tionary, thought necessary to be understood of the grave, although he make the word sheol indifferent to signify "hell," and the "grave." That all went to hell, some to rest, and some to torments, it was first devised by Marcion the heretic. But St Jerome is once again cited in Osea, cap. xiii. where he saith, "that hell is a place wherein souls are included," &c.: by which you see that he speaketh not of limbus, wherein souls were included before Christ, but of such a place wherein they are now included; taking the word infernus generally for any place that receiveth the souls of the departed, as he saith most plainly himself in the same place: Quicquid igitur separat fratres, infernus est appellandus. "Whatsoever doth separate brethren, is to be called hell." Augustine is quoted to multiply a lie, and for nothing else, as I have shewed before. besides that of Martin. And in this sense it is also often said in the holy scrip- MARTIN, 13. tures, that such and such were gathered, or laid to their fathers, though they were buried in divers places, and died not in the same state of The scriptures speak of salvation, or damnation. In that sense, Samuel being raised up to speak another hell, to Saul, said, "To-morrow thou and thy sons shall be with me:" that the damned. is, dead, and in hell, though not in the same place or state there: in this sense all such places of the holy scripture as have the word “inferi,” or "infernus," correspondent both to the Greek and Hebrew, ought to be, and may be most conveniently translated by the word "hell." As when it is said, "Thou hast delivered my soul from the lower hell," Ab inferno Psal. lxxxviii. 13, that is, as St Augustine expoundeth it, "Thou hast preserved me from mortal sins, that would have brought me into the lower hell, which is for the damned." Which place of holy scripture, and the like, when they translate "grave," see how miserably it soundeth : "Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest grave." Which they Bib. 1579. would never say for very shame, but that they are afraid to say in any place, be the holy scriptures never so plain, that any soul was delivered or returned from hell, lest thereof it might follow by and by, that the patriarchs, and our Saviour Christ, were in such a hell. inferiori. 13. Fulke. That which is spoken indifferently of the elect FULKE, and reprobate, must needs be understood of that which is common to both, that is, corporal death. How can it be verified of their souls, that they were laid to the fathers, when between the godly and the wicked there is an infinite distance? but the earth, the grave, or pit, is a common receptacle of all dead bodies. That Samuel, which being raised up spake to Saul, might truly say of his soul, though MARTIN, 14. Prov. xv. 24. Bib. 1579. De manu inferi. his sons. not of all his sons, that he should be with him in hell, (for it was the spirit of Satan, and not of Samuel, although counterfeiting Samuel,) he might speak of the death of Saul and As for that verse of the eighty-fifth psalm', whereupon you do falsely so often allege St Augustine's resolution, what absurdity hath it, to translate it, "from the lowest grave," or "from the bottom of the grave"? whereby David meaneth extreme danger of death that he was in by the malice of his persecuting enemies, Saul and his accomplices. But we “are afraid to say in any place, that any 'soul was delivered and returned from hell.'" We say that the souls of all the faithful are delivered from hell; but of any which after death is condemned to hell, we acknowledge no return. And these words are spoken by David while he lived, and praised God for his deliverance; which might be not only from the "grave," but also from "hell," saving that he here speaketh of his preservation from death. Martin. And that this is their fear, it is evident, because that in all other places, where it is plain that the holy scriptures speak of the hell of the damned, from whence there is no return, they translate there the very same word "hell," and not "grave." As for example, The way of life is on high to the prudent, to avoid from hell beneath." Lo, here that is translated "hell beneath," which before was translated "the lowest grave." And again, "Hell and destruction are before the Lord: how much more the hearts of the sons of men?" But when in the holy scriptures there is mention of delivery of a soul from hell, then thus they translate: "God shall deliver my soul from the power of the grave, for he will receive me." Can you tell what they would say? doth God deliver them from the grave, or from temporal death, [1 ὅτι τὸ ἔλεός σου μέγα ἐπ ̓ ἐμὲ, καὶ ἐῤῥύσω τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐξ ᾅδου κατωτάτου. Psal. lxxxv. 13. "Quia misericordia tua magna est super me; et eruisti animam meam ex inferno inferiori," Vulg. "For great is thy mercy toward me; and thou hast delivered my soul from the nethermost hell," Bishops' bible, 1584; Cranmer, 1562. "For great is thy mercy toward me; for thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest grave," Geneva version, 1560, 1579.] [* Οδοὶ ζωῆς διανοήματα συνετοῦ, ἵνα ἐκκλίνας ἐκ τοῦ ᾅδου σώθῃ. Prov. xv. 24. "Semita vitæ super eruditum, ut declinet de inferno novissimo," Vulg. "The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath," Version 1611. "The way of life is on high to the prudent, to avoid from hell beneath," Geneva, 1560. "The way of life leadeth unto heaven, that a man should beware of hell whom he receiveth to his mercy? or hath the grave any power over the soul? Again, when they say, "What man liveth and shall not Psal. Ixxxix see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave?" 48. Fulke. I have shewed before divers times, that although FULKE, the Hebrew word sheol do properly signify a receptacle of 14. the bodies after death, yet when mention is of the wicked, by consequence it may signify "hell;" as the day signifieth light, the night darkness, fire heat, peace signifieth prosperity, and an hundred such like speeches. But where you say that Proverbs xv. 24, that is translated "hell beneath," which before was translated the "lowest grave," Psalm lxxxv. 13, you say untruly; for although in both places there is the word sheol, yet in that psalm there is tachtijah, in the Proverbs mattah, A for which if it were translated "the grave," that declineth, or is downward, it were no inconvenience. In the other texts you trifle upon the word "soul;" whereas the Hebrew word signifieth not the reasonable soul, which is separable from the body, but the life, or the whole person of man, which may rightly be said to be delivered from the hand or power of the grave, as the verse 483 doth plainly declare, when in the latter part is repeated the sense of the former, as it is in many places of the Psalms. Martin. If they take "grave" properly, where man's body is buried, MARTIN, it is not true either that every soul, yea, or every body is buried in beneath," Cranmer, 1562. "The way of life is on high to the wise, that a man should beware of hell beneath," Bishops' bible, 1584. Ἐκ χειρὸς ᾅδου ῥύσομαι, καὶ ἐκ θανάτου λυτρώσομαι αυτούς που ἡ νίκη σου, θάνατε ; ποῦ τὸ κέντρον σου, ᾅδη; “ De manu mortis liberabo eos, de morte redimam eos; ero mors tua, o mors, morsus tuus ero, inferne," Vulg. "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction," Version 1611. Hosea xiii. 14. Ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ κέντρον; ποῦ σου, ᾅδη, τὸ νίκος; mors, victoria tua? ubi est, mors, stimulus tuus?" Vulg. "Oh death, where is thy sting? oh grave, where is thy victory?" Authorised version, 1611. 1 Cor. xv. 55.] "Ubi est, [3 ῥύσεται τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκ χειρὸς ᾅδου; Ρsal. lxxxvii. 48. “Eruet animam suam de manu inferi?" Vulg. lxxxix. 48. "And shall he deliver his soul from the hand of hell?" Bishops' bible, 1584; Cranmer, 1562. "Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave?" Geneva, 1560; Authorised version.] 15. FULKE, 15. MARTIN, 16. a grave. But if in all such places they will say they mean nothing else but to signify death, and that to go down into the grave, and to die, is all one; we ask them, why they follow not the words of the holy scripture to signify the same thing, which call it going down to "hell," not going down to the "grave"? Here they must needs open the mystery of antichrist working in their translations, and say, that so they should make hell a common place to all that departed in the old testament; which they will not, no, not in the most important places of our belief concerning our Saviour Christ's descending into hell, and triumphing over the same. Yea, therefore of purpose they will not, only for to defeat that part of our christian creed. Fulke. We cannot always take the word "grave" properly, when the scripture useth it figuratively. But if we say, to go down to the grave and to die is all one, you ask us why we follow not the words of the holy scripture. I answer, We do, for the scripture calleth it "grave," and not "hell." Where then is your vain clattering of the mystery of antichrist, that we must open? Because we will not acknowledge that heretical common-place, invented by Marcion the heretic, we purpose to defeat the article of Christ's descending into hell. A monstrous slander! when we do openly confess it, and his triumphing over hell in more triumphant manner than you determine it. For if he descended into that hell only, in which were the souls of the faithful, which was a place of rest, of comfort, of joy, and felicity; what triumph was it to overcome such an hell? which, if you take away the hateful name of "hell," by your own description will prove rather an heaven than an hell. believe that he triumphed over the hell of the damned, and over all the power of darkness, which he subdued by the virtue of his obedience and sacrifice, so that it should never be able to claim or hold any of his elect, whom he had redeemed. But we Martin. As when the prophet first, Osea xiii., and afterward the apostle, 1 Cor. xv. in the Greek, say thus1: Ero mors tua, o mors, morsus [ Κατεπόθη ὁ θάνατος εἰς νίκος. ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ κέντρον; ποῦ σου, ᾅδη, τὸ νίκος; τὸ δὲ κέντρον τοῦ θανάτου ἡ ἁμαρτία. 1 Cor. xv. 54, 55, 56. "Absorpta est mors in victoria: ubi est, mors, victoria tua? ubi est, mors, stimulus tuus? Stimulus autem mortis peccatum est," Vulg. "Death is consumed into victory. Death, where is thy sting? tuus ero, inferne. Ubi est, mors, stimulus tuus? ubi est, inferne, victoria bisni tua? "O death, I will be thy death: I will be thy sting, O hell. ᾅδη. Where is, O death, thy sting? where is, O hell, thy victory?" They translate in both places, "O grave," instead of "O hell." What else Bib. 1579. can be their meaning hereby, but to draw the reader from the common sense of our Saviour Christ's descending into hell, and conquering the same, and bringing out the fathers and just men triumphantly from thence into heaven? which sense hath always been the common sense of the catholic church and holy doctors, specially upon this place of See S. Hier. the prophet. And what a kind of speech is this, and out of all tune, 13. Osee2. to make our Saviour Christ say, "O grave, I will be thy destruction"? as though he had triumphed over the grave, and not over hell; or over the grave, that is, over death; and so the prophet should say "death" twice, and "hell" not at all. Comment. in Fulke St Jerome, whom you quote in the margin, to FULKE, prove that all the catholic doctors understood this text of 16. Osee, of Christ's descending into hell, and thereby reprove our translation, which for "hell" saith "grave," after he hath repeated the words of the apostle, 1 Cor. xv. upon this text, thus he concludeth: Itaque quod ille in resurrectionem interpretatus est Domini, nos aliter interpretari nec possumus nec audemus. "Therefore that which the apostle hath interpreted of our Lord's resurrection, we neither can nor dare interpret otherwise." You see therefore by Jerome's judgment, that in this text, which is proper of Christ's resurrection, it is more proper to use the word of "grave,” than of "hell." How vainly the same Jerome interpreteth the last words of this chapter, of spoiling the treasure of every vessel that is desirable, of Christ's delivering out of hell the most precious vessels of the saints, &c. I am not ignorant; but we speak of translation of the 14th verse, which being understood of Christ's resurrection, it argueth, that the grave is spoken of, rather than hell. As for the repetition of Hell, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin," Tyndale, 1534. "Death is swallowed up in victory; death, where is thy sting? Hell, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin," Cranmer, 1539. Bishops' bible, 1584, with an interjection. "Death is swallowed up into victory. Death, where is thy sting? grave, where is thy victory? the sting of death is sin," Geneva, 1577. Authorised Version, 1611, with an interjection after. "Death is swallowed up in victory. Death, where is thy victory! Death, where is thy sting, and the sting of death is sin," Rheims, 1582.] [ Comment. Hieronymi in Osee, c. xiii. Opera, Vol. m. p. 1330.] |