more words for it, than we do for the words "bishop," "deacon," and such like.

The words presbyter and presbyterium you confess that Beza doth always use: and so do we, when we write or speak Latin; but we cannot use them in English, except we should be as fond as you in your gratis, depositum, and such fantasies. And to tell you plainly, as our conscience beareth us witness, we will never dissemble, that we avoid that word "priest," as it is used to signify a sacrificer, because we would shew a perfect distinction between the priesthood of the law and the ministry of the gospel, between sacerdos and presbyter, a sacrificer and a governor of the church. And I appeal to your own conscience, whether, if the English

word "priest" were as indifferent as presbyter, and sounded no more towards a sacrifice than either presbyter or your own English words "ancient" and "senior," whether (I say) you would make so much ado about it, for to have it in all places of the New Testament, where peoẞúTepos is in the Greek? But seeing your popish sacrificing power, and blasphemous sacrifice of your mass, hath no manner ground at all in the holy scriptures, either in the original Greek, or in your own Latin translation, you are driven to seek a silly shadow for it in the abusive acception and sounding of the English word “priest” and “priesthood." And therefore you do, in the second section of this chapter, in great earnest affirm, that "priest, sacrifice, and altar" are dependents, and consequents, one of another, so that they cannot be separated. If you should say in Latin sacerdos, sacrificium, altare, or in Greek iepevs, θυσία ἢ προσφορὰ, καὶ θυσιαστήριον be such consequents, we will also subscribe unto you: but if you will change the word, and say presbyter, sacrificium, altare, or πрEO ßÚTEρος, θυσία, θυσιαστήριον, every learned man's ears will glow, to hear you say they are dependents and consequents inseparable. Therefore we must needs distinguish of the word "priest" in your corollary: for [if] you mean thereby sacerdotem, we grant the consequence of sacrifice and altar; but if you mean presbyterium [presbyterum], we deny that ever God joined those three in an unseparable band; or that presbyter, in that he is presbyter, hath any thing to do with sacrifice or altar, more than senior, or major natu, or ancient, or elder.

11.

See Can.

Apost. Conc.i.
Ignat. Conc.

Nic. Epist.

Carth.iv. Beza

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Martin. Insomuch that immediately in the first canons and councils MARTIN, of the apostles and their successors, nothing is more common than this distinction of ecclesiastical degrees and names, si episcopus, vel presbyter, vel diaconus', &c.: "If any bishop, or priest, or deacon" do this or that. Which if the protestants or Calvinists will translate after their manner thus, "If a bishop, or elder, or deacon," &c., they do against themselves, which make presbyter or "elder" a common name to all ecclesiastical persons, and not a peculiar degree next unto a bishop. So that either they must condemn all antiquity for placing presbyter in the second degree after a bishop; or they must translate it "priest," as we do; or they must make "elder" to be their second degree, and so put "minister" out of place.

[Aut, not vel, in Labbe, Vol. 1. p. 52.]

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